Seoul, verified September 19, 2026
Where to Drink in Hongdae With Friends: Four Picks
Hongdae is the default answer when friends in Seoul want a night that starts with drinks and keeps going, which is exactly why it is hard to choose inside. We read this as a casual evening gathering near Hongdae with no fixed date and no fixed headcount, and picked four places that each answer a different version of it: a drinking first jumak, a jeon and makgeolli room, a building sized pocha for a large group, and a grill for when the night should be built around meat.
All four were confirmed operating as of our last check. Battery88 keeps the latest hours on the list, and the rest close between 00:30 and 03:00, so the order you visit them in matters as much as the choice.
1. Yeonnam Jumak 1987
연남주막1987 (Yeonnam Jumak 1987) is a retro-themed Korean pub ("jumak") in Yeonnam-dong near Hongik University Station, built around chicken-and-seafood stew (닭도리탕) variants, savory pancakes (전), and a wide flavored-makgeolli list . It positions itself as an anju-forward drinking spot rather than a restaurant, open into the early morning .
South Korea, 서울시 Mapo-gu, Donggyo-ro, 212 51 층 KR 서울특별시 | $$ | bar, korean
The most literal answer to the question. Yeonnam Jumak 1987 is a retro jumak a short walk from Hongdae where the menu is built around drinking rather than dining: shareable stews, jeon, and house flavored makgeolli. Friend groups of three to four are explicitly its core crowd, and it pours until 03:00.
- A friend group of three or four drinking over anju is the core use case here, across nearly every source we read.
- Flavored makgeolli is the house strength, with dalgona, peach, watermelon, strawberry, and matcha pours; the dalgona in particular draws a strong, specific recommendation as a low alcohol, dessert like drink.
- The set menus that pair a stew with jeon carry a first order discount and are the default recommendation across sources.
- Hours run Monday to Friday 15:00 to 03:00 and Saturday to Sunday 12:00 to 03:00.
A roughly 2 hour table time cap kicks in when the room is full, so long lingering sessions can get cut short. Friday and weekend evenings after 6 to 7 PM typically mean 5 to 30 minute waits; book via Naver Reservation. The small room gets loud when full, not ideal for quiet conversation.
View on Google MapsNotes updated August 7, 2026
2. Halmae Gireumjib Hongdae Branch
할매기름집 홍대점 (Halmae Gireumjib Hongdae Branch) is a late-night jeon (Korean savory pancake) and makgeolli pub near Sangsu station in Hongdae, open 17:30 to 02:00 daily, styled around a nostalgic "grandmother's house" theme . It surged in popularity via Instagram reels and now draws a heavily 20-something crowd .
51 Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea | $$ | korean
The classic Hongdae jeon and makgeolli play, near Sangsu: retro grandmother house decor, sizzling pancake platters, and a room with enough noise in it to carry a group. It works as the opening act of the night or as the place you move to after one.
- Reviewers frame it both ways: a good first stop when the group wants a full sit down meal with its drinks, and a workable second stop after somewhere else.
- Open daily 17:30 to 02:00, with last order at 01:00.
- Reservations are bookable through both Naver Reservation and CatchTable, weekends included.
A live check found demand very high right now, with recent reviews describing overflow crowds; book ahead or go at opening on a weekday. The crowd skews heavily college age; friends in their 30s may feel conspicuously older. The makgeolli list is thin at about seven varieties. Per its Naver listing it is closed Friday 9/25 for Chuseok, so avoid that date.
View on Google MapsNotes updated July 17, 2026
3. Battery88
배터리88 (Battery88) is a three-floor Hongdae pocha-style bar and rooftop drinking spot near Sangsu/Hongik University station, occupying an entire building with a ground-floor hall, a semi-private second floor, and a third-floor indoor/outdoor rooftop, built around cheap Korean bar food and a large draft-beer and highball selection.
South Korea, Seoul, Mapo-gu, Wausan-ro 19-gil, 6 1층 | $$
When the group is too big for a normal bar table, this is the one. Battery88 is a purpose built group pocha in Hongdae: three floors, a rooftop, and wide tables spaced for groups, running on cheap Korean bar food and a long draft and highball list.
- The Jim Beam highballs, mojito and peach among them, earn an explicit highball destination endorsement.
- Sources return again and again to large group and team dinner use: wide table spacing, several group capable areas across the three floors, and private group reservations available from 24 people up.
Tablet only ordering has a documented failure mode on packed nights: no assigned server means stalled orders. Weekend walk ins for groups can be difficult; reserving ahead is safer. Two similarly named branches exist, so confirm the address at 와우산로19길 6. The rooftop is weather dependent.
View on Google MapsNotes updated July 26, 2026
4. Dojeok
Dojeok (도적, "Dojeok Hapjeong-jeom" / 도적 합정점) is a 20-year-old pork-only Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal) restaurant near Sangsu/Hapjeong station in Mapo-gu, built around a signature knife-scored ("kal-samgyeopsal", 칼삼겹살) pork belly and staff-cooked service .
3 Eoulmadang-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea | $$ | korean, korean_barbecue
The pick when the group wants the drinking built around a proper grill rather than a bar menu. Dojeok is a 20 year local fixture doing knife scored pork belly that staff cook and cut at your table, in a wood heavy two floor room with jazz on the speakers.
- The consensus signature is the knife scored pork belly: seared whole, then scored before the final grilling so the fat renders out through the cuts, which leaves it crisp outside and juicy inside.
- Staff cook and cut the meat table side all the way through the meal, which reviewers consistently count as a comfort.
- The first floor runs louder and fuller with group and company dinner tables, while the second floor is described again and again as calmer, with wider spacing between tables.
- Multiple 2026 posts give the hours as daily 16:00 to 00:30, which makes it one of the few late night grills in the area.
The menu is pork only with no beef, a real constraint for mixed preference groups. Weekend waits are common given its 20 year reputation; CatchTable waitlisting is the recommended strategy. Our live check could not confirm current reservation channels, so treat booking as walk in plus waitlist.
View on Google MapsNotes updated August 13, 2026
If the night lands on a weekend, split the four into two groups. Battery88 and Yeonnam Jumak 1987 are worth reserving ahead. Halmae Gireumjib and Dojeok are book or queue propositions, so plan on arriving early or waiting.
One date to watch: Halmae Gireumjib is closed on Friday, September 25 for Chuseok, while Dojeok lists holiday hours as open.