If you are following me on Instagram you will know that I have just left Seoul to go on my summer holidays. I will be travelling to London, Brighton, Devon, Cornwall & Portugal, so be sure to follow me if you want to keep abreast of everything I will be eating while I am away. Don’t worry though, I will still be doing a weekly blog post for places to eat in Seoul. As a special going away treat I thought I would leave you with this little gem of a cocktail bar. I found out about this magical place from my Best British Friend Lizzy (aka The Queen of Cakes). I’m not sure how she find these places but I am so glad she did because it made for one of the most fun afternoons in my life.
Urban Space in Myeongdong is a teenage girls dream, it is a pink and shiny ball pit filled with the cutest inflatable toys ever. However the magic doesn’t stop there, it is also a bar selling some incredibly beautiful drinks. Apparently there is another branch in Seong-dong, however this new location is right in the middle of the shopping district in Myeongdong making it the perfect place to go after you’ve checked out the street food and shopped till you dropped.
The place is located near the back entrance of Myeongdong on the 5th floor, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when we arrived but as soon as we did I was squealing with delight. The place is beyond magical, there is a huge inflatable ball pit, with all kinds of inflatable unicorns and hearts, a small poolside seating area, and fruit and lollipop swings. I felt like I was inside a Katy Perry music video, it was hard to decide where to take pictures first.
Once you arrive you are given the cocktail menu, I was surprised to see that the drinks in the menu were just as beautiful as the surroundings. The cocktails range from 13,000 – 15,000, there are also some dubious western food items, though in a pinch they will do if you cant wait to eat (though personally I would save myself for the street food). In the end we decided to order the Bird Cage (13,000), a lemon gin and tonic cocktail, and the Cart Rider (13,000), an orange and Malibu concoction. As you can see the presentation was very Instagrammable. I mean it is hard to get something more picture worthy than a cocktail in a bag inside a shopping trolley. I really liked my bird cage drink, it was lemony and potent without being too bitter like a true G&T, and if you like sweet and tropical drinks you would probably like the Cart Rider. The drinks themselves weren’t up there with some the ones you find at a Seoul cocktail bar, but neither were they bargain basement mixed drinks. I would say they were something in between and good enough to order a second, but you might not want to drink them all night. However considering the fact that you get to hang out in such a unique spot and take photos, I thought the price was quite reasonable.
After taking an enormous amount of photos of our drinks, we dove right into the ball pit. It was super fun, and I felt like a kid again without the noise and mess of actual children. This is an adult only bar, so thankfully there wont be anyone peeing in the ‘pool’, and while there may be drunk girls rolling around in those balls later at night it was spotless when we were there. Thankfully we came mid afternoon on a weekday so the place was quiet, and we didn’t really have to wait to get our photos as there were only a couple of other groups. However there are several different areas to hang out in and take pictures so hopefully you should have to wait too long even on weekends.
Overall I loved this spot, if you are an Instagram girl or boy who loves all things cute and quirky then you can’t miss out on this bar. The ball pit is fun, and the cocktails are cute as hell. It would make the perfect place for pre-drinks for a birthday or bachelorette party. If only I had found it sooner, I would have had mine there!
Urban Space is located at 5F, 23 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Myeongdong Station (line 4) and come out of exit 6. Walk straight and take the third street on the right. Walk straight and at the end of that short street you should see Urban Space up ahead to the right on the 5th floor. If you are having trouble it is between the end of the alleyway and the back entrance to Forever 21. For more information you can call them on 010-4705-4535 or check out their Instgram page. They are open from 2pm – 11pm.