Konkuk Univ. bar open till 4:30 a.m.: chicken hot pot at Ari Valley
In short
Ari Valley Konkuk (아리계곡 건대점) is an old-tavern-style bar and restaurant a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Konkuk University Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. Two high school friends shared the original chicken hot pot with scorched rice added (₩25,900), a bubbly cheese potato pancake, omija highballs and kkakdugi bingsu for ₩65,500 in total. With last order at 3:30 a.m. and doors open until 4:30 a.m., Ari Valley is an easy place to talk for hours without watching the clock.
Good to know
- Location
- 30 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul (about a 5-minute walk from Konkuk Univ. Station Exit 2)
- Hours
- Daily 16:30–04:30 (last order 03:30)
- Floors
- Basement 1, Floors 1 and 2
- Original chicken hot pot
- ₩22,900 (₩25,900 with scorched rice added)
- Bubbly cheese potato pancake
- ₩18,900
- Omija highball
- ₩11,800 for 2 glasses
- Kkakdugi bingsu (shaved ice)
- ₩8,900 (actually mango bingsu)
- Total paid for two
- ₩65,500
- How to order
- QR code at the table
- Price reference
- ₩25,900 ≈ $19 · ₩65,500 ≈ $47.5 · ₩22,900 ≈ $16.5 (2026-09-22)
as written by the visitor on Sep 22, 2026
I'm Yetnimom, raising two daughters four years apart 😊 Yesterday I quietly (?) left the kids' pickup to my husband after work and had some long-overdue me-time, haha. I usually spend my days running around after the kids without a spare second, but this time I met a high school friend and we chatted our hearts out in the Konkuk University area.
We were trying to figure out where to meet after so long, and the place we picked was Ari Valley Konkuk!
The vibe was different and the food was great, so I was happy the whole time we talked. Let me show you exactly what we ordered that kept us full and happy till the very end 🤭
Where is Ari Valley Konkuk, and what are its hours?
Ari Valley Konkuk is at 30 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, open daily from 16:30 to 04:30 (last order 03:30). It's a spacious place spanning basement level 1 through the 1st and 2nd floors.
It's about a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Konkuk Univ. Station, so it was easy to find. Great spot for meeting friends by public transit! 👍
🏮 What the old Korean tavern interior feels like
Even the exterior of Ari Valley Konkuk felt out of the ordinary. The dim, moody lighting evoked an old-fashioned tavern, and I was already excited before we even walked in.
The space stretches over the 2nd and 3rd floors, so the tables felt spacious and unhurried. It seemed like a great spot to chat comfortably with a friend, but also fine for dates, gatherings, or a work dinner. What struck me most was how different it felt from the usual bar vibe you see these days — it was genuinely fun.
Thanks to this distinctive atmosphere, it seems like a great fit for anyone looking for cool bars in Seoul, or specifically a Konkuk bar with a good vibe. ✨
Ari Valley Konkuk menu and prices
Another charm of Ari Valley was the menu itself.
🍲 Signature hot pots
- Original chicken hot pot: ₩22,900
- Spicy hangover chicken hot pot: ₩23,900
- Perilla seed chicken hot pot: ₩23,900
🥗 Seasoned cold dishes
- Black sesame cucumber salad: ₩7,900
- Wild greens chicken salad: ₩9,900
- Scorched rice with monkfish liver yukhoe: ₩22,900
- Spicy raw beef bibim with red pepper: ₩18,900
🍳 Stir-fried dishes
- Grilled dried herring and garlic gizzards: ₩11,900
- Stir-fried chicken thigh with shishito peppers: ₩11,900
- Chicken feet and rice cake stir-fry: ₩14,900
- Ugi-wrapped whole chicken: ₩21,900
- Beef tripe soondubu hot pot: ₩23,900
- Aged kimchi fried rice: ₩6,900
- Cheese spicy chicken in a stone pot: ₩23,900
🥞 Pancakes and fried dishes
- Chicken meat jeon: ₩10,900
- Fluffy potato rice cakes: ₩12,900
- Black garlic fried chicken: ₩13,900
- Onion chicken: ₩14,900
- Chicken thigh yurinchi: ₩13,900
- Whole pork fried chicken: ₩18,900
- Bubbly cheese potato pancake: ₩18,900
- Mud duck jeonbyeong: ₩19,900
🍨 Desserts
- Sweet potato yakgwa ice cream: ₩8,900
- Kkakdugi bingsu: ₩8,900
From original chicken hot pot to cheese spicy chicken in a stone pot, mud duck jeonbyeong, and spicy hangover chicken hot pot, there were so many menu names that sparked curiosity. After browsing the menu for a while, here's what we ended up choosing!
