Hidden Bar in Seoul : Zoo Sindang 주신당[酒神堂]

The forest where the 12 zodiac gods live meets foreign buddha bar- the atmosphere of the speakeasy bar is like no other I have visited yet.

Zoosindang 주신당[酒神堂] is probably one of the most famous hidden bars in Seoul. It is also known as Jushindang 주신당 in Korean and written with the Chinese letters for alcohol (酒), god (神) and hall (堂) ( hall (堂) also appears in words like shikdang 식당-restaurant.)

This is not one of the gluten free places I usually visit and write about, but a bar I was curious about for a long time. After discovering it on Instagram (as probably many others did too) and having it bookmarked for almost half a year I finally visited it.
Usually I tend to be careful with places I discover on Instagram as some of them can be overhyped and very crowded- but this one was more than worth it!

Zoosindang is about a 5-minute walk from Sindang Station Line 2 or Shindan Station Line 6, situated exactly in the middle between the two (find links with the directions below).

We visited the bar on a Saturday evening. When I called on Friday evening to inquire about reservations, I was told that it’s a first-come, first-served basis.

Because Mr. Sogumbbang took a train (or maybe five?) too early, he was already at the restaurant by 5:30 PM, while I was still on my way from cafe Haus (another place I also found on Instagram).

… To our luck! Zoosindang opens at 5 PM on Saturdays, and we were number 22 in the queue. To secure a spot, Mr. Sogumbbang picked a number from a machine and we checked on Kakaotalk how many people were still waiting before us. Typically, restaurants give people around 5 minutes to reach them when it’s their turn after receiving a notification. At Zoosindang, however, it was only 3 minutes. (So yes, you better run, haha).

Thankfully, there was a large cafe right next to the bar. We spent about 2 1/2 hours passing the time there with drinking coffee, playing phone games and me showing what I bought earlier, until it was finally our turn. However, the wait was well worth it.

The bar is located in an area with old houses and narrow alleyways, mixed with modern bars, restaurants, and cafes. This combination gives a sense of both the past and the present, reminiscent of Seoul in the 1970s. The blend of old and new adds a unique and captivating charm to the area.

Zoosindang follows this style. While the awning is covered with cardboard, and the sign with the name of the bar on it is chipped and faded, the entrance door looks like an old shrine.

Behind the entrance door, another world awaits. Plants and colorful lights hang from the ceiling. Zoo Sindang 주신당 combines traditional decorations like lanterns and parchment scrolls with Chinese characters with a modern bar counter in the middle of a jungle.

Among the various dishes like potato pancakes, skewers, noodles, cakes and more, all of which looked stunning from what I saw at other tables, only a few appeared to be gluten-free. This made me all the more thrilled about the 12 zodiac sign drinks available on the cocktail menu. (I did ask about the tomato dish in one picture below but not about the cocktails if they contained gluten. I am very sure that the crumbels in the pig cocktail did though.)

We ordered the dark rum and baileys based mouse cocktail with cream and cheese and the rum based pig cocktail which is inspired by the Korean ice bar Dwaejibar 돼지바 with chocolate crumbles, cream and strawberry (in the picture on the right is a marshmallow in chocolate crumbles on the cocktail.)

Each cocktail on the menu was rated for their alcohol strength, sweetness, sourness and full body. The mouse cocktail scored 3 out of 4 points in sweetness and 2 points for alcohol, while the pig cocktail scored 3 points for sweetness and alcohol.
The mouse cocktail was pretty sweet and creamy, which I really liked, but it may not be to everyone’s taste. Compared to that, the pig cocktail was less sweet than its name suggested.

There were seats at the bar for two people, as well as tables on the ground floor and the first floor. And even though the bar seemed to be always crowded because of the long waiting list, the layout still provided a sense of privacy and it wasn’t too loud to make conversation. We stayed some time, enjoyed our cocktails and left, not before I also explored the washroom.

(The restroom was also a unique experience. The walls had glowing star-like Hangul characters that spelled “복” (Bok), which means “luck” in Korean.)

Final thoughts

Visiting Zoo Sindang 주신당 was a great experience I would recommend to everybody who likes themed speakeasies and enjoys cocktails! I had an awesome night there and I definitely plan on exploring more hidden bars in Seoul.

This is not a bar to drink a lot since one cocktail costs around ₩15.000～ and there are also not many drinks who are low in alcohol. But it is a great place to create special memories or celebrate with either friends or a date! The bar seemed to be equally popular with Koreans and foreigners and had a long waiting list with a first-come, first-served system. I recommend arriving as early as possible and perhaps bringing something like a book or games to pass the time in a nearby coffee shop while waiting.
(Here is a link to a Korean article about the interior & branding point)

Total: ★★★★★ (4.8 out of 5)
Taste: ★★★★★
Variety: ★★★★★
Price: ★★★★☆
Interior: ★★★★★
Access: ★★★★★

Zoo Sindang (주신당)
Monday~Friday 18:00~02:00 / Saturday~Sunday17:00~01:00
Website
Instagram: zoosindang
Adress: Seoul, Jung-gu, 퇴계로 411 6 Zoosindang
Naver Map