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Wero is a Korean spot in Ballard with such an impressive cocktail situation that you could feasibly pop in just to drink. Their signatures involve ingredients like matcha and creamy coconut, sesame oil-washed scotch, or peanut butter, fernet, and a whole egg. You’ll also find twists on classics like three dots and a dash, or a white negroni. For the non-imbibers, there are actually exciting mocktails featuring Pathfinder and fig or Wilderton aperitivo and tonic. The variety is intense, and everything sticks to Wero’s Korean roots.
And sure, you could certainly come here for a drink and call it a night. But once you’re in, we urge you to stay for the excellent food.
The menu is a short but mighty lineup of snacks and ssam platters, and it’s all a truly delicious grab bag, almost like a White Elephant exchange without the silly gag gifts. Start with bites like blistered rice cake skewers with smoked sausages, sweet-and-spicy chicken wings, and butter-roasted potatoes with gochujang mayo. Then move onto a ssam platter. Pick between steak kalbi, pork belly, tofu, or salmon served alongside plenty of perilla leaves for wrapping, tangy fermented beancurd paste, and a variety of seasonal banchan. You’re in the best hands with either their incredibly meaty fried tofu or sizzled pork belly with melty fat and crackly edges.
photo credit: Nate Watters
While Wero’s cocktail showing is as vast as Queen’s discography, so are the scenarios in which you could use this place. The marble bar is quite spacious, which works well if you’d like to eat side-by-side with a date, but also ensure there’s enough room for ssam platters and multiple bowls of banchan. That same bar is also great if you’re dining solo, as there’s plenty of real estate for you, a good book, a high ball, and a mung bean pancake. For large groups, you could kick back at one of the big booths across the way, and there’s typically availability to snag a last-minute reservation.
Above all else, we do prefer the bar, which feels cozy on a cold night, with warmth coming from coffee shop-style tunes, smells of whisky poured in front of you, and copious amounts of potato steam. Do it for the potato steam.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Nate Watters
Roasted Potatoes
photo credit: Nate Watters
Rice Cake & Sausage Skewer
photo credit: Nate Watters
Jeon
photo credit: Nate Watters
Korean Fried Wings
Pork Belly Ssam Platter
photo credit: Nate Watters
Tofu Ssam Platter
photo credit: Nate Watters