Restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Nightlife in Seoul, Korea

It’s a fact…

..there are three types of Chinese food – authentic (go to China(town)), Koreanized (check your stack of local carry-out flyers), and Americanized (HOLY CHOW).  Now if only there was a restaurant that offered all three.  I didn’t mean to get your hopes up, but if you do come across one, please…share.

Until then

A friend of mine recently recommended MAO in Itaewon, and if you’re in the mood for Peking Duck, this is the spot.

The duck is grilled nice.  Crisy on the outside, juicy below the skin.  The small order is fine for two, but not filling.  And at a price of 35,000won, it’s not wallet-friendly either.  Besides their famous Peking Duck, you can expect Korean-style Chinese food.

But for some of us foreigners and expats, when it comes to Chinese food, we imagine General Tsao’s / Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, etc. just like we had back home.  You can find some great places in Itaewon and Gangnam, but after all the hype about Holy Chow, I gave it a shot. And I wasn’t disappointed.

When in doubt, at Chow’s, check out their Set Menu.

Both of these franchises have locations in Itaewon and Chungdam so definitely visit.

Most people in Korea, whether residents or travelers, are familiar with soju. And although I am fond of soju, I would like to introduce a place to drink one of my other friends, who is named makgeolli. Also known as Korean rice wine, makgeolli is drank by the old and young, and where they come together to drink is at MoonJar located in Sinsa.
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D6

Just as you occasionally feel the need to stomp on the accelerator to escape from everyday mundanities, the millions of taste buds that have served you well (hopefully) thus far in your life deserve the same.  When you feel like it is time to reconcile conflicts of culinary extremes between extra creamy chicken penne alfredo and aged kimchi jjigae (spicy kimchi soup), it is time you visit a newly-opened fine-dining restaurant in Cheongdam titled D6.

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Having a private party in Korea always comes as a challenge. Hotels are pricey and it can be hard to make reservations, while karaoke places usually don’t provide enough space for a large group of people. The solution to this problem is Awesome Lounge — a hidden gem in Cheongdam which offers private rooms with sufficient space for your event, as well as an extensive bottle menu and finger foods.

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My quest for “The Best Brewery in Seoul” has recently led me to the second review in this series: Platinum Brewery in Apgujeong. A purely Korean-owned Brewery, I was very excited to see how things were done locally without significant outside influence.

As I approached the entrance, I was amused by Platinum’s sign which clearly indicated that they were a brewery by writing their name on a large fermentation tank and placing it above the stairs leading down to the brewery. Making my way down the stairs, I entered the brewpub.

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Traditional Korean food characteristically has strong spices and flavors, which can often times be off-putting to westerners. So the best way to introduce Korean food to non-Korean customers — especially the beginners — would be to attract them through some of the Korean dishes prepared a little more moderately. I would like to introduce Kitchenette: a casual Korean restaurant located in Apgujeong, which aims to bring lighter, more ubiquitously palatable Korean cuisine to a wider audience.

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New restaurants in the Cheongdam area are constantly springing up and it is difficult to choose which ones to review.  Fortunately, Villa Etwas was recommended to us so we decided to give their brunch buffet a thorough go.

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One place that caught my attention these days was Lugo. A good friend of mine took a group of people there for lunch recently and got great feedback about the restaurant. I heard from him that they had hand-made mozzarella which got me excited.

Lugo is located right beside ex-Club Circle, near Tribeca or Designer Club, i.e. prime real estate. A restaurant located in probably the most accessible area in Cheongdam definitely deserves the highest of all expectation. I had always wanted to check Lugo, an American-styled Italian restaurant, out, but I never had the chance to until now.

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Now and then I come across some very unique and interesting venues in Korea. Sometimes they are specialty fusion restaurants, other times they are live jazz bars. Recently, I stumbled upon a gem called Pierrot Strike in Apgujeong.

As I first walked up to the giant wooden doors of the entrance to Pierrot Strike, I could tell that this bowling ally was going to be a bit different from your stereotypical ally of old men drinking beer. As I entered, I immediately noticed the massive bar straight in front of me along with the bowling lanes to my left. The venue is constructed mostly of well crafted woodwork and brick which gives it a “winter resort” feeling.

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Finger Lounge is one of those venues located in alleys of Cheongdam that not everyone knows about.  It’s a modern lounge located in the alley between Tom N Toms cafe and MNet building (the main road that connects ex-Circle, McDonald’s Drivethrough and Club Answer).

The interior is very modern and clean.  Bar, which is located in the center of the venue, is metal-finished.  The center of the venue space almost reminds you of a large kitchen, where as tables and seats surround the center bar is white and wooden-brown in color.  It’s an interesting blend of two different atmospheres captured within a venue.

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