Best-of list · After Work Guides
The 10 best after work bars in Seoul, from the Craftworks taphouse in Itaewon to Magpie, Mikkeller in Gangnam and the neon taprooms of Euljiro.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Seoul drinks after work with intent, and the craft beer wave that started in Itaewon now reaches Euljiro and Gangnam. The taphouses and brewpubs here pull the post office crowd with real beer rather than soju by the bottle, and most pair it with a kitchen that can carry a whole evening. We read the local guides, the brewery histories and the review patterns to choose these ten, weighted toward the rooms that built the scene.
Itaewon and Noksapyeong hold the pioneers, the taphouses and brewpubs that started the craft movement and still draw the after work hill crowd. Gangnam runs the polished end.
How we picked
For the deepest list and the origin story, Craftworks, Magpie and Reilly's carry Itaewon. For a beer the owner brewed, Pongdang and The Booth have a point of view. For a late printing district night, the Euljiro rooms are worth the hunt. Most open by late afternoon, so the after work window is yours. Reserve through CatchTable when a room runs hot.
The Altitude. A sharp Asia Pacific eye for skylines, rooftops and rooms where the drink has to stand on its own. Notes the booking window and the dress code so you do not have to.
Last reviewed 2026-04-03 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.