Gangnam wedding hall with pour-your-own galbitang and bibimbap: Arbe

I went to Arbe Wedding Hall in Gangnam over the weekend!

I'd heard plenty of rumors that the food here is great, and after actually eating there, I was quite satisfied. It's close to the subway and the buffet is excellent, so I came away with a good impression in many ways.

Where is Arbe Wedding Hall, and what is parking like?

Arbe is at 302 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, right between Eonju Station and Seonjeongneung Station, so it was easy to reach by public transport. It's about an 8 to 10 minute walk from either station.

Parking is what guests worry about most. The wedding hall's own car park isn't big, but there are 3 partner car parks nearby that hold about 200 cars in total! I was told about 5 ceremonies are held per day.

Arbe's 1st floor: gift desk, welcome bar and photo booth

On the 1st floor of Arbe there's a gift money desk and a relaxed welcome area. There's an ATM right on the ground floor, which seems handy for anyone who forgot their envelope of gift money.

The 1st floor is set up so guests can hand in their gift money and wait with a welcome drink.

The welcome bar opens 40 minutes before the ceremony, and I heard that if you pay extra when booking, the drink and dessert list gets more varied.

With an extra fee you can also add a string trio on the 1st floor and run a photo booth!

There's even a photo zone next to the welcome bar, which made the atmosphere feel more upscale.

At today's ceremony a photo booth was running too. Each guest could keep one photo, and a second print could be decorated in the guestbook with a congratulatory message, which was a meaningful little event.

Also, to keep the inside from getting crowded, they don't display wreaths; they cut off just the name tags and hang them neatly.

Basement level: the wedding hall and bridal room

The main spaces, the wedding hall, the bride's waiting room and the buffet, are all on basement level 1. The couple can shoot staged photos on the stairs going down, and it looked quite beautiful.

In front of the ceremony hall there's a photo table decorated brightly with fresh flowers. I was told it can display 7 small photos and 2 large frames.

The bride's waiting room is also decorated in a bright, pretty way, and looked like a great spot for commemorative photos.

A step-free aisle and 2 lighting styles

If you prefer a flat virgin road (aisle) without a raised step among Gangnam wedding halls, Arbe seems like a good fit. There are about 150 seats for both families, and the whole hall can be lit brightly, or darkened with only the aisle spotlit, so I heard there are 2 directions you can go.

There's also a makeup room the bride and both families can share, plus a locker room for storing belongings safely, so the flow and convenience looked good.

How many seats and dishes does the Arbe guest buffet have?

The Arbe buffet has roomy seating for about 400 people and a whopping 130 dishes including desserts. As a guest, the buffet meal was definitely what I remember most.

There are 3 large screens so you can follow the ceremony while you eat. If it gets crowded, the sub-room inside can be opened up, and there's a separate private space where the couple and their parents can eat comfortably, a thoughtful touch.

You can start eating 30 minutes before the ceremony.

Drinks are set up too, with soju, sake and makgeolli (milky rice wine). Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Western dishes were all good quality, and I could see why Arbe is famous among people touring Gangnam wedding halls.

The steamed seafood lineup

The seafood lineup was great too, with steamed squid, red snow crab, shrimp, turban shell and scallops. Seafood lovers will probably be happy here.

The best dish: galbitang with broth you pour yourself

Personally, the dish I enjoyed most at the Arbe buffet was the galbitang (beef short rib soup). The ingredients are already set in the bowl and you pour rich broth over them yourself, so the soup tasted deep and clean.

There were plenty of other dishes too, so it was easy to eat to your taste.

A bibimbap zone for vegetarian guests

The Arbe buffet also has a bibimbap (rice bowl with mixed vegetables) zone. Every namul (seasoned vegetable) was tasty and there were several kinds of sauce, so I thought it would suit people who eat vegetarian.

The dessert corner and gelato

After the meal I looked around the dessert corner, and there was a good variety of fruit and sweets. They even had gelato, which was a perfect way to finish.

There were lots of drinks too, from fruit juice to soda, so you can pair them to your taste. Below are photos of the food I put together myself.

Arbe Wedding Hall as a guest: the short verdict

Every dish was delicious, so this was a memorable one among Gangnam wedding halls. They use lots of fresh flowers, so a faint floral scent keeps drifting around, giving the place a really classy feel, and I think that's part of why it stuck with me! Good food and a pretty hall: that was Arbe in Gangnam!