Gangnam cocktail bar for a first banana hookah on the terrace: Ugly
In short
Ugly is a cocktail bar on the 5th floor of a building near Exit 11 of Gangnam Station in Seoul, serving cocktails and whiskey alongside hookah (shisha). At Ugly, the signature cocktails Berry Ugly and Moai come in a big skull glass and a Moai statue glass, and the writer tried banana hookah for the first time on the outdoor terrace. For a different kind of Gangnam Station date or second round, Ugly's dark, moody cocktail bar is worth a stop.
Good to know
- Address
- 5F, 5 Gangnam-daero 96-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Location
- Near Exit 11 of Gangnam Station
- Hours
- Sun–Thu 18:30–02:00 / Fri–Sat 18:30–03:00
- What's available
- Cocktails, whiskey, a range of other drinks, hookah/shisha, terrace
- What we ordered
- Signature cocktails Berry Ugly and Moai, banana hookah
- Hookah rules
- Only at designated tables
- Seating
- Separate upper-level seats, curtained sofa booths, group tables, bar counter, outdoor terrace
as written by the visitor on Oct 2, 2026
Where is Ugly in Gangnam Station and what can you do there?
Ugly (UGLY) is a cocktail bar on the 5th floor at 5 Gangnam-daero 96-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It has cocktails, whiskey and a variety of other liquors, plus hookah/shisha and a terrace. Hours are Sun–Thu 18:30–02:00 and Fri–Sat 18:30–03:00. I was looking for a bar with a good mood in Gangnam Station, and this is where I ended up this time.
Ugly is close to Exit 11 of Gangnam Station, so it's really easy to get to. It's an easy walk for a second round after a good meal, so I thought it could work as a Gangnam Station date course too.
What are Ugly's interior and atmosphere like?
You enter the building, take the elevator up to the 5th floor, and even the waiting area before the entrance is decorated quite prettily.
And the moment you step inside, the mood changes completely. The lighting is dark and soft, and I was surprised by how pretty the space was from the first moment. Look up and there's a mysterious interior that makes you think of the sky or outer space. Together with the dim lighting, it feels like you've walked into a different world!
Is Ugly's seating good for dates and groups?
Ugly has a really wide range of seating, from tables for two to group seats, curtained sofa booths and a bar counter. The upper level has spots slightly separated from other tables, which were great for a quiet conversation for two, and downstairs there were private sofa booths inside a square space with curtains drawn.
With seats for two all the way up to bigger parties, it also looked fine for visiting with friends or holding a group get-together. Wherever you sit, the space is nicely decorated, so it's good for photos too~
Personally, I also liked Ugly's bar counter. You can drink while watching the bartenders make drinks right in front of you, so if you like a bar vibe, you'll probably love these seats.
What do the signature cocktails Berry Ugly and Moai taste like?
Ugly has a really wide range of cocktails, and whiskey and several other kinds of liquor were available too.
What felt a little different was that you can enjoy hookah and shisha here too! That day we ordered one each of the signature cocktails, Berry Ugly and Moai.
The first thing that surprised me when the cocktails came out was the glass size, haha. The glasses were way bigger than I expected, so there was quite a lot to drink!
Berry Ugly comes in a unique skull-shaped glass, and Moai comes, just as the name says, in a glass shaped like a Moai statue, so they were fun to look at haha. Both have a strong, sweet, fruity flavor, so I think even people new to cocktails could enjoy them fairly easily. If you prefer sweet, fruity cocktails over very bitter ones, they'd probably suit your taste.
Which hookah flavors can you choose at Ugly? My first banana hookah
Ugly's hookah comes in several flavors, and that day I tried hookah for the first time. These were the flavors we could choose from.
- Banana
- Pineapple
- Oolong tea
- Grapefruit
- Mint
- Monkey Forest
- Blue Moon
- Apple
- Lemon
- Melon
- Peach, and more
We went for banana!!!
Where can you use the hookah?
Ugly's hookah can only be used at designated tables, so we moved to the outdoor terrace. The weather was nice, so enjoying it on the terrace was actually better. Outside has a different mood from indoors, and sipping a cocktail in the cool air while having hookah too was a fresh experience.
Since it was my first time it felt novel, and it's good for setting the mood and taking photos, so I thought it's worth trying once as something different.
Who is Ugly in Gangnam Station recommended for?
If you're looking for something a little more special than an ordinary Gangnam Station bar, I recommend Ugly. The space itself is pretty and the seating is varied, so it's good for dates and blind dates as well as visits with friends, and I liked that the wide range of cocktails lets you pick to your taste.
If you like moody, dark cocktail bars, you'll likely be satisfied, so it seems worth dropping by when you're looking for a Gangnam Station date course or a second-round bar.
Where it is
5 Gangnam-daero 96-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (5F)서울특별시 강남구 강남대로96길 5 5F
