Wangsimni bar with fire chicken cheese and udon fondue: Ari Gyegok

What kind of bar is Ari Gyegok in Wangsimni?

Ari Gyegok Wangsimni Hanyang University Branch is a Korean bar near Hanyang University in Wangsimni. I stopped by today.

True to its name, it's decorated to feel like a valley or mountain lodge right in the middle of the city. It's also very accessible, being close to Wangsimni.

Inside Ari Gyegok: lodge-style interior and seating

With traditional props mixed in, it really did feel like walking into a mountain lodge or old-style tavern. As you can see, the tables weren't crammed too close together, and since seating is split across the 1st and 2nd floors, there was more room than I expected.

Ari Gyegok menu prices and Korean traditional liquor

Ari Gyegok had a surprisingly large menu, from hot pots to raw beef tartare, jeon (savory pancakes), fried dishes, and stir-fries. Signature dishes include the original chicken hot pot, spicy hangover chicken hot pot, scorched rice monkfish liver tartare, mud duck jeonbyeong, and bubbling cheese potato jeon, plus a wide range of traditional liquors and highballs.

Before the food arrived, we started with a drink. Ari Gyegok has quite a range of makgeolli and traditional liquors, and since the menu centers on Korean-style anju (drinking snacks), they paired naturally with it.

Fire chicken cheese: hot plate chicken with cheese fondue and udon noodles

The fire chicken cheese is chicken on a scorching hot plate, almost like it's oven-baked. The cheese comes fondue-style, and there's udon noodles with it too, so the value for money felt really good.

The chicken alone crushes what most chicken restaurants put out. Sweet and spicy, and really delicious. Goes great with makgeolli.

The udon noodles were well-seasoned too. Soft yet chewy, just right.

There's a stone pot of melted cheese in the middle, so if you dip the spicy chicken and noodles into it fondue-style, even someone who can't handle spice much can manage it.

Eating it with perilla leaves turned out to be a better combo than I expected — the perilla aroma wraps around the nutty, spicy fire chicken really nicely.

Original chicken hot pot: add the scorched rice

The original chicken hot pot arrived with clear broth, chicken, and vegetables, and the longer it simmered, the more the chicken and vegetable flavors seeped into the broth.

After eating something as intense as the fire chicken cheese, following it with warm broth was a great combo.

We added scorched rice, and as expected it was delicious.

There's tenderloin on a stone slab you can drop into the broth. Since all the meat is boneless, it was even better — the tenderloin was so soft.

The chicken was tender and the broth wasn't harsh, so it was easy to keep spooning it up while drinking. Personally I found it incredibly soft, and even dipped in the sauce it was delicious. But dipping it in the leftover fire chicken sauce made it even better... you should definitely order the fire chicken and eat them together.

The best pairing with the chicken is the scorched rice. Definitely add it. It makes the broth even nuttier and tastier. Plus, the broth soaks right into the scorched rice, making it even more delicious!

Ari Gyegok in one line

A Wangsimni Hanyang University bar where you can properly enjoy Korean anju in a mountain lodge atmosphere, from scorched rice tartare to hot chicken hot pot

What impressed me most about Ari Gyegok is that it's not really a place known for just one signature dish — the menu is so varied that it's great for a group ordering according to everyone's tastes. There's also a wide range of makgeolli, and true to its location near a university, the prices are fairly reasonable, making it an easy pick when looking for a Hanyang University bar or a Wangsimni restaurant.

How to get to Ari Gyegok from Wangsimni Station

• Address: 14 Majo-ro 3ga-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st-2nd floor
• Location: About 5 minutes on foot from Wangsimni Station Exit 6
• Hours: Sun-Thu 16:30-02:00, Fri-Sat 16:30-03:00
• Last order: Sun-Thu 01:00, Fri-Sat 02:00
• Parking: No dedicated parking
• Reservations: Naver reservations and group bookings available