Whiskey corkage bar in Gangnam, Seoul: Suntory Old at Arigyegok

Arigyegok, a Gangnam Station bar 🍶 from mud duck jeonbyeong to original chicken hot pot, properly enjoyed with Suntory Old whiskey — a Korean-style pub

Arigyegok

I lived in Europe for a total of 10 years — 5 in Germany 🇩🇪 and 5 in Italy 🇮🇹 — and after tasting all kinds of food and wine over there, I've kept up the habit of hunting for good drinking snacks even after coming back to Korea. That's me, Mongsuri ✈️ This time I found a slightly unusual Korean-style bar near Gangnam Station. Meet Arigyegok!

The name itself sounds very Korean, and inside, dim lighting mixes with hanok (traditional Korean house) elements and a hip vibe — the atmosphere was way better than I expected!!! It's actually featured a lot as a Gangnam Station bar / Korean-style pub, and corkage is available too!!!!

What is Arigyegok Gangnam like inside?

Arigyegok Gangnam has a black exterior wall with a Chinese-character-style sign and cloud patterns, so it looks different from your typical Korean pub even from the outside. It has an oriental feel mixed with a retro bar vibe.

Step inside and the lighting is really dim with a warm yellow glow — perfect atmosphere for a drink in the evening ✨

There's a big fan on the ceiling, and the walls are lined with liquor bottles like decorations, which was fun to look at.

The tables were spaced pretty well and the space felt bigger than expected, so it seemed like a good spot for drinks with friends, a date, or a group gathering!! The floor-to-ceiling windows keep it from feeling stuffy — nice!!

Mud duck jeonbyeong, 19,900 won: how to eat it

The dish I was most curious about at Arigyegok! Mud duck jeonbyeong, ₩19,900. Apparently it's a limited-availability menu item.

Whole duck deep-fried, served with a special mustard sauce, wrapped in crispy dumpling wrappers with lettuce ♡

It looked unusual in photos, but seeing it in person, the visual was really overwhelming lol

The outside was crispy and the duck meat inside was moist, and with the sweet-and-spicy special sauce added, it worked way better together than I expected.

Especially wrapping the dumpling wrapper + lettuce + duck + sauce all together made for a fun texture too.

Having lived in Europe a long time, I've had my fair share of duck dishes, but this Korean-style take on duck had a whole different charm. I really felt this was a dish made specifically to go well with drinks. 😋

Arigyegok's signature original chicken hot pot, 22,900 won

Second up: the original chicken hot pot, ₩22,900.

Chicken thigh meat and chicken tenderloin in a rich broth with a special sauce on the side — Arigyegok's signature representative dish!!

The broth was hot and rich but not too heavy, and the chicken was clean-tasting, which went well with whiskey.

The key point: lightly cooking the chicken tenderloin in the broth (like shabu-shabu) and dipping it in the special sauce!

Order one hot pot and you end up scooping the broth over and over while drinking — this style paired really well not just with soju but with whiskey too. 🍲🥃

When it gets a bit rich, a bite of pickled radish helps!!!!

And of course Koreans need their broth!! That feeling of getting nourished while drinking, you know??♡

Black sesame cucumber salad, 7,900 won: the surprise favourite

And a dish I quite liked — the black sesame cucumber salad, ₩7,900. Since the meat and hot pot dishes kept coming, having this refreshing dish in the middle really balanced things out well ♡

Crunchy cucumber with a nutty black sesame-based sauce — nutty, tangy, and savory all at once. Especially paired with the clean-tasting chicken hot pot, it felt like a palate reset!! It went really well with the tenderloin from the chicken hot pot too. Personally, I'd recommend ordering a side dish like this along with the mains 👍

Arigyegok corkage: 30,000 won for a bottle of Suntory Old

Today's real mission was the Suntory Old whiskey (recommended by YouTuber Matsuda Bujang) I brought back from Don Quijote in Matsuyama, Japan.

Honestly, the food was great and all, but this was what had me a little excited lol. I'd stopped by Don Quijote during a recent trip to Matsuyama, Japan and grabbed a bottle of Suntory Old whiskey to bring along.

At Arigyegok, I could drink my own whiskey with a paid corkage fee of ₩30,000. They set up the shot glass, rocks glass, and ice really nicely too ♡

Suntory Old whiskey is 43% ABV, a blended whiskey using malt and grain spirits! I heard it's made using reinforced Spanish oak casks to go for a smoother taste.

