Coffee Bar K

Usually affectionately abbreviated to the K Bar, Seoul’s Coffee Bar K, part of a Japanese franchise, is a glowing beacon to the city’s cocktail lovers. Despite its name, coffee actually takes a backseat to the alcohol based concoctions take our word for it, the staff at this attractively low lit bar really know how to mix a drink. It would take a serious drinker to work their way through the expansive cocktail list, but if you really can’t find anything that quite tickles your fancy the talented bar staff will happily customise your drink for you. Their martinis are impeccably mixed things, crisp and delicious: note-perfect. They also stock a huge array of whiskies they have 150 different varieties of single malt scotch alone with a planet-spanning range from Scotland, Japan, Ireland and the US. These are served as they should be, the golden liquid poured over hand-shaved ice into heavy crystal tumblers before being handed with suitable reverence to patrons pulled up to the yellow marble bar on leather lounge chairs. There’s some decent food on offer too, along with some rather fine cigars. The bar has an intimate, sophisticated atmosphere there’s a distinct lack of blaring music and rowdy drinkers making it ideal for a romantic rendezvous or the quiet contemplation of quality cocktails. Drinkers make a beeline for the outdoor sofas in the heat, and the hammock chairs bouncing in the window are equally appealing. There’s also a pretty impressive private room upstairs unfortunately it’s reserved exclusively for shareholders.