Gangnam Station shisha lounge and cocktails: Berry Ugly at Ugly
In short
Ugly is a cocktail bar and shisha (hookah) lounge in Gangnam, Seoul, about 100 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 11 on the 5th floor. Arriving around 7pm for a second round after dinner, the writer ordered a Berry Ugly, a Pamplemousse and the Melon & Prosciutto plate, and Ugly was nearly full by the time they left — on a Monday. Between the hand-drawn menu, the starry ceiling and the terrace seats, Ugly works well for a date or a long catch-up with friends.
Good to know
- Location
- About 100 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 11, on the 5th floor
- Hours
- 18:30 to 2am (Fri and Sat until 3am)
- What was ordered
- Berry Ugly, Pamplemousse, Melon & Prosciutto
- Seating
- Sofa seats, a private room-like space, mezzanine seats upstairs, terrace seats
- Good to know
- Hookah (shisha) available; wide range of whiskeys and spirits
- Free snack
- Pretzel snacks
as written by the visitor on Aug 11, 2026
After dinner in Gangnam, I still wasn't ready to call it a night, so I went looking for a second-round spot and found a cocktail place with a great reputation. Turned out to be a popular Gangnam cocktail bar — packed even on a Monday!
Ugly
Where is Ugly? 100 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 11, 5th floor
Ugly, this Gangnam Station cocktail bar, sits just about 100 meters from Exit 11. It announces itself with a black sign and green neon letters! Found on the 5th floor of the building.
This place is open from 18:30 until 2am (Fri/Sat until 3am), and I got there around 7pm after an early dinner! The moment the elevator doors opened, I stepped into what felt like a whole festival of green — the waiting area.
A waiting area alone tells you how popular a place is! People said this Gangnam Station cocktail bar was famous, and sure enough, there's a wait.
Inside Ugly: green interiors and a constellation ceiling
Stepping inside, the space had a slightly muted tone, with the green interior mood continuing throughout!
There are sofa areas, and on one side, a private room-like space too.
It's a duplex layout, with seats up on the second floor as well.
And what really caught my eye was the star-like ceiling design.
The ceiling had this ancient, constellation-like feel to it! Glancing outside, I noticed there were terrace seats too. Still too hot to sit out there in summer, but on a cooler night, sitting outside would be lovely—
Ugly's hand-drawn menu and what we ordered: Berry Ugly, Pamplemousse, Melon & Prosciutto
Once seated, we were handed the menu! Even the first illustration on the cover was striking—
Opening the menu, every single illustration was so tasteful and totally my style!!!
Look at the vibe of these cocktail drawings... so unique and full of character, all hand-drawn.
The cocktail shown first up front seemed to be the signature, so I went with the Berry Ugly, and my friend picked the Pamplemousse! We also chose Melon & Prosciutto as a side. Honestly there were too many cocktails to list, and a huge range of whiskeys and spirits too.
Ugly also serves hookah (shisha)
And it turns out this place has hookah (shisha) too! You know, the water pipe thing — I tried it once in Dubai, and apparently there are a few spots in Seoul too! This is one of them :) After ordering, my friend and I settled in for a good chat—
A Gangnam Station cocktail bar packed even on a Monday
But then, guests started trickling in fast, and before I knew it, seats filled up quickly. By the time I was leaving, it was basically full haha. Popular even on a Monday — I asked a staff member, and apparently it's busy every single day!!! A go-to Gangnam Station cocktail bar for birthday parties and dates :)
How the Berry Ugly and Pamplemousse taste and look
The cocktails I ordered arrived! I had a feeling from the illustrations that they'd be something special, and the Berry Ugly matched its drawing exactly?!!? Hahaha.
The Berry Ugly comes topped with apple mint and a pretty (?) flower garnish, while the Pamplemousse has rose petals floating on top.
And here's the pretzel snack that came as a complimentary side.
My Berry Ugly glass was cute and unique, so I had to snap a solo shot!
It reminded me of a cocktail I once had at a beach bar in Bali — the glass shape was similarly unique. Just as I was wishing I were at a Bali beach bar, our Melon & Prosciutto side dish arrived.
The Melon & Prosciutto comes with three melon slices topped with prosciutto — since it's melon season right now, it made for a fantastic dessert-like bite!
Who is Ugly best for?
No more photos after this, but we kept drinking cocktails, then beer,,, and lost track of time chatting. The vibe was relaxed and the staff were super friendly — a great Gangnam Station cocktail bar :) Some guests were clearly on dates, but I also saw groups of guys drinking cocktails together. There were more women overall, though! A great place to visit when you're craving a cocktail or a glass of whiskey near Gangnam Station!
Where it is
5 Gangnam-daero 96-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 5F서울특별시 강남구 강남대로96길 5 5F
