Gangnam cocktail bar with a hand-drawn menu: China Blue at Ugly

It had been a while since I made drinking plans near Gangnam Station, and I was really craving cocktails or whiskey. So I searched hard around the area and found this cocktail bar with such a nice vibe. The moment I saw the photos, I knew I had to go — and going in person, it was even prettier than I expected, and the cocktails were so good ♡

Bars near Gangnam Station tend to be really loud and skew pretty young, which can feel a bit uncomfortable, but Ugly had just the right amount of noise so we could talk comfortably. Haha.

Ugly near Gangnam Station: hours, parking and reservations

• 📍Hours: Daily 18:30 – 2:00 (next day)
• 📍Parking: Not available
• 📍Reservations: By phone inquiry

What the 5th-floor elevator opens onto at Ugly

Ugly is on the 5th floor, and the interior that hits you right as you get off the elevator was so good.

There's also a waiting area, haha.

I sat at the bar seats, and the moment I sat down, what caught my eye was the wall lined floor-to-ceiling with all kinds of liquor! From whiskey to many other spirits, it had full-on cocktail bar energy. The lighting was soft too, and the overall calm mood made it great for chatting with a friend over drinks, and honestly, it'd work well as a date spot too. The lighting made everything look pretty, lol.

What seating does Ugly have?

Another thing I loved about Ugly was the variety of seating! The 1st floor has bar seats and sofa seats,

and there are also spots that can be partitioned off like a private room, plus terrace seats right outside on the 1st floor. There's a 2nd floor too, so the space feels wide and open — really nice.

The owner's hand-drawn cocktail menu

And isn't the vibe of Ugly's menu just great? I kept looking at the menu going 'this drawing is so pretty, seriously so pretty,' and it turns out the owner drew the cocktail menu by hand. The owner's got great taste.

Since the cocktails were illustrated as drawings, picking a menu item was fun in itself, and it felt totally different from a regular menu! There were also so many kinds of cocktails that I spent ages debating what to drink, so I asked the bartender for a recommendation and they suggested something that fit my taste perfectly, haha.

Bartender's picks: China Blue and Mai Tai

My friend asked for something sweet but strong, so she got recommended the Mai Tai, and I asked for something sweet and tasty but low in alcohol, so I got the China Blue!

China Blue is on the left, Mai Tai on the right, right before they were finished, lol.

And here they are finished — they look exactly like the drawing, lol. Also, sitting at the bar seats meant we could watch the whole cocktail-making process happen right in front of us — a real perk. Watching the bartender add the liquor, shake it, and pour it into the glass right before our eyes meant we never got bored waiting.

And another underrated fun part of going to a cocktail bar is chatting with the bartenders — Ugly's bartenders made just the right amount of small talk, not too much, so my friend and I had a great time chatting while we drank, lol. No need to awkwardly wonder whether to strike up conversation — it flowed naturally, which was great!

Second round at Ugly: Apple Martini and a free friendship shot

I can't really hold my liquor, so even though it was so tasty, I only had one drink, while my friend got another recommendation and ordered an Apple Martini.

This one also looked exactly like the drawing, lol.

We were having such a fun time chatting over our cocktails that the bartenders said they'd treat us to a 'friendship shot' for the two of us, lol, so we each got a complimentary glass. I think it was called cheesecake? — and it really did taste like cheesecake, so smooth and sweet ♡ It was the perfect way to wrap things up, haha.

Is Ugly worth a return trip in Gangnam?

The vibe the bartenders created was so good, and honestly, the cocktails were genuinely delicious. If you're looking for a nice, not-too-loud bar near Gangnam Station, I really recommend Ugly ♡ I went on a weekday and had to head home early because of work the next day, which I'm still a bit sad about — next time I'm planning to go on a weekend and really enjoy it, haha.