The Other Side of Jeonju: Jazz Pub ROY, Underground Club SCRAMBLE Jeonju, Café Acre

 

 

What images come to your mind when you come across the word “Jeonju”? The gourmet city? The city of traditional Korean culture? The Jeonju International Film Festival, the only independent film festival in Korea? Today, I’ll introduce the other side of Jeonju, each boasting unique atmosphere.

 

Jazz pub ROY near Jeonbuk National University

You’ll be surprised to find this movie-like jazz pub in Jeonju, where a husky-voiced singer sings under a pin light to the rhythm of piano, drum, and contrabass. Jazz pub ROY is such a place.

 

Address: 323 Kwonsamdeukro, Deokjingu, Jeonju

Opening hours: 1900~0200

Jazz pub ROY is located across the Jeonbuk National University Museum. You’ll easily find the place due to the golden standing signboard. The stairs to the third floor are narrow, but you’ll be surprised by the relatively wide-open space as you open the pub’s door.

There’s really no better place to be with friends than Jazz pub ROY. However I’ll also be happy being alone here, thanks to the dim light and the jazzy air.

On the corner of Pub ROY is a stage. Every Saturday, there’s a jazz performance, which has been performing more than 500 times so far. If you want to find out the contents of the performance, visit the pub’s social media.

https://www.instagram.com/jazz_pub_roy/

https://www.facebook.com/Jazz-pub-ROY-266916097063332/

 

SCRAMBLE Jeonju, the only underground club in the city

If you expected the pounding beat pouring out from the underground, the dazzling lighting, and colored paper pieces scattering all over the floor, you might be confused a bit. SCRAMBLE Jeonju is different. I came across the almost dark space as I opened the door of the fourth floor.

If the sound from the speaker taller than your height begins to vibrate through your body in the dark, you’ve found SCRAMBLE Jeonju, the only underground club in the city.

 

Address: 17-2 Myungryun 3-gil, Deokjingu, Jeonju

Opening hours: 2200~0330

To maximize your acoustic and tactile experience by restricting your visual, SCRAMBLE Jeonju has limited lighting and installed fog machine. Introduced in GQ, SCRAMBLE Jeonju is the only underground club in the whole Jeonbuk province.

DJs from all over Korea and even from overseas visit SCRAMBLE Jeonju. The venue also holds events that support underground club culture in the region.

You can check out the list of DJs and the music at the official instagram of SCRAMBLE.

http://www.instagram.com/scramblejeonju

 

Café Acre, with unique ambience and desserts

Don’t let the building draped in rippled black iron plate daunt you, because you’ll be surprised by the range of cute desserts offered inside. If the huge speaker and old radios greet you, you’ve found Café Acre.

 

Address: 15-14 Myungryun 2-gil, Jeonju, Jeonbuk

Opening hours: 1100~0200 (weekdays); 1200~0200 (weekends)

The desserts of Café Acre have been ‘trending’ among instragrammers and other influencers. They include the watermelon shaped sandwich bread, coconut bingsu (sherbet), ciabatta sandwich with enough salami, and the like.

Also take time to look around and enjoy the unique interior: the rough and industrial touch of walls and ceilings, sofas and chairs that are all different from each other, antique radios, and the wardrobe and mirror that you’d find only in your Korean grandmother’s house. I found everywhere pretty ‘instagrammable’.

If the first floor is teeming with character, the air is rather calm on the second floor.

An independent bookstore is located on the underground floor of the café. The bookstore specializes in unique publications that you can’t find in the usual franchise bookstores. I suggest you take a look.