Apgujeong izakaya with futomaki and minari fish cake nabe: Gatpo Karin

Sharing my review of Gatpo Karin (갓포 카린), an Apgujeong bar! It has lots of private room seating, so it's great for dates, group hangouts, and parties. Apparently it's a regular spot for celebrities you'd definitely know, like Cha Eun-woo and Ji Chang-wook +_+

Gatpo Karin hours, location and parking

Gatpo Karin is about a 3-minute walk from Apgujeongrodeo Station Exit 5, on the 4th floor of a building at 12 Seolleung-ro 155-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 5PM to 2AM, with last order at 12:30AM.

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 5PM–2AM, last order 12:30AM
• 📍 Location: Apgujeongrodeo Station Exit 5 (about 3 min walk) / 4F, 12 Seolleung-ro 155-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• 🅿 Parking/Valet available: valet booth in front of the Dosan Jeonggyuk entrance on 1F, valet fee ₩5,000 / first 120 min ₩5,000, +₩5,000 per additional 60 min

You can find it after about a 3-minute walk from Apgujeongrodeo Station Exit 5. But I couldn't spot the entrance at first — wandered around wondering where it was, circled the whole building, and finally found the entrance.

Take the elevator up to the 4th floor and Gatpo Karin is right there.

Bar seats and private rooms at Gatpo Karin: minimum spend

Gatpo Karin's rooms accommodate 2 to 8 people, with a minimum order of ₩150,000 for 2–4 person rooms and ₩300,000 for 6–8 person rooms. The interior has a calm yet upscale atmosphere. There are bar seats where you can watch wonsigui (grilled fish) being cooked and dishes being prepared, plus cushy table seating under soft lighting so you can choose what fits your mood.

The rooms seem great for dates as well as gatherings with friends. If you don't meet the minimum spend, a room charge applies: ₩30,000 for 2–4 person rooms and ₩50,000 for 6–8 person rooms.

How does the birthday event work?

If you request the birthday event when booking, Gatpo Karin will prepare Korean beef seaweed soup and a birthday banner for free. You can eat with friends in a private room, take pretty photos, and go full princess mode >,<

What's on the menu, and what is corkage at Gatpo Karin?

Gatpo Karin has a wide range of anju (drinking snacks), from sashimi to sushi, futomaki, and tempura. There are also meal-style dishes like pasta, hot pot rice, grilled fish, and warm nabe, so it's good even as a first spot for the night. Drinks-wise, there's a wide selection — highball, soju, wine, whisky, sake — so you can pick based on your taste!

Corkage has no limit on the number of bottles. Wine and sake are ₩50,000 per bottle, whisky is ₩100,000 per bottle.

The complimentary starter snack is a cheese cracker. Super crunchy with a rich cheese flavor — if you love cheese, you'll go crazy for it.

I ordered soju and they served it in a black tokkuri bottle, which was a fun surprise. It actually made the izakaya vibe even stronger, and I loved that.

Karin futomaki (half plate), 22,000 won

Gatpo Karin's Karin futomaki half plate is ₩22,000, a roll made with ten seasonal ingredients. The fried shrimp was crispy and hefty, the seasonal sashimi was super fresh and chewy, and the rolled egg was sweet and fluffy.

The seasonal sashimi is genuinely packed in — you could barely fit one piece in your mouth, it was that stuffed. Seriously recommend this futomaki, it's insanely good!!

Abalone innard pasta, 35,000 won

The abalone innard pasta is ₩35,000. It's an essential izakaya dish, and personally one of my favorites — abalone innard pasta.

There's rich abalone innard sauce with chunky abalone pieces, and the noodles are well coated in the sauce. It's thick and full of umami — the kind of dish where your chopsticks keep going back for more.

Spicy minari fish cake nabe, 34,000 won

The spicy minari (water dropwort) odeng nabe is ₩34,000. I'm the type who absolutely needs soup while drinking, so I ordered the spicy minari odeng nabe haha. It keeps simmering on the burner, so it's great for warming up soup while you drink.

It's a dish with five kinds of Japanese-style odeng (fish cake), tofu, and minari. Definitely different from the cheap flour-tasting odeng — a springy, premium-tasting odeng +_+ The minari gives it a subtle, fragrant aroma, and the broth is clean with a slight kick of spice, so it was easy to keep eating without feeling heavy.

Which occasions Gatpo Karin is best for

Gatpo Karin has a great date atmosphere, private rooms, and even a birthday event, making it a good spot for special occasions too. If you want to enjoy delicious anju and drinks while spending some relaxed time, I recommend checking out Gatpo Karin, this Apgujeong bar!