I Went To The Most Upscale, Expensive Bars On Christmas Eve In Gangnam

This past Christmas Eve, I was with my mom, sister, and her skate partner in Gangnam, South Korea. We went out to eat some food at the ramen place (it was really good surprisingly), and then we headed out to the bars in Gangnam for some cocktails. The first bar was a speakeasy in Korea. Who knew there were speakeasys in Korea?! It was called Boxing Tiger in Shinsadong. Shinsadong is a very expensive (one of the most) city with the top elite living there. Kind of like the upper east side of New York. We rode a scooter there in the cold night. It was kind of hard to find but we found it hidden in a small corner. We went down the basement and saw this black little booth with a bell next to a hidden door. We rang the bell and got escorted in by this bouncer looking big Korean guy.

We drank a couple cocktails and they were very tasty. Korean drinks are kind of weak compared to America, because they don't drink strong cocktails for some reason. They were fruity and delicious though. They also took a long time to make, but the service was top notch. The guy in the suit led us to the bar inside, and it looked like this lounge with an American movie playing. I believe it was American Gangster. There was a cigarette machine (vending machine) that looked pretty modern, and a nice bar with a lot of alcohol. There was a hidden closet where you can hang your coats. This was our first stop.

The second stop was called Bar Sahm, also in Shinsadong. This was harder to find than Boxing Tiger, and this was because there was no real sign with Bar Sahm on it. There was no door entrance until you got to this clear plastic cover thing which you had to open to get to the entrance door. The bar was very small and was cozy. The bartenders were nice and there were so many bottles of alcohol that we have never heard of, even in the states. I knew Whistle Pig but that was about it.

The guy made my drink and it was so good! It was called Love Shot or something. I forgot what it was called, but it was peachy and so tasty that I basically drank it all in like 10 minutes. I eat and drink things really fast, and I am not really a sipper. This is a bad habit of mine, but it is hard to fix especially with a boyfriend who does the same thing.

They even had a rule that said do not flirt with other customers, just to not ruin the vibe in the bar. Which was cool. The bartender was laughing because I drank my drink so fast. I guess it is rude?! lol

This sign says to wink at the manager if the drink is good!

The third bar, we went to Cheongdamdong Alice in Cheong Dam City, which is also one of the very very very upmost expensive districts in Gangnam, Korea. There was also a Korean drama on Cheongdamdong Alice where the story was about a main character who was a very rich princess type girl living in Gangnam. I guess we should've went to Bar Sahm for the third bar because the name is fitting, but oh well. These people that live here are mostly CEOS, people who own buildings or streets, and are probably like the top 5% richest people in South Korea. We felt like hobos there lol

Anyway, in order to go inside the bar, you go down the rabbit hole like in Alice in Wonderland. The entrance was a narrow stairs down to this entrance of a flower shop. Then you enter to the bar which is deeper inside, in a very cartoony architecture room with Alice In Wonderland the American movie playing on a big television screen. The whole bar looked like something you would see at a Mickey House in Disneyland. We ordered a drink which was very fruity and had raspberries in it. This was very tasty and it had steam coming out of it.

The restroom also opened up by a secret trap door which was opened by the server each time someone had to go. My sister said the restrooms were disgusting so I didn't go inside. There was also this secret smoking section inside the bar which was next to these air conditioning vents (it was considered outside I guess). For our last drink of Christmas Eve, we ordered this drink that looked like a red ruby jewel and also came with a small bag with a ring pop inside. EXTRA MUCH?! The drink was really pretty and delicious. I personally liked the bar but my sister liked Bar Sahm. I guess I like luxurious, extra things lol.

On the way out, my sister's partner bought both of us a rose which was also very ridiculously expensive (25$ for one rose) and these guys coming out from same bar looked at us because I guess no one buys flowers (since they are so expensive) in Gangnam or Korea. That was very nice of him! Thank you!

Also I forgot to mention that all the girls inside the bar had plastic surgery (literally all of them). These two girls next to us were alone and looked miserable for some reason, and this couple next to us gave us a drink with his face on it. He said his girlfriend added the print on the bottles for fun since it is Christmas. He also had a nice Rolex and an expensive suit on. He seemed to be an important guy.

That's my list of very expensive bars I visited on Christmas Eve!! All three in one night. T'was a fun Christmas Eve.