Sangsu JutaekA Converted-House Bar in Sangsu, With a Wide Makgeolli Lineup

A second-floor bar in a converted old house

It's on the second floor of an old house down a side street near Sangsu Station. The sign is small enough that it's easy to walk past the first time — the stairs are right next to a clothing shop on the ground floor. There's also a terrace, good for sitting outside on a nice day.

The makgeolli lineup is wide

This is especially good news if you like makgeolli. The lineup is wide enough to compare several side by side, so it's a good place to try makgeolli you haven't had before. If you're a foreign visitor, I'd especially recommend it for trying a range of Korean makgeolli in one sitting.

The anju menu spans a lot of ground

The anju menu is wide, so there's fun in picking a few different things. I ordered the Sangsu octopus bossam — octopus and boiled pork wrapped with perilla leaf — and the seafood minari-jeon, loaded with minari and vegetables under a sweet-spicy sauce. Beyond that there's also clam jjim, cheese kimchi-jeon and beef tendon fish cake soup, so soups, pancakes and steamed dishes are all covered.

What it looks like on the table

The octopus bossam comes on one plate with thin-sliced octopus and boiled pork, alongside perilla leaves, ssamjang, salted shrimp and a red sauce. You lay the pork and octopus on a perilla leaf, add ssamjang or salted shrimp, and wrap it. The seafood minari pancake fills a large black plate, piled high with minari and a dressed vegetable topping under a sweet-and-spicy sauce. A small dish of soy-based dipping sauce sits beside it.

Solidly good, not spectacular

The anju itself isn't the kind of thing you'd brag about elsewhere. But it isn't overly salty or heavy-handed either — solidly good enough to go with makgeolli or other traditional liquor. Think of this less as a place that wins on one standout dish, and more as somewhere to enjoy the drink and the atmosphere together.

For foreign visitors

• Makgeolli is a cloudy Korean traditional liquor brewed from rice. If you can't decide which one to order, say "Amugeona chucheonhaejuseyo" (아무거나 추천해주세요) and the staff will choose for you
• Bossam is boiled pork wrapped in perilla leaf or cabbage, and this place adds octopus to make its signature muneo bossam (octopus bossam)
• Jeon is a Korean pan-fried pancake made by coating ingredients in batter. Pairing it with makgeolli is a common combination
• Anju is the general word for food eaten alongside drinks

Before you go

• The makgeolli lineup is wide — good for comparing a few side by side
• The anju menu spans a lot of ground — bossam, jeon, jjim and soup are all on offer
• It's on the 2nd floor, easy to miss the sign — take the stairs next to the ground-floor clothing shop
• About a 4-minute walk from Sangsu Station Exit 1
• Nearby public parking is paid, so public transport is easier