Best bars in Itaewon

The best reason for coming to Golmok? The music! LP pubs may be commonplace in Seoul, but Golmok Vinyl and Pub is no ordinary bar. The music selection is often headed by DJs or determined by concept parties such as Bob Marley's birthday bash. Weekends tend to be packed, so time your visit wisely. Golmok Vinyl and Pub serves whiskies, vodka cocktails, and beer on tap. Pickings are slim when it comes to food, so come with a full stomach, or else plan to feast your ears on their tunes. You can try your luck with requests, but sitting back to the flow of their selections isn't such a bad idea either.

Those familiar with American university culture may get a different idea from the combination of ping-pong tables and free-flowing beer, but Ping-Pong Pub was founded on the real deal: chugging beer while playing actual ping-pong. With only two tables, customers don't always get to play, but watching is a whole other form of entertainment of its own. Their fare includes beer, nachos and hotdogs, and Ping-Pong Pub regularly hosts private parties and small-scale events. This pub has definitely played a part in Gyeongridan's road to hipster fame. Since its new-found popularity, Ping-Pong Pub sometimes closes off the venue for fashion soirées on weeknights but is open to all for a good night out on the weekend. If loud crowds are your thing, this is the place for you.

While it seems that there are new venues popping up in Itaewon all the time, most of them are too… predictable: fancy lights, hipster furniture and whatever sound that's "in." But this one, let me tell you, is different. With its rough, warehouse-like atmosphere and dim lighting, Beton Brut brings coziness and, most importantly, good music. It's surely a place you can "hang," unlike many of the clubs in the area that are just too much while lacking character. Perhaps that's why you can occasionally spot older crowds here, but of course, that certainly doesn't mean this place isn't hot. With 2 dance floors inside, you can go for drum n base, dub step and trap, or choose to roll with techno and house at any point of your night. If these options still don't satisfy your diverse taste, visit Beton Brut before 10pm for some jazz, acoustic or music critic Lee Dae-hwa's talks. Wait, I have an idea: if there's that special someone that you're into, head here after the dinner. You'll have a chill couple of hours to get into the night, then once the floor turns into a club you'll realize how natural and easy it can feel to be clubbing with a date.

BARN Lounge offers great drinks with dishes created by a skilled Maltese chef. The burger made with naturally leavened bread and lots of gouda cheese goes perfectly with the Heineken draft.  

Made in Pongdang... At the Noksapyeong branch of Pongdang, all of the recipes for the beers on the menu were made by the owner himself. Although Pongdang is located in three different areas of Seoul (Noksapyeong, Yongsan and Sinsa), each have a different concept. The vibe... An employee from the Sinsa branch comes in for a drink on his day off. Seung-yong asks, “What are you doing here?” and he answers that he just wants a drink. The feeling is casual and amicable. There's baseball on silently while hits from Jack Johnson and the Backstreet Boys play in the background. Always busy from 8 to 11pm, it's a place where a lot of customers (especially women in their 20s) come to wind down, have a beer and chat.