Second-round bar near Jongno Station: chicken hot pot & hwaisol at Ari

Ari Gyegok, my go-to second-round bar near Jongno

Today I visited Ari Gyegok Jonggak, a Korean-style bar that's easy to get to from Jongno~! Haha. Ari Gyegok is such good value that it's become the place I always end up at for a second round near Jongno.

It's located right on the main strip of Jongno's Jongak Nightlife Street, so it's super convenient to swing by for round two no matter where you had dinner in Jongno, and the place is spacious too, which I loved.

1st floor for walk-ins, 2nd floor for reservations

Ari Gyegok Jonggak mainly takes walk-in guests on the 1st floor, while the 2nd floor is for reservations. I always went as a walk-in so I only ever used the 1st floor, but it was plenty spacious and quiet there too. For group gatherings, it seems they'll seat you upstairs if you book ahead.

Ari Gyegok Jonggak stood out for its distinctly Korean interior. Because of that, foreigners passing by nearby would stop in too.

The menu was so varied too, ranging from samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) dishes to simple bar snacks and even savory pancakes!! It's exactly the kind of place to head to for a Korean-style drinking session, whether it's a casual meetup or a work dinner.

On weekday evenings there's even a Catch Table waitlist — it's a real hit spot!! They kept a TV playing clips of the place's media appearances outside too, haha.

Open from 4:30 PM

Worth noting the hours!! They open at 4:30 PM and seem to stay open late into the next morning, haha. No listed closing time — good for waiting out the last train.

Table spacing and the atmosphere

The tables were spaced really well apart. Sometimes tables are packed so tight together that eating gets uncomfortable, but here it was roomy and easy to relax in. If you reserve ahead you can get a room on the 2nd floor, which sounds great for group work dinners too.

True to the name Ari Gyegok (아리계곡, meaning "Ari Valley"), there was this valley painting hanging inside the restaurant, haha. Clear concept, for sure.

It seems they run the place around a health-tonic theme, since ginseng liquor bottles were scattered all over.

What we ordered and the review event

The menu even has a chicken hot pot set meal that's great to order even as your very first stop of the night!! For a Jongno bar, the portions are generous, and at this price point it covers both food and drinks nicely.

Haha, the ginseng liquor decor was so novel.

• Omija (schisandra berry) highball — 4 glasses' worth
• Perilla chicken hot pot
• Rice cake chicken feet stir-fry
• Review event — udon noodles

Here you can add udon noodles or crispy rice to the hot pot through the review event, so definitely take part~!

The omija highball, served in a big samsanju bottle

We ordered the omija highball that supposedly comes out as 4 glasses' worth, and it came in this huge samsanju liquor bottle?? So surprising, haha.

Then the perilla chicken hot pot and chicken feet stir-fry showed up next~! The dishes came out pretty quickly.

Rice cake chicken feet stir-fry, spice-shy friendly

We asked for mayo and dipped it like this!! Even someone as spice-shy as me could handle the heat on the chicken feet just fine.

It's more smoky-charred than spicy, so it was perfect to nibble on as a side snack between drinks!! The combo of rice cake and chicken feet inside was spot on.

Perilla chicken hot pot, cooked shabu-shabu style

Next they brought the perilla chicken hot pot to a boil. Interestingly, they dip the chicken breast into the boiling broth on a stone plate and cook it shabu-shabu style. There were also little bits of ginseng? or deodeok root? inside.

Big chunks of chicken thigh were in the soup too, making it really hearty.

It was packed with vegetables and meat like this, so the ₩20,000 price felt unbelievable — such a great-value dish.

With the udon noodles added on through the review event, it came out to almost three servings' worth. Once it boiled hard, the perilla seeds inside gave off a really nutty aroma.

Wrapped in pickled radish like this, it was fantastic.

Highly recommend dipping it in the spicy sauce too!! Ari Gyegok is a great-value bar in Jongno that I highly recommend for a second round after dinner near Jongno Station.