Gwangjin cocktail bar with Halli Galli and Cassis Frappe: V-Lab Konkuk

It's been a while since I had such a satisfying time at a Konkuk University Station cocktail bar — V-Lab Konkuk ~!

I'd gone to Haidilao Konkuk and originally wanted to have cocktails and play board games too, and it turned out there was an unlimited cocktail bar nearby that also had board games!

That was V-Lab Konkuk!! I wanted both board games and drinks, and I happened to get a great chance to go — talk about lucky, right?

Where is V-Lab Konkuk and what are its hours?

V-Lab Konkuk is located on the 2nd floor of 27 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. It's close to both Konkuk Station and Haidilao! If you're looking for a Konkuk bar, this is a recommendation.

Hours are Sun–Thu 17:30–00:30, Fri–Sat 17:30–01:30.

If you sign up for notifications, you can download a free popcorn coupon worth ₩5,000!

V-Lab Konkuk

We got a nice spot — we sat at a floor table. You order by phone right at the table, which is super convenient!

Unlimited cocktails for 19,800 won: is it good value?

Menu

The unlimited cocktail package at V-Lab Konkuk is ₩19,800. Since cocktails usually run pricier, the whole "unlimited cocktail bar" concept feels like a big perk in itself! If you're looking for good value in the Konkuk area, this seems solid.

If your girlfriend loves cocktails but you don't, it's nice that you can just drink beer for ₩1,000 a bottle lol. The side snacks pair well with both cocktails and beer too.

Ordering from your phone: choose strength and sweetness

Since I came with two friends, we started off ordering 3 drinks total. You just order like this from your phone. The nice thing is the alcohol percentage and sweetness level are listed. Easy to read, and no need to ask the staff, which was great.

Another great thing: you can choose the alcohol level and sweetness. I drink pretty well so I picked high alcohol. And since I'm not a fan of sweet stuff, I picked low sweetness too, which made it even better!!

Board games, a claw machine and darts while you drink

This is the whole reason we came to V-Lab Konkuk!! Being able to drink and play board games at the same time ~~ We originally wanted to go to a board game café just to play Halli Galli, but since V-Lab Konkuk had both cocktails and board games, we came here instead haha.

There's also a claw machine and darts. But since I'm terrible at claw machines, I didn't try it.

Free popcorn and a flaming cocktail lit at the table

The basic popcorn snack came out. It was piping hot right away, which is great. You know how sometimes popcorn gets soggy from sitting out too long... that's just annoying. But V-Lab Konkuk heated it fresh, which was really nice!! You just tear it open like this.

A flambéed cocktail came out too. The staff lights it on fire for you. That's your cue to take a video or photo. Like in the video, if you stir slowly it doesn't mix well all the way down. Stir fast and shake-shake-shake and it mixes properly!

When you get a message saying your drink is ready, you go pick it up. There are slippers available too, so it's fine even if you came in uncomfortable shoes!

Which cocktails to order: Long Island Iced Tea, Cassis Frappe, Tequila Slammer

Our ordered cocktails arrived. Apparently made by hands with world championship skill! And yeah, it's delicious.

Long Island Iced Tea at V-Lab Konkuk

The tallest bottle in the middle is the Long Island Iced Tea. It's the safest, most crowd-pleasing option — usually a cocktail women tend to like. As the name suggests, it tastes like iced tea. Recommended if you want something sweet.

Cassis Frappe, the one we ordered three times

The cocktail on the left! I ordered this one, and I totally recommend it!!!!! Not too sweet, with a slight citrus note, so it never gets boring — really really good. I ended up ordering it two or three times lol.

Tequila Slammer

At 15.6% alcohol, this one's on the stronger side. But my friend and I enjoyed it a lot ^^ A nicely bitter, strong flavor. If you like drinking and like it strong, give this a try. It kind of feels like a drink suited to "teto" types — assertive personalities (just my personal take).

Halli Galli, question cards and Penguins on Ice

Halli Galli, the game we really wanted to play. Isn't Halli Galli basically a national board game ^^ There were question cards too, and out of curiosity we grabbed them. The cards have questions printed on them, with a regular version and an adult version. The adult version has a lot of questions that could get pretty awkward if you're still in the talking stage ^^ lol. I'd recommend the adult version for couples who've been together a while (not sure if 'recommend' is even the right word).

My friend seemed to really love V-Lab Konkuk. She didn't put her drink down even while playing games. Lololol.

We also played Penguins on Ice lol — such a cute taste for people in their 30s ^^

Second round: Godfather, Godmother and Black Russian

Next we ordered a Godfather, Godmother, and Black Russian.

I can't quite remember if the photo on the left is the Godfather or the Godmother ^^; But personally, both the Godfather and Godmother have really strong distinctive aromas of their own, so it's hard for me to recommend them outright. I feel like the Godmother in particular has an even stronger scent. The Godfather might be worth trying if you like strong drinks, but the Godmother is the kind of flavor I wouldn't really recommend if a friend asked whether they should try it lol.

The one on the right is the Black Russian. It's a coffee-based cocktail. Recommended if you like coffee and want something moderately sweet.

I ordered the Cassis Frappe again, the one I recommended earlier. It's genuinely delicious — even writing this post makes me crave it again. The skewer game is also a great board game to play while drinking. It's not hard, it's intuitive, and all you need are quick hands. We mostly stuck to games that don't require much thinking.

Not sure if it's a bit outdated these days, but we did a boomerang video too ~

Would we go back to V-Lab Konkuk?

It's been a while since I felt this satisfied at an unlimited cocktail bar — V-Lab Konkuk. Definitely coming back. Next time I want cocktails in Konkuk, I know where I'm going.