Travel

A Fun Night Out in Daegu: Cocktails, Club Hopping, Coffee and Claw Machines

First and foremost, I am certainly not a party girl. My idea of a fun night is great food and some wine at home with my favourite people. However, every so often it’s fun to swap a cosy night in for a night of dancing with friends—and that’s exactly what today’s post is all about.

Where to stay in Downtown Daegu?

I’ve stayed at Hotel Insomnia on several of my visits to Daegu. The rooms are clean and comfy, they’re reasonably priced and, most importantly, the location is perfect! If you’re in Daegu for a night of partying you’ll likely be hanging around downtown—near Dongseong-ro Street. Hotel Insomnia is located in the Jung-gu area which makes it an easy walk from most of downtown Daegu’s nightlife spots.

Bars and Nightlife in Daegu

Honestly, just take a walk around and see what catches your eye🤷🏽‍♀️—that was our strategy anyway, and it worked. We started off at a bar called BEEBEE. The drinks were good and decently priced and the staff were incredibly friendly. The music felt tailored to us, which it basically was since they encourage guests to write down song requests.

For a change of scenery we headed to Los Cubanos and this is where things really started to feel like a party. The music was so good—reggaeton vibes—the sort of beats that get people dancing on the tables and benches. It was the kind of place where the music is so loud you’ve got to yell to communicate. If you do decide to head here I’m sure you’ll have yourself a great time, just be sure to know what to expect.

As for the rest of the night, we hopped around to a few other places—even ended up in a club—before our body clocks couldn’t take it anymore and we had to call it a night. We made a quick convenience store stop for food and then walked ourselves back to the hotel.

A Morning Coffee Stop in Daegu

Since our hotel stay had breakfast included we made sure to wake up in time to take advantage of it. As expected the coffee wasn’t all that great but one thing Korea isn’t short on is cafes. We spotted Hands Coffee and decided to go in based solely on the fact that the outside looked genuinely cute and, the coffee was every bit as delicious as we’d hoped.

Claw Machine Arcades in Downtown Daegu

To kill some time before our bus home we did some shopping and got lured into the trap of the claw machines🙈. As always, the plan was ‘just this one machine’ before we found ourselves stopping at about five different arcade shops. But my friend Alyssa and I did end up each winning the same doll so that was pretty darn cool.

Where to Eat Tonkatsu in Daegu

When I do make the rare trip to Downtown Daegu I make it a priority to stop at Mokatsu for lunch. This restaurant has one of the best tonkatsu (pork cutlet) I’ve had in Korea. It’s a small place so you’ll likely have to wait for a table but I promise it’s worth the wait. I’ve tried the cheese tonkatsu and it’s good but I still think the original is the best.

I hope this post has given you a few ideas for your next trip to Daegu—whether you’re looking for good coffee, a delicious lunch, or a memorable night out 😉.