When I heard Copacabana opened behind ex-Club Circle building at Cheongdam-dong, I was expecting this:
So I went to check it out. Well, I was off by a bit.
As soon as I stepped into the venue, I found myself in a nearly all-white decor with light green lighting, which conjured up an interesting mixture of energizing and relaxing ambiance. Then I noticed the furniture, especially the chairs. Looking half alien-ish and half jellyfish-ish, the chairs and other decorations on the wall, and lighting made me feel like I was a fish that came to chill out at some underwater hideout… I promise you I wasn’t under the influence of anything when I thought this!
I mean look at these decorations. The interior designer must be obsessed with circles, round shapes and curves. Everywhere you look, the recurring theme is ‘Curves’. But the designer did a great job making Copacabana a venue with unique styling of its own.
Now what about the drinks?
I managed to snap shots of their menu.
170,000 for Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial. 180,000 for Jack Daniels, and 190,000 for Jose Cuervo. Definitely pricier than an average lounge. So the bottle menu reflects Cheongdam prices.
Then I looked at their cocktail/beer menu and was pleasantly surprised:
10,000 Won for Corona, Heineken, Miller, Asahi, Leffe Brune and Mudshake. I feel like the beer selection is… rather odd. I guess grouping all of their beer selection into one and assigning the same prices for all of the beers makes it simple for the manager, but definitely unconventional. (Coronas, Heineken, Miller would typically be priced cheaper than, say, Asahi.) I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have Guiness on their menu.
What is also surprising is that their martinis were only 10 dollars! Typically lounges would price their martinis around 12,000 – 15,000. Being located at the heart of Cheongdam, one of the most expensive places in Seoul, Copacabana’s 10-dollar pricing for a martini is definitely worth a try. Or two. Or three. (For your information, martinis in Gangnam station area, which tends to be significantly cheaper, would price their martinis at 11,000).
So I thought… “Do they use soju in place of vodka and gasoline in place of gin?” So I tried it out… And actually, it was surprisingly nice!
They even put pine tree leaves in it too! I haven’t seen that before, and I couldn’t really smell the pine from the martini, so I figured that this is just for ‘woooo’ factor. I thought briefly about getting another one, but resisted myself.
Copacabana had a DJ booth, and I suspect they host a few parties here and there. I can easily see this place becoming one of the hottest places in Seoul soon enough. Great location, and great pricing on certain drinks. I really hope they don’t increase their prices on the martinis.
Directions: Have the yellow Designer Club building on your left and walk straight and make the first left. Walk straight, passing by New York Lobster, Butterfinger Pancakes, and Tribeca on your left. Copacabana is on your left after you pass Tribeca. Copacabana is also behind one block from ex-Club Circle for those who are familiar with the club.
02-512-6965
Valet parking available.
The Good:
- Unique styling, one of its kind. Interiors reminiscent of Lound or Woobar on curve steriods.
- Great pricing on martinis.
- Location easy to find
- Valet available
- Not too loud, good enough to easily hold conversation
The Bad:
- Bottle orders are quite pricey (as expected in all Cheongdam places)
- A little quiet at the moment. The place needs promotion. But I suspect this place will become popular very soon.
