Third-round Jonggak Station bar for 4: chicken hot pot, Ari Gyegok

Why I came back to Ari Gyegok Jonggak for a third time

Ari Gyegok Jonggak is a pub at Jonggak Station that's great for get-togethers. The anju (food eaten with drinks) is so good that I'd recommend it as a go-to for group nights in Jonggak.

I'd already been to this Jonggak Station pub twice for group gatherings, and this was visit number three. Since I run a blog, I usually note a place down, even a tasty one, and then never get back to it. But Ari Gyegok is somewhere I've gone several times... so yes, it has completely won me over.. Every dish tastes as good as it looks!

You may be able to guess from the food, but it's a pub with a slightly traditional interior. And yet it's also hip!!!! Maybe that's why all kinds of people, young and old, come, and it's famous in Jonggak as a spot for wedding invitation get-togethers too. Now let me introduce the dishes I always order!

Ari Gyegok Jonggak wait times: when can you get a table right away?

At Ari Gyegok Jonggak there's definitely a wait on Fridays, and on weekdays too if you go at peak hours. I went very late, so I got a table right away.

I didn't take a photo of the entrance, so I'm using Road View instead.. I think people crowd in here because of the hip atmosphere, reasonable anju prices, and the seriously delicious dishes.

Ari Gyegok Jonggak menu and drink list

Even the interior and the menu are trendy! It feels like a traditional pub but it isn't, with anju that looks the part and a huge range of drinks!! I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone who drinks and gets excited about the food.

Ari Gyegok has anju for round one, two and three alike. It's also known as a baeksuk (whole chicken soup) spot in Jonggak, and I really wanted to try the limited-edition mud duck jeonbyeong (a thin pancake wrap) this time.

The menu is divided into seasoned dishes, stir-fries, pancakes and fried food, so it's easy to read, and the set menus are well done too. There's a huge range of yakju, fruit wines and distilled traditional liquors. The highballs made with infused liquor turn out great, too. There's regular soju, beer and makgeolli as well, so this Jonggak Station pub covers every drinking taste.

There's a lot of anju, and even dessert anju, so you can come without eating and go from a meal all the way to dessert.

There are two dishes I always order, and I ordered those two again this day. We'd already had a first round and a light beer for round two, so four of us ordered just two dishes.

Spicy hangover chicken hot pot: raw chicken cooked in a fiery broth

The first dish out at Ari Gyegok Jonggak was the spicy hangover chicken hot pot, with a broth as fiery as its name. The chicken comes raw, and you dunk it in the broth to blanch it.

Ari Gyegok's dishes photograph so well. The look is just crazy. A house-secret seasoning paste (dadaegi) goes into the broth, so it's sharp and spicy and really does cure a hangover.

The chewy rice cakes (chalttteok) are a perfect match with it, and dip things in the sauce too~ If you can't handle spicy food, there's the original chicken hot pot, so get that one!!! That's actually Ari Gyegok's original, but we'd had greasy food for round one, so we went with the spicy one.

Bubbling cheese potato pancake: cheddar poured on at the table

Ari Gyegok Jonggak's bubbling cheese potato pancake is an extremely crispy shredded-potato pancake with potato mousse inside, and melted cheddar is poured into a hot bowl. Honestly, this is a flavor anyone would love..!!!

When they pour the cheddar into the hot bowl, it bubbles and boils! There's corn in it too, so the texture is the best.. The show is great and the taste is great. Seriously, get this one!

What to drink with the bubbling cheese potato pancake

The trio of potato mousse, crispy potato pancake and cheddar goes well with distilled liquor, and of course beer, and it holds its own with makgeolli too~ It works with soju as well. It's an all-purpose anju!!!

What to order next time at Ari Gyegok Jonggak

Besides these, we ate about three more dishes at Ari Gyegok and they were all delicious, so next time I'll order ones I haven't tried :) If you want tasty anju and a wide range of drinks, Ari Gyegok near Jonggak Station is a done deal~~~ Highly recommended! It's right by Jonggak Station, so it's easy to get to, just so you know.