There are numerous different types of bars here in South Korea. From the western style, to a hof style, Korean style, sexy style and so on. However in the past few years a new trend has started to emerge, the self serve bars. The basic idea is that you browse the different beers on offer and choose the one you’d like. The main benefit is that you can get a beer whenever you want and therefore you don’t have to wait until somebody comes to serve you. Also depending on the location and your preference you can either pay for each beer(s) or run a tab and pay at the end.
B-Turn Bar (비턴)
B-Turn’s self description is “World Beer No.1 Outlet“, and it’s a franchise chain of self serve beer bars with locations from Busan to Seoul. They offer a wide range of beers both domestic and international, some also offer draft beer (not the one we visited). They also sell Liquors (Whisky, Vodka etc) and non-alcoholic drinks. Plus the usual range of pub foods.
Here are a few pictures from both inside and outside a B-Turn Bar:
The Beer
There were a good 20+ beers to choice from ranging in price from ₩2500 to ₩10,000, the prices where similar to other bars in Korea. You can even get an ice bucket to keep your beers cool.
Here is the selection that we sampled:
The Food
When drinking in Korea it’s customary to have a little food, although at B-Turn it is NOT compulsory. The food is a similar price to other Hofs in South Korea.
Here is what we ordered:
Where
We personally went to the Gyeyang, Incheon B-Turn which is above average size, here is a map of it’s rough location. It’s basically around the corner from Imhak Station Exit 4, surrounded by a number of other local bars and restaurants.
There are many other B-Turn’s around Incheon and the rest of South Korea.
Links
Main Website – bturn.co.kr (in Korean)
Review by Korean Blogger – blog.daum.net/itasy/422 (in Korean but Great Pictures)
Finally
B-Turn and other self serve bars are interesting and fun places to check out. They also make a change from the normal bars here in Korea and give you a little more flexibility and choice.
If you have any questions or comments please let us know.
Tim & Jeonghye
Modern Seoul
tim@modernseoul.org
Modern Seoul 