Jonggak bar: roe jjamppong stew with noodles and highballs, Ari Gyegok

Today I'm introducing a good spot for an evening drink near Jonggak Station. Ari Gyegok Jonggak (아리계곡 종각점) is a place where you can enjoy all kinds of Korean bar food together with highballs. If you have plans with friends in Jonggak, or you're looking for somewhere to grab a casual drink after work, here's my visit review!

Where is Ari Gyegok Jonggak, and how late is it open?

Ari Gyegok Jonggak is at 41 Ujeongguk-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, near Jonggak Station, so it's easy to get to! Hours are Sunday to Thursday 16:30–02:00 and Friday and Saturday 16:30–03:00.

There are plenty of bars around Jonggak Station, but this is a good place to visit when you want unusual Korean bar food together with highballs.

Inside Ari Gyegok Jonggak: the atmosphere

Step inside Ari Gyegok Jonggak and the mood is totally different from outside. It's decorated with a concept a bit unlike an ordinary pub, so it's a treat for the eyes!

What we ordered at Ari Gyegok Jonggak, with prices

We ordered four items in total ♥

• Bubbling cheese potato pancake (뽀글치즈감자전): ₩18,900
• Algoni jjamppong stew (알곤이짬뽕탕, spicy seafood stew with roe and milt): ₩21,900
• Omija infused-liquor highball (오미자 담금주 하이볼), per glass: ₩5,900
• Bokbunja watermelon highball (복분자 수박 하이볼): ₩6,900

We paired a nutty snack like the potato pancake with a spicy, brothy one, and picked two kinds of highball to go with them.

Even the menu is a folding screen, such a clever touch here!

How were the omija and bokbunja watermelon highballs?

At Ari Gyegok Jonggak, the highballs came out first. On the left is the omija infused-liquor highball, on the right the bokbunja watermelon highball! The omija one is said to combine omija (five-flavor berry) and pear for a Korean-style highball. The bokbunja watermelon one is said to add bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) to watermelon, the fruit that stands for the valley.

The alcohol smell isn't strong, so I thought it'd be fine when you just want to feel a little festive! But after drinking these I got a bit tipsy, haha. I'm someone who gets sleepy when I drink, so I nearly passed out T_T

What is the bubbling cheese potato pancake?

The bubbling cheese potato pancake (₩18,900) at Ari Gyegok Jonggak catches your eye from the name alone. I already like potato pancakes, and this one even adds cheese, which I love, so I thought, I have to eat this!!! and picked it.

As soon as the food came out, the staff said, "I'll pour the cheese for you!" and poured it right onto the hot plate, and the cheese bubbled away, probably because the plate was so hot.

Say potato pancake and you usually picture a plain, mild one, but this dish is said to be crispy shredded-potato pancake with soft potato mousse, cheddar cheese and corn. It's gonna be sooo good!!!

My companion took a small bite and gave it a thumbs up 👍. They cut it up so it's easy to eat, and I'll dip mine in the cheddar too.

Since it's a shredded-potato pancake, it's crispy, and dipped deep into the cheese it was really nutty and delicious, a dish that goes well with alcohol! When a group gets together and picks one spicy snack or stew, adding a potato pancake seems like a good idea too!

Algoni jjamppong stew with added noodles: how was it?

Next up was the algoni jjamppong stew (₩21,900) at Ari Gyegok Jonggak! It's a spicy seafood stew with roe and milt, and you can add Chinese-style noodles to it. It suits those times when you're craving a spicy, brothy snack.

But the pot came out cracked T.T.......

It's packed with the roe and milt I love. There's minari (water dropwort) in it too, so the broth was refreshing~

We picked at the roe and milt for a while, then added the noodles later. We boiled it bubbling away and it really felt like eating jjamppong (spicy noodle soup), haha

Potato pancake and jjamppong stew as a pair, plus other dishes

I liked that ordering the nutty bubbling cheese potato pancake with the spicy roe stew gave us snacks with two different flavors. We'd already had a first round, so we picked relatively light(?) dishes, but Ari Gyegok Jonggak has plenty of hearty cooked dishes!

Dak-jeongol (chicken hot pot) seemed to be the famous one here. I also saw the limited-menu mud duck jeonbyeong (duck wrap) come out, and it looked amazing!!

From the bubbling cheese potato pancake with crispy shredded potato, cheddar and corn, to the roe stew with roe, milt and noodles, every dish is put together differently, so choosing is half the fun! Add the omija infused-liquor highball and the bokbunja watermelon highball, and it could be an interesting pick for anyone looking for drinks a bit different from the usual. If you're looking for a bar near Jonggak Station, or a group meeting spot with good-value snacks and a variety of drinks, check out Ari Gyegok Jonggak too!