Before going to Gation Party last weekend, we pre-gamed a bit at Shortbus (well, it may have been 2 차 pre-gaming, but no need to count drinks). Shortbus is a pseudo-establishment in the Jongno area. I went there way back in 2009, but decided to check it out again after seeing it listed on Seoul’s 12 Best Gay Bars in Jongno. The atmosphere was fine, but I wasn't particularly pleased with my drink.


The bar has about 20 seats, and you can either choose a table or sit next to the bartender. The staff was friendly and the drinks reasonably priced. There was a mixture of foreigners and Koreans in the bar, and it seemed like the staff was reasonably used to foreigners. If you are worried about breaking into gay Korean Jongno, this might be a good place to start.

It is hard to get interior shots...

The snacks they provided were tasty, and it was nice that you didn't need to buy food. My drink on the other hand... I like my martinis dirty, but this one was just gross. It didn't break my wallet, but it almost broke my taste buds. However, I taste tested my companions drinks (partially for research partially for inebriation) and everyone else's cocktails were fine. So maybe just avoid martinis.

Beautiful but disgusting

To get to Shortbus, take exit 3 of Jongno 3 Ga. The bar is on the third floor of the building immediately behind you.