I loved that you could order right from the table via QR code^^
📝 What we ordered at Ari Valley
- 🍲 Original chicken hot pot + scorched rice: ₩25,900
- 🧀 Bubbly cheese potato pancake: ₩18,900
- 🍹 Omija highball, 2 glasses: ₩11,800
- 🥭 Kkakdugi bingsu: ₩8,900
Total came to ₩65,500.
Original chicken hot pot: add the scorched rice
Ari Valley Konkuk's original chicken hot pot is ₩22,900, and ₩25,900 with scorched rice added. Here's the original chicken hot pot as it arrived!
It came out bubbling away, and just looking at it made my mouth water. 🤤 The broth was deep and rich, and best of all, the chicken meat was incredibly tender.
And here's what I really want to recommend: add the scorched rice! After eating some of the hot pot, we stirred in the scorched rice and it turned into something like chicken porridge — so delicious. I've always had a soft spot for this kind of hearty comfort food, so it was completely my style.
Chatting away with my friend, spoonful by spoonful, before we knew it the pot was scraped clean, haha.
There's a reason people call this a top spot for drinking snacks near Konkuk. 👍
Bubbly cheese potato pancake, crisp at the edges
The second dish was the bubbly cheese potato pancake (₩18,900).
A savory, crisply grilled potato pancake topped generously with cheese — just watching the cheese pile on was mouthwatering.
One bite in, the pancake was crispy and the cheese added that extra savoriness — really delicious. I'd actually skipped a proper dinner that day and was a little hungry, but after this pancake I felt satisfyingly full, haha.
Great taste and generous portions — I'd recommend this dish too. 💛
Omija highball for friends who barely drink
Ari Valley Konkuk's omija (schisandra berry) highball was ₩11,800 for two glasses.
Neither my friend nor I drink much, so we kept it light with the omija highball. It was tangy and sweet, easy to drink without feeling any pressure, and it set the mood as we clinked glasses 🍹
Even without drinking much, one highball each was enough to really set the mood for a long-overdue catch-up, haha.
What is kkakdugi bingsu, really?
Ari Valley Konkuk's kkakdugi bingsu is ₩8,900, but the truth is it's actually mango shaved ice. And here's the last thing we ordered — the kkakdugi bingsu!
Just from the name, wouldn't you think it's shaved ice with actual kkakdugi (radish kimchi) in it? 😂 We both had a good laugh when we saw the menu name.
In reality it was mango shaved ice, haha. Thanks to the playful name, we were laughing right up to the last bite, and it was a nice sweet finish after the meal. Quirky menu items like this make the place all the more memorable.
Yetnimom's verdict on Ari Valley Konkuk
Meeting a high school friend after so long at this atmospheric Konkuk bar, we had a full spread — delicious chicken hot pot, crispy potato pancake, refreshing omija highball, and a fun dessert.
What I especially loved was that since they're open so late, we could talk comfortably without watching the clock. If you're a parent like me who needs a brief bit of me-time, or you just want to catch up with a friend over good food and drinks, definitely check this place out!
For anyone looking for a distinctive menu and atmosphere, I'd recommend it as one of the best places for drinking snacks near Konkuk too. If you're after a Konkuk bar with great vibes and great snacks, Ari Valley Konkuk delivers — I left very satisfied.
Where it is
30 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 광진구 아차산로33길 30 지하1층, 지상1, 2층
