Restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Nightlife in Seoul, Korea

Hey everyone, long time no update (as I’m sure you’re well aware). The members of the SeoulGrid team have moved on to other projects that have been keeping us all busy, unfortunately leaving us with no time to update dear old SeoulGrid.com.

I figured I’d drop in to let everyone know what I’ve been working on, in case any of our readers find it useful. You can check it out at KoreaJobFinder.com – it’s a Korean Job Board, similar to Dave’s ESL Cafe or Work’N'Play, but with a more modern design that is (hopefully) easier to use and navigate. It has a search functionality that allows you to specify location, salary, hours, student age (for teaching jobs), etc., and browse only the jobs that meet your criteria. Important job details are summarized at the top of each job post, so you can save time from not having to skim-read the entire post.

I wanted to build a job site that caters to the needs of job seekers, so if you have any feedback or ideas on how I could make the website better, I’d love to hear about it. I’m constantly improving the website, so there’s a good chance your feedback will make it into a future update. What annoys you about current job websites? What features would make your job-search easier? I really want to work closely with the users on this project to build the job website that job-seekers in Korea really want, so shoot me a message on the contact page of the site if you have any input.

I’m not sure how many of SeoulGrid’s readers live or want to live in Korea and how many are just visiting, but if you’re looking for a job in Korea, give Korea Job Finder a spin and let me know what you think. If you find the website useful, help us out by linking to it on your blog, facebook, or twitter! I’d really appreciate it.

As for SeoulGrid, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The website still gets a surprising amount of traffic from search engines and other websites, and we still occasionally get feedback from people who found the website useful. We’ll keep it running as an archive of useful content (at the time of this writing, 260 posts worth), and maybe one day when one of us has more free time, SeoulGrid will be brought back from cryosleep. (Sorry — I’ve been reading a lot of sci-fi recently).

That’s all from me for now. Take care and happy job hunting!

We’re back!

Seoulgrid.com resumes operations. We will continue to provide you valuable updates and reviews on Seoul’s Dining and Entertainment Culture.

We apologize for the long delay and we thank you for being patient with us! Please check back frequently!

Every once in a while, we will give you updates on what is happening with scenes in Seoul.

More news after the jump on 1. new lounges that opened up recently in Itaewon; 2. Woodstock Festival coming to Korea; 3. restaurant openings and general trends; 4. afterclub in the works; 5. S-Bar’s transformation.

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You can’t really say you’ve experienced Korean club culture unless you’ve been to Club Naked. Unfortunately for those that haven’t, you may have permanently missed out on a piece of Seoul clubbing history.

It was only about a year ago that I stumbled upon Seoul’s afterclub scene while it was still in its infancy. These venues didn’t get crowded until after 3am, and it wasn’t uncommon to leave a still-packed afterclub to find the sun already high in the sky. At the time, they gathered only a small crowd, and I remember thinking it felt like everyone there knew each other, like it was a tightly knit family. The old Club Naked was among the first of these afterclubs.

When Naked moved its location to its current resting place near Hak-Dong Station, the afterclub scene exploded. No longer were clubbers content to end the night around 4am — when the megaclubs started to empty out, hordes of people would then flock to Club Naked to party well into the morning. Standing outside the front doors at 6 or 7am was a sight to behold — you’d find the most diehard of clubbers wandering out, shielding their eyes from the bright sun and loitering around, not quite ready to go home and not really sure what to do with themselves.

However, such a sight is no more, for as of April 2nd, 2010, Club Naked has officially closed its doors.

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Every once in a while, we will give you updates on what is happening with scenes in Seoul.

1. Obituary : Serein

Serein at Garosu-gil, Sinsa, famous for their variety of mojitos, is unfortunately closed. I heard from one of the personnel that they however will be preparing for another venue.

2. #1 Mixologist Leaves Blush @ Intercon.

Max, #1-ranked mixologist in Korea, just recently left Blush, Intercontinental to join Banyan Tree. This is a big news for all the cocktail lovers out there. Now, to try the nation’s best cocktails you need to go to Banyan Tree, which require steep, and very steep, membership fees.

Rival Famous mixologist named JJ also left Coffee Bar K at Cheongdam a few months ago to join Diageo’s brand  ambassador.  Where do we now go for good cocktails in Seoul, now that both award-winning masters of cocktail concoction are gone?  We will find that out for you and let you know!

Read more news after the jump.

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What’s up, SeoulGrid? Hope you’re feeling well-rested: we have another three-day marathon party session this weekend. We’re looking at a First Thursday’s Aftework Party, guest DJs from Paris, Syndney, and NYC, and a professional beatboxer from England. Sound interesting? Read on.

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[Update] S Bar apparently isn’t closed for good! They are undergoing renovation.  Read more about it on our Seoul Scene Updates post.

Once in a while but still too often for your liking, you hear about one of your old friends who you no longer are close to passing away.  You have so many memories with the friend all the way back, but for whatever reasons the friend and you separated to go on your own ways.  No longer close, but still hearing about a friend who made you who you are now, for better or for once, is never easy.

And a few weeks ago, I heard that S Bar in Cheongdam, one of the places to be for over a decade, had closed down.  It’s been over a year since I visited the place.  Don’t get me wrong, it was one of the hottest places in Seoul to hang out; however I chose to give all these new places popping up nearby a try whenever I was in the area.  S Bar to most, due to its long history and its continued popularity, seemed like it would be there forever.

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Come celebrate with us at Sir Raymond English pub! (Yes, we are celebrating Saint Patty’s day at an English pub haha).

I will be there from 9pm onwards along with a reasonably sized crowd.  Put something green on and let’s celebrate with a pint of Guiness!  Say hello if you see a guy wearing a ridiculously neon green polo shirt.

Sir Raymond pub is located in Garosu-gil, Sinsa.  See directions after the jump for more details

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Unfortunately, one of my favorite venues at Garosu-gil, Sinsa, has closed down a few weeks ago.  I will miss their food and drinks served at the basement floor.  I only hope another venue just as nice as Tutti Matti pops up soon in its place.

SeoulGrid’s definition of a lounge: a venue that serves alcoholic beverages that has music in the background.  DJ booth is a plus.  The difference between a bar and a lounge is that bars tend to be more crowded or loud with people talking.  Lounge is where there is plenty of space for everyone and where you can go for a nice drink or two.  You wouldn’t typically go to a lounge to get wasted, unless you have cash to burn.

Bars, you’d  take your  college buddies out for drinks of Irish car bombs or Jaggermeister shots for a casual night of fun.  Lounge, you’d take your date; extra dry gin martini for yourself and mojito for your date.  Sure, a glass of Cosmopolitan may cost twice or even thrice how much it would cost in casual bars, but once in a while, it’s an worthwhile investment.

Now what makes a lounge great?  The differentiating factor between an awesome lounge and a lounge is that the former typically is larger in scale, serves better cocktails and of course, plays better music.  Of course once in a while you run into a lounge that feature interior decor and ambiance so unique, modern and stylish that your jaws drop.  There also are ones that are nice private lounges that isn’t open to everyone.

Below is top-pick list of the best lounges in Seoul.  Of course, I am sure there are several others that I do not know of or haven’t had the chance to visit, but if I do, you can count on me to write about it in detail in future!

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