Vinyl

genus: the sauce
space & place: 3 minutes from 상수역 exit 1.
span: late afternoon till whenever places you drink at close
costs: standard cocktails ₩4,000; premium usually ₩5,000

It was raining steadily on Friday night, which no doubt sure ruined some people’s hopes of making July’s club night epic. Yet the weather wasn’t enough to prevent me from loitering in front of Vinyl drinking Ziploc bags of gin lime while the overhang dripped rain onto my shoulder.

From the cramped—if the word can even appropriately describe the size of Vinyl—warmly lit inside the dj was fêting the 15 or so people who can fit inside to the deep, spacey groove of dub. The reverb and chopped guitar alternately stuttering and flowing into the street combined with availability of booze outside doubled Vinyl’s space. It has a delightful quality of creating an atmosphere of ownership of the sidewalk in front, and when people line up en masse to order from the drive through-esque window it seems less like a bar than an apartment party that has gotten too big.

Although it is less busy on, say a Tuesday night, Vinyl retains its intimate vibe—not a surprise considering its size—but never even borders on pretension. The concept of selling bags of drinks to people on the street is not twee, simply a good idea. The space is decked out in warm colors, think the color candles cast or a rich red, shabby old pillows and chairs and just enough space for 8 people to sit and unwind after a day of doing whatever it is dole culture does. If you count the benches on the street, the seating is increased by a third. The dj "booth" and the bar—both haphazard affairs—lend a certain under-construction charm. Some nights the music is a little pedestrian, but on the whole and especially on the weekends, the tuns accent the atmosphere of Vinyl nicely.

Lilliputian size is only part of the conceit though. People lining up 8 or 10 deep outside relates something about the quality served up (it should be noted that they are not even lining up to "get in" merely to enjoy the convenience of a bar on both sides of the wall). From behind the bar come drinks in all colors and concoction and the bag mobile out on the street alone might convince you to stop in front for a drink. My personal recommendation is the aforementioned gin lime, but I have heard arguments for the tequila sunrise (I just don’t like cocktails with silly names). The drink menu is quite extensive so you will have plenty to choose from (it’s in 한글 and English, but come on learn to read Korean). Beer doesn’t come in bags, but to be honest that would be dumb because you could just go to a mart for that. You can't get a decent mixed drink to carry around at a mart.

I'D GO THERE: either when the mood to relax in really really really intimate digs strikes or when the order of the night is street drinking.
GOOD PLACE TO: unwind; have one-on-one conversations; admire that one really sweet painting they have on the wall; drink on the street
NOT SO GOOD FOR: large groups, unless you plan to hang on the street; rowdiness; getting digits.

a Café

Genus: Café
Space & Place: 5 minutes south of exit 4
Hours: 1:00 - midnight-ish
Cost: 4-5,000 for a coffee, 3-4,000 for baked things.

Chai tea lattes, and a quiet uncrowded space are what make this a worthwhile cafe on the Hongdae scene. Unlike a lot of small one room coffee shops, this place has some nooks and corners to hide away in. This is a nice little spot to come and finish off those last few student evaluations, or figure out some new Korean verb conjugations.

The menu here is pretty standard, and consists of a variety of coffee drinks, and alcoholic beverages. There is also a small selection of baked goods.

For me, the thing that keeps me coming back are the chai tea lattes. Outside of Starbucks and Coffee Bean, chai is kind of hard to find (which means that chai is actually really easy to find, but at the cost of your self respect).

Another considerable benefit is the lack of cigarettes. Asah!

A serious downside to this place is the ultra short rotation of music. There seems to be some sort of Japanese big band music on perma-repeat. To be fair, I quite liked it on my first, second, and third visits. However, you can only push a 20 song play list so far.

I'D GO THERE: to study, and drink chai tea lattes.
GOOD PLACE TO: study, not waste time at home stumbling, drink chai tea lattes.
NOT SO GOOD FOR: big groups, seating for more than 2-3 is tough.

이리 Café

Genus: Café
Space & Place: 5 minutes south of exit 4
Hours: varies. Usually open by noon.

이리 is probably the closest thing to my neighborhood café. “Closest” not because there are a dearth of cafes in Hongdae. Just the opposite, therefore I don’t get to spend as much time at 이리 as I should, therefore perhaps I am justified in shying from the familiarity of “my café” or "spot". Nonetheless 이리 is my favorite place to sit and have a coffee anywhere in Seoul. Housed basement ways of a run-of-the-mill super, 이리 affects an art gallery cum library feel when you enter. Walls adorned with local artwork, much of which is shown here for the first time and probably for sale although someone living doley doesn't have much desire to purchase art. These exhibits run the gamut of the futuristic musings of our video-gamed culture, ghastly busts of plaster, or as in my first visit a 4 x 3 nude oil on canvas of the owner. There is also a sizable amount of reading material from design industry rags, Richard Avedon collections and the Council on Foreign Relations bi-monthly.

All the mishmash going on the café resembles a lived in, well, basement. The right level of clutter (they have a hard time throwing away magazines) a wonderfully quirky music selection and really good coffee. Ask people who have lived here a while about what the coffee used to be like and then bask in the fact that it is 2008. 이리. Mocha lattes seem to be everywhere, but I recommend an espresso or americano, both of which are sharp, bitter and pack a caffeinated effect worthy of the space. Bring mints (Americanos have free refills). The tea can be good as well and worth it when you want something different. Milk tea tops that list

I’m not a smoker so this place can be overwhelming. I suppose the smoke provides some authenticity but we all know that word is silly. Anyway, if you don’t smoke just come on Thursdays when it is non-smoking all day long. Also, it blows having to walk upstairs with a pair of keys to use the bathroom. Be careful as someone could be taking a shower.

I'D GO THERE: as much as I can. 이리 is in a dog-fight with Design Museum's cafe as the archetype of the cafe scene in Hongdae.
GOOD PLACE TO: be seen with a mac book-pro; have long-winded conversations and look really pretentious doing it; pretend you know something about art.
NOT SO GOOD FOR: first dates. Not quite intimate enough and a bit too loud and vibrant. You'll want to people-watch or stare at the walls instead...