Formerly one of the most spartan cities on earth, things are a changing in Pyongyang, with a nightlife that is not just eclectic, but buzzing. And nowhere epitomizes this more than the newly built Hwasong District and its flagship Taedonggang Beer Hall.
For the uninitiated Taedonggang is THE beer of North Korea, what you will likely try if you visit a DPRK restaurant out of the country and the closest thing you would call a brand. This means there are lots of restaurants and bars, as well as even a beer festival using the Taedonggang Beer name.
There really is though only one Hwasong Taedonggang Beer Hall in all of North Korea.
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What the Hwasong?
The Hwasong District is a new urban development area in Pyongyang built in recent years as part of a wider housing and infrastructure construction drive. It has been developed in stages with large residential apartment blocks, new roads, and commercial and leisure facilities.
Construction has been particularly visible since the early 2020s, with multiple phases of completion rolled out in a relatively short space of time. The area is designed as a modern district of the capital and is noticeably different from older parts of Pyongyang in scale and layout, with wide boulevards, high rise housing, and new entertainment venues forming part of the overall plan. And when it comes to new things to do, the place is boom town.
Click to read about street food in Rason.
The Hwasong Taedonggang Beer Hall
While it takes about 30 minutes without traffic to get here from downtown Pyongyang, the journey is more than justified. On arrival you know just where you are as this huge building and its two massive beer bottles outside greet you. There are then numerous staff on hand to manoeuvre you around the place which includes a whole outdoor summer area, karaoke and private rooms, as well as the beer hall.
Said beer house is German in influence and design with it being a big hall with large bars doing draft and long tables with benches rather than chairs. The energetic staff then buzz around you taking orders and firing out beers as quick as you like. All the while music blares out to create a lively atmosphere.
The Food
All North Korean restaurants have certain staples that locals would not allow them to exist without, such as rice, Pyongyang noodles, kimchi and surprisingly raw beef and tuna. It is though the extras that make somewhere different and at Taedonggang Beer Hall the theme is very much European and specifically German.
They have a pretty decent range of sausage platters that are actually extremely good and like nothing else that I have seen in DPR Korea. They also had a bunch of other Western style snacks like deep fried cheese and even a beef dish that tasted more like black pudding. No one went hungry and it was great in its uniqueness.
The drinks at Taedonggang Beer House
There are all your normal soft drinks, as well as sparkling water and local soju, but the reason you come here is for the beer, of which they have the classic 8 on tap including the dark beers. This was the first time I have been in a Taedonggang beer hall where everything has been available.
Taedonggang No. 1
Taedonggang No. 2
Taedonggang No. 3
Taedonggang No. 4
Taedonggang No. 5
Taedonggang No. 6
Taedonggang No. 7
Taedonggang No. 8
Of this I would say number 3 was my go to beer, as my TikTok does attest!
The best bar in Pyongyang?
OK I will stake my whole DPRK reputation on this and that is that the Hwasong Taedonggang Beer House is the best bar in Pyongyang for the following reasons. And it is about much more than just food and drink.
Firstly this place has an electric atmosphere. For kick off it is not just Koreans here, but on our visit at least it was full of Russians and Chinese, but not in a segregated way, quite the opposite with everyone just partying together. And party they did. At one point the main “Kim Jong Un” song came on and people literally just went nuts for it, locals and foreign alike, all with a wee bit of drunkenness thrown in for good measure.
And lastly the place just epitomizes everything that is new and buzzing about the DPRK and Pyongyang in 2026. The Hwasong Taedonggang Beer bar is the new North Korea.
Click see my North Korea tours (when they happen) with YPT.