Craftworks Taphouse - Namsan

Craftworks is an amazing addition to Seoul! I can't stress enough how important it has been both directly and indirectly. Directly, I have had many brunches and afterwork beers here and it has been a Godsend! The beer is excellent! The food can be good, but is a bit less bang for your buck than the top-quality beers!

Indirectly, more and more restaurants and pubs are starting to carry their beers, making the dining experience in Seoul so much more enjoyable. And Craftworks has proven that a quality brewpub can work in Korea. Since its inception, more and more brewpubs are starting to pop up. Craftworks, in my opinion, still leads the way on the strength of their beers' taste.

 

Tucked away between two other buildings it is not the most obvious place. I'm here on a Sunday afternoon. So not busy but the service and food is good.

 

Had an 8 hour layover at ICN Airport so hopped on the train and headed to Itaewon. Changed trains at Gongdeok ,got on line 6 then off at Noksapyeong ,out exit 2 and a short walk to Craftworks. Took about an hour and 20 mins. + $4. Several house beers + a few guest taps and food. Enjoyed a Moon Bear IPA with my lamb burger. Also quaffed a Heretic Evil Cousin IPA before heading back to the airport. Walked around the neighborhood and spotted several other tap house/beer pubs to try on my next pass through Seoul.

What a great haven of craft beer in Seoul. I had a great time here, and as good as the beer is, the food is crazy amazing. Good service, good atmosphere. I'd go again if I ever get back to Seoul. Only downside was only 6 beers to choose from when I was there, but you can't really fault them for that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is not a very large establishment and it seams every bit of space is used but it does have a great, open, and friendly feel to it. The selection could have been better. They have their six in-house brews and two guest taps. Both guest taps were Balast Point varieties when I was there but am told that these rotate. I was excited to try the Jirisan Moon Bear IPA as a fellow beer loving ex-pat told me it was a great IPA no matter the location but especially in Korea. Unfortunately that one was sold out. I had the Namsan Pure Pilsner which was still very good and I didn't mind ordering another.
To eat I wasn't too hungry but I had the pulled pork sandwich with a side salad and it was excellent. It had a homemade bun which was very tasty and the BBQ was a little spicy but not unreasonably so. The Sunday special was lamb roast chops with roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables and although I didn't try it, it looked amazing and I definitely didn't hear anyone complaining.

I will definitely be planning a return trip for the IPA soon.

 

I was in Seoul for one afternoon and stopped in here for some lunch and beers. They had seven beers on tap with a fairly good range of styles: pils, hefe, IPA, stout, etc. Each of the styles had proper glassware too. As I'm unfamiliar with Korean, it took a little while to find this place, but I'm glad I did. The beers I tried were all average or so, but the IPA was the standout of the group. The eggs Benedict I had were okay, but the potatoes that accompanied them were not that good. If you're in Seoul it's worth stopping by to see the beginning of the Korean microbrewing movement.

While in Korea I spent a lot of time at the Taphouse. If you ever find yourself there get the sampler because they have a nice selection of beers from all over the world. The food is delicious and the service is great. The first time I walked in there the whole place inside and outside was packed but the service was still on the money!