Cham in Season, Gyeongbokgung — cocktails built from Korean ingredients, doors open at 7pm

Having eaten dinner near Gyeongbokgung, where to go next becomes an awkward question. The palace has closed, the cafes are starting to shut, and heading towards Gwanghwamun drops you into the middle of office dinners.

Cham in Season is a bar that opens for exactly that hour. Doors at 7pm, running until 2am. It is on the fourth floor, so looking up from the street you will not really see it.

The character of this bar is in the glass. Yuzu, deodeok root, persimmon, perilla — things used as Korean ingredients — go in as cocktail components. Hence the name, “in season”.

It is a particularly good place to take visitors from abroad, because a glass is itself the explanation.

The place — beside Gyeongbokgung, a bar that starts at 7pm on the fourth floor

The address is fourth floor, 133-10 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is within walking distance of Gyeongbokgung station on line 3, a little way west along Sajik-ro. The sign is not large, so it is quicker to go with a map open.

• Hours Tue~Sat 19:00~02:00 · Sun 19:00~01:00 · Closed Monday
• Phone 02-730-4750 · reservations possible
• Budget per person 20,000~30,000 won (as listed on Google Maps)

There are not many seats. Low tables and sofas are mixed together, and the lighting is kept low enough that the glass is the brightest thing in the room. Photograph it and only the glass comes out sharp.

For reference, there is a separate cocktail bar called Bar Cham in the same neighbourhood (Jahamun-ro 7-gil, Tongin-dong). It works with ingredients and traditional spirits from across Korea and placed 33rd in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026. The names are similar, so it is worth confirming your destination on a map before setting off.

Cham in Season at a glance (checked 2026-09-19)

Item	Details
Address	Fourth floor, 133-10 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Nearest station	Gyeongbokgung station, line 3
Hours	Tue~Sat 19:00~02:00 / Sun 19:00~01:00
Closed	Monday
Phone	02-730-4750
Budget per person	20,000~30,000 won (as listed on Google Maps)
Rating	Google Maps ★4.8 from 34 reviews — review count below this site’s threshold of 100
Note	There is a separate cocktail bar called Bar Cham in the same neighbourhood (33rd in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026)

Korea in the glass — what you can see

The menu changes with the season. So rather than pinning down cocktail names, this piece records only what the four glasses we were served looked like and how they tasted.

The first was a highball. A tall glass full of bubbles, with a long green sliver standing against the inside. The carbonation comes first, leaving a thin grassy note behind it. Low in strength, and right for a first drink.

The second was a sour. A yellow-tinged glass with herb leaves and something dried set on top. The sourness is definite and the foam layer thick, so the aroma reaches your nose before the drink does.

The third was an amber stirred cocktail. A single cube of ice with a dried stem for garnish. Low in sweetness, with the bitterness running long. This is where the strength steps up, so it sits well as a second or third glass.

The last was a coupe. A single red disc on cream-coloured foam. Soft and faintly sweet, but the finish is not heavy. It felt like something meant to close the evening.

What the four share is aroma. Every glass has something that reaches your nose before you drink — herbs, dried fruit, a burnt note. Better not to drink straight away, but to smell it once first.

Why it works with visitors from abroad

Recommending a drinking spot to someone travelling in Korea is harder than it sounds. A street tent takes a lot of explaining, and a hotel bar is the same everywhere.

Cham in Season fills the gap between the two.

• The glass is the explanation. You can see the ingredients. Ask what went in and the answer is short, and from there the conversation moves to how that ingredient is used in Korea.
• An option that is not soju or beer. For someone who wants to try Korean drinks but finds a high-strength spirit neat too much, this is the middle ground.
• The hours fit. A 7pm start follows on naturally from dinner. It runs until 2am, so there is no hurry.
• The location. It slots straight onto the end of a Gyeongbokgung or Seochon itinerary.

There are not many seats, though. With three or more people it is safer to book.

Map and practicalities — getting there, booking, the rating

Address Fourth floor, 133-10 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Nearest station Gyeongbokgung station, line 3
Hours Tue~Sat 19:00~02:00 · Sun 19:00~01:00 · closed Monday
Phone 02-730-4750

Booking. Google Maps links through to a reservation page and to Instagram. For weekend evenings or a larger group, it is better to secure a table in advance.

Budget. Listed at around 20,000~30,000 won per person, on the basis of roughly two drinks each.

The rating, honestly. Google Maps shows a high ★4.8, but from 34 reviews. This site normally uses a sample threshold of 100 or more, so it falls short. More useful than the score itself is knowing that this is a bar whose menu changes each season — the four glasses described here may not exist next season.

FAQ

What time does it open?

19:00~02:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and 19:00~01:00 on Sunday. Closed on Monday.

Do I need to book?

There are not many seats, so for a weekend evening or a group of three or more it is safer to book. Google Maps links through to a reservation page.

How much should I expect to spend?

Google Maps lists 20,000~30,000 won per person, on the basis of roughly two drinks each.

Is this the same place as Bar Cham?

No, they are different. Bar Cham is a separate cocktail bar on Jahamun-ro 7-gil in Tongin-dong, which placed 33rd in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026. The names are similar, so check your destination on a map.

Is the menu fixed?

It is a bar working with seasonal ingredients, so it changes with the season. The drinks described here may not exist next season.