For a bar that boasts the best craft beers in the city, Magpie Brewing Co. doesn't really seem to get a lot of blog time, does it? At least this is what I've come to find when I looked into it just 15 minutes ago. When I write about places that have already been around for years, I usually do a little Google search first to find out more about its heritage, any interesting tidbits, and whatnot that I might want to include on my own post, but this one's a tough one to crack... Oh, whoops, is Magpie still supposed to be an underground hipster watering hole and I just contributed to letting the cat outta the bag??

Well, I'll give you one thing, it's definitely underground. The dim lighting, concrete walls, and exposed pipes, which, by the way, is my favorite type of interior decor, gives off the feel that you're heading down to someone's basement than a hip beer joint. Whilst there is potential for too cold and too industrial, I got the impression that Magpie is more intimate than anything else. The low-hanging lights created individual spaces that allow people to huddle into their own privacy. It's easy to get lost in conversation at a place like this. And because service is taken at the counter, no one's gonna bother you for the entire night. Just make sure to order.

One of the most charming things about Magpie, I think, is its simplicity. That and it's short list of food options. Because it's really about the beer! No elaborate gimmicks, no tacky bartenders, and definitely no corn hidden away in your pizza. Pizza by the way is their only option for food, and trust me you'll want to get the pizza. You have a couple of choices -- pepperoni is their most popular, but the chef recommends you try his recipe of the spinach Alfredo. 

Homemade dough hand-pressed to order

Mine went from this...

...to this...

...to this glory! Fresh outta the oven, handmade, ooey gooey pepperoni.

But like I said, the beers are the real stars of the show. I a glass of the Ghost (pronounced like goh-see) which tasted vaguely of vegetable juice. Weird. But I was into it.

This city's full of stuff. Stuff to eat, stuff to drink, stuff to do. You just have to go out and find it.

Seoul, Yongsan-gu, Itaewon 2-dong, 704

서울특별시 용산구 이태원2동 704

(02) 749-2703