Maybe because I bought it at a relatively affordable price in Japan, it somehow tasted even better drinking it in Korea 🤣 (though the Korean price is 3–4 times higher, wow)

Even as a straight shot, it wasn't harsh at all (usually lightweights like me can't handle shots ㅠㅠ). You could really taste the sweet, woody, deep flavor! The nose was not bad, and I could feel the weight typical of 43% ABV. The finish went down smoothly too haha (I get why this is top-tier for the price — it's insane this is only around ₩20,000 in Japan!!!!! Don't compare it to pricier stuff lol)

Fill the glass with ice and drink it, and suddenly it turns much smoother, with a sweet flavor and a subtle woodiness! If you like it strong, go with shots! I can't handle that, so I'd recommend on the rocks!!!!

Pairing Suntory Old whiskey with Arigyegok's Korean dishes

Of all the pairings I tried that day, Suntory Old × mud duck jeonbyeong stood out.

👉 It really worked. The rich, savory flavor of the duck matched the woody notes of the whiskey, and the sharpness of the mustard sauce tied the flavors together in the middle.

And surprisingly, Suntory Old × black sesame cucumber salad was good too. A sip of whiskey followed by a bite of cucumber salad cleaned the palate, and I kept going back for more lol.

Above all, most of the dishes I had that day were around ₩20,000, which felt like great value given the Gangnam location!! The currently confirmed menu prices are mud duck jeonbyeong ₩19,900, original chicken hot pot ₩22,900, and black sesame cucumber salad ₩7,900. Pretty reasonable for Gangnam prices, right? Hahaha

What is on the Arigyegok menu?

The menu lineup was really varied! From tossed and stir-fried snacks to pan-fried and deep-fried snacks to the signature hot pot, it's set up well for a Korean-style pub, so you can pick according to what you're drinking ✨

• 🦆 Mud duck jeonbyeong
• 🍲 Original chicken hot pot / spicy chicken hot pot
• 🥒 Black sesame cucumber salad
• 🥩 Nurungji rare beef tartare, whole fried pork
• 🌶️ Stir-fried pepper cartilage, beef intestine soft tofu hot pot
• 🍤 Corn king shrimp chips, and more

They've got some quirky snacks on offer!! Drinks range from herbal and fruit liquor to traditional liquor, distilled traditional liquor, and makgeolli (Korean rice wine), so people who love traditional liquor can pick to their taste too 🍶

Who is Arigyegok Gangnam best for?

A quirky Korean-style pub with a waterfall-and-valley concept right in the middle of Gangnam Station 🍶 It features Korea's first patented original chicken hot pot, a modern reinterpretation of traditional baeksuk (whole chicken soup), along with a variety of stylish, well-priced snacks in the ₩10,000–₩20,000 range.

It has an upscale, cozy atmosphere good for dates, and a menu lineup that works whether you're on your first round or well into your second or third! You can enjoy everything from beautifully set traditional liquors to soju and beer, and since corkage is available, it was perfect for bringing my own favorite whiskey, Mongsuri-style 🥃

I visited on a Friday night, and by the time we left, every seat was full... (we arrived at 6, and by the time we left there was a wait ㄷㄷㄷ) I guess popular Gangnam hotspots are popular for a reason?? Haha If you're looking for an uncommon Korean-style bar near Gangnam Station, Arigyegok ✨

Arigyegok Gangnam: hours, address and parking

• 📍 28-14 Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, South Korea
• 🚇 About 5 minutes on foot from Gangnam Station Exit 11
• 📅 Sat–Sun 16:30 – 01:00 next day
• 📅 Mon–Thu 17:00 – 01:00 next day
• 👥 Groups and reservations available / group seating 6–120 people
• 🚗 No parking → use nearby parking lots
• 📶 Wi-Fi / separate men's and women's restrooms / accessible parking available
• 🍶 Corkage available (paid)
• 🥃 Corkage cost that day: ₩30,000

※ Business hours and days off may change, so it's a good idea to check before visiting 😊

Mongsuri's one-line verdict on Arigyegok

Having lived in Europe for 10 years and been pretty serious about wine and food, I'm drawn these days less to famous places and more to places with a great food-and-drink pairing — and in that sense, Arigyegok was a lot of fun!!!!

The mud duck jeonbyeong in particular was worth trying at least once if you come here, and the original chicken hot pot was great for a satisfying drink. Most of all, having corkage with the Suntory Old I brought back from Matsuyama, Japan made the whole atmosphere that day feel just right 🥃✨

If you're looking for an uncommon spot near Gangnam Station for Korean snacks plus a drink, save Arigyegok!