Knockupper in Yongridan-gil: Yongsan Music Pub Weekend Review

Hello! Today I went to Yongridan-gil, one of Yongsan’s hot areas. It was my first time having drinks in a friend’s neighborhood, and my friend took me straight to the popular spots and good places. It turned into a really fun day.

The most fun stop among those hot places was Knockupper. It is known as a Heart Signal Jimin and Hushin date location. Because of that, I thought it would be a place to sit, groove a little, and drink cocktails or whiskey. But I was surprised as soon as I opened the first-floor door. The first floor felt completely like a club. The second floor was for sitting down with simple anju and whiskey. The first floor is apparently a Yongridan-gil “hunting” or mingling spot. If you like that kind of lively social mood, go to the first floor and have fun. If you want music and conversation, head to the second floor for a more sentimental vibe. 👌

We came because we wanted to try this: 💗 Sparkling Tower 💗 It has a princess-party kind of feel.

I wanted to photograph the first-floor entrance, but there were so many people smoking in front of the shop that the photo would have been half people, half building. So I just took it from the side. The first-floor entrance is at the front, and the second-floor entrance is up those red stairs.

Opening hours: Friday and Saturday: 17:00–01:00 Other days: 18:00–02:00 It is located on one side of an alley in Yongridan-gil.

📍 No parking 📍 Seat reservations available through Catch Table 📍 Located between Samgakji Station and Sinyongsan Station The time is similar whichever side you come from.

The second floor was almost full too, but one window seat was left, so we sat down thinking, score! But... the Sparkling Tower cannot be ordered on the second floor. They told us it is sold only on the first floor.

This was the second-floor menu, but we were told the Sparkling Tower is only available on the first floor. Sadly, we went back downstairs. We had already checked the first floor first, and there was barely any room to step.

The stairs are narrow, but they have a vibe. For reference, all restrooms are on the second floor. The men’s and women’s restrooms are separated, with one stall each, so if your timing is off, the restroom wait can be a bit long.

We went down to the first floor and tried to order, but no matter how we looked, there was not even space to stand. If we had ordered only drinks by the glass, I don’t think they would have secured a spot for us. But because we ordered the Sparkling Tower, they cleared a little space for us at the bar table.

Sparkling Tower, 2-tier: 49.0 (1 bottle) Tequila Tower, 2-tier: 39.0 (5 glasses)

At first we chose the Sparkling Tower because we thought drinks by the glass would add up, so we wanted to order one bottle. But as we drank, the mood got livelier and we ran short on drinks... And we became the kind of women who ordered the Tequila Tower too. Haha.

First up was the Sparkling Tower we had been looking forward to. They put cherries in the glasses and pour from the top. A warning when ordering the Sparkling Tower: everyone around you will stare... you become the center of attention.

After we finished the tower and returned the tray, they made another glass for us! I thought it was for another guest, but when they gave it to us and we asked, they said a lot of alcohol spills onto the tray while making the tower, so they make one extra glass as a service. So we drank six glasses in total: three each for the two of us.

They played upbeat music, so it was really exciting. To me, the music felt somewhere between hip-hop and electronic.

The Tequila Tower falling down was seriously pretty.

After starting with sparkling and then moving on to tequila, my memory basically disappeared. The Tequila Tower comes with lemon, and they give you salt too. I heard it is good to put a little salt on the back of your hand, drink, then taste the salt, so I tried it. Hmm... not really my style.

Anyway, the music was good, and the first and second floors have different concepts, so it is nice that you can choose based on your preference. On the first floor, people casually start conversations and enjoy the moment together, so my friend and I had a pretty fun time. If I visit again, I want to try whiskey and anju on the second floor. Since it is a Heart Signal date spot, I recommend going once if you want to check out a hot place.