Evening in Pyongyang settles early and quietly. The wide avenues along the Taedong River empty out, the monuments are lit against the dark, and most visitors find themselves back at their hotel, where the bar is often the only place to sit and drink.
Nightlife here is not a scene you wander into; it is arranged. Tourists normally move with guides, and foreign residents have a small set of places where they can socialise. This suits travellers who accept an early, structured evening and are content with hotel bars, a brewery restaurant and a few members' venues rather than a street of competing clubs.
Where to go out in Pyongyang
1. Hotel bars
Hotels are the most reliable place for a visitor to drink in the evening. North Korean beer is available at hotels, and some also offer Chinese and other foreign beers, such as Heineken.
This suits a low-key night close to your room, with no transport or permission to arrange. Expect the hotel to be the practical fallback rather than a destination in itself.
2. Taedonggang Brewery Restaurant
This restaurant pours Taedonggang beer on tap, with seven types brewed though generally only types 1, 2, 5 and 6 are available. It has a large projector typically showing Russian concerts and brick walls that look out of place in the city.
It suits a group evening built around drinking rather than dining: dinner is fairly expensive, but the place is recommended for drinks, with fries suggested as a bar snack, though locals prefer dried fish.
3. The Diplomatic Club
Near the Juche Tower by the river, the old Diplomatic Club is one of the main places, apart from restaurants and hotels, where foreign residents go to socialise. Upstairs there is an extensive karaoke area and a billiards room with a small bar, alongside a pool and restaurant.
It suits a longer evening with a group. Reaching it depends on transport, which is difficult, and permission, which is less difficult.
4. The Friendship
The Friendship sits inside the Munsu dong foreigners' compound and is one of the three main social venues for foreign residents outside restaurants and hotels.
It suits foreign residents and their guests rather than independent tourists. As with the other residents' venues, you need transport and permission to visit.
5. Random Access Club (RAC)
The RAC is run by the UN and is also inside the foreigners' compound. Its Friday nights are described as legendary, though not in an Ibiza sense, and what passed for nightlife has dwindled as foreign aid organisations left the country during 2009.
It suits a Friday evening if you can get there and are permitted to go. Treat any account of it as a description of the past rather than a guarantee of what is running now.
6. Bowling at Golden Lanes
Bowling is available at Golden Lanes for minimal cost, making it one of the few non-drinking evening options open to foreigners.
It suits a mixed group or a family evening. It is an activity rather than a late night out.
7. Swimming and skating
Foreigners are allowed to use the main public swimming pool on Saturday mornings, and there is also an ice skating rink in winter.
This suits an active start to a weekend rather than a night out. Note that medical aid may take a long time to arrive.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not describe dinner times, when people head out, or how late venues run in Pyongyang. What they do indicate is that evenings are organised rather than spontaneous: tourists are normally restricted to guided tours, foreign residents socialise at a small number of named venues, and access to those venues depends on arranging transport and permission in advance. Plan your evening around a booked venue and an early return rather than expecting to move between places on impulse.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Pyongyang Marathon — held yearly in April, with 10 km, half and full marathon races; entry is through an official tour operator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I go out independently at night in Pyongyang?
Normally, tourists are restricted to guided tours. Personal visitors to foreign residents are usually free to wander around, though they may also be placed under the care of a guide.
Where can foreigners drink?
There are few bars and clubs to which foreigners are allowed, though North Korean beer is available at hotels, and some hotels offer Chinese and other foreign beers such as Heineken. Apart from restaurants and hotels, foreign residents mainly socialise at the old Diplomatic Club, the Friendship and the Random Access Club.
What does local beer cost?
Local draught beer costs from €0.50 to €1.40.
Is there anything to do in the evening besides drinking?
Bowling is available at Golden Lanes for minimal cost. Foreigners may also use the main public swimming pool on Saturday mornings and the ice skating rink in winter.
Decide in advance which venue you can reach and are permitted to visit, then build your evening around it.