Bars and clubs abound in Korea. There are plenty of pubs, wine bars, sake bars as well as nightclubs all over Seoul. There are also pojang-macha, open-air tents that serve food and alcoholic beverages. These little establishments are usually found along sidewalks near commercial areas. They are great places to mingle with locals. “Hof” is also a good word to remember when out on the town, as pubs that mainly sell beer (and often snacks like fried chicken) are called “hof” (Hof means a place or a courtyard in German, but in Korea, it has been used for a place that mainly sells beer).

In Korea, nightclubs belong to two basic types: a bottle service-oriented Korean-style nightclub and an admittance fee-based Western-style club. The key difference is the basic cost of entry. Traditionally, a group of Koreans enter a club and “buy” a table in a room, complete with a set of drinks (often whiskey and/or beer) and finger foods for the evening. This is a traditional Korean-style nightclub. Many of these clubs exist in the Gangnam area.