Gangnam Station cocktail bar on a Monday night: melon plate at Ugly

Here's my review of Ugly, a bar in Gangnam that's perfect for a second round — I was honestly kind of upset that everyone knew about this place except me haha, it was already packed on a Monday evening.

I was looking for somewhere to have one more drink and stumbled onto this place, and I had no idea Gangnam had a secret hideout like this — so many people already knew about it that I felt betrayed ,, ^^🤍 If you're looking for a date spot or a second-round place in Gangnam, listen up — this cocktail bar is a guaranteed win!

Where is Ugly cocktail bar near Gangnam Station, and what are its hours?

📍 Location: 5 Gangnam-daero 96-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 5F ⏰ Hours: 18:30 – 2:00 AM (until 3:00 AM on weekends)

I really recommend this place — a bar in Gangnam with great vibes open until 2 or 3 am. And it's not in a basement, it's on the 5th floor (there's an elevator, obviously), so there's no stuffy feeling, the openness is great, and there's even terrace seating, so it's really nice.

When you get off the elevator, this floor only has Ugly, so the entrance looks like this — do you know what that means? It means there's a waiting line at a cocktail bar ,, but once you go in, you totally get why people wait. I visited around 9 pm on a Monday and there were about two open seats, so I got seated right away haha. Once you step off the elevator, a staff member guides you to your seat right away!

Ugly's menu and prices: the signature cocktails

Ugly's signature cocktails run from ₩19,000 to ₩26,000. They hand you a menu that's almost like a little booklet — the cocktail selection is genuinely varied, and there are so many whiskey and gin options that I really had to think it over ,, but with a vibe like this, you kind of have to get a cocktail haha, so I ordered one of each of the signature ones!

• Not Ugly ₩22,000
• Berry Ugly ₩19,000
• Moai ₩19,000
• Fantasy ₩20,000
• Holy Smokes ₩26,000
• Rusty Nail ₩19,000
• Martini ₩21,000

There's really a wide range, but if you want something sweet and photogenic,

• Not Ugly ₩22,000
• Berry Ugly ₩19,000
• Moai ₩19,000

these are the ones I'd recommend, and if you like a slightly smoky scent,

• Holy Smokes ₩26,000
• Rusty Nail ₩19,000

these are the ones haha.

Ugly's duplex layout and the second-floor railing seats

Ugly's interior is a duplex. The atmosphere inside is seriously ,, the 1st floor has lots of sofa seating for groups and even private seats, which is great! The 2nd floor is nice for smaller groups and looks down over the 1st floor haha.

The overall vibe is dim, but when you look straight up at the ceiling, it's like a mythical night sky studded with the Milky Way — genuinely insane atmosphere ,, you can totally see why people wait in line, right?

I got assigned a spot at the 2nd-floor railing, and from up there you can see the whole interior of the place — it just felt like having the whole world in view. They told me it's a prime spot where you can also watch the cocktails being made downstairs haha.

The place is genuinely so popular that the staff never stop making cocktails — I really respect that ,, even sitting at the bar seats seems like it'd be fun just to watch! The staff all speak English, and there were lots of foreign customers too, which made the vibe feel even more international.

How do Berry Ugly and Moai taste with the melon plate?

I ordered one Berry Ugly and one Moai cocktail!

• Berry Ugly ₩19,000
• Moai ₩19,000

And honestly they were amazing lol, such photogenic glasses ,, and they taste great too ,,

· Moai ₩19,000 — Moai has a light hint of banana, tasting like taking a sip of a drink on some tropical beach ,, seriously kept sipping it without stopping ..

· Berry Ugly ₩19,000 — This one's also a signature a lot of people order, so I got it too lol, and it pairs so well with the Moai glass — a hint of berry flavor, another sweet one that goes down way too easily ,,

And I ordered melon as a side dish — the melon's sweetness level was maybe like 16 brix or so, really sweet ,, and delicious. Goes great with ham too!

And even if you don't order any food, they still give you pretzels as a basic snack, so if you're stopping by for a second or third round, you can just enjoy the cocktails alone without any worries!

I kept locking eyes with the Moai ,, but he's got such a friendly grin, super likeable, so it's fine even if we make eye contact lol lol lol. It's so sweet it just keeps going down — dangerous, seriously dangerous ..

I'd already eaten a ton at my first stop that night, so next time I want to order even more cocktails ,, they really know how to mix drinks .. The Berry Ugly had that berry scent bursting out, and they even scattered flower petals on top of the ice, the vibe was insane, seriously ㅜㅜ

Terrace hookah at Ugly, and is it a good second-round or date spot in Gangnam?

On Ugly's outdoor terrace, you can enjoy hookah for ₩33,000 (15-minute prep time). The 1st-floor bar seats look great too, and this outdoor terrace seating also has hookah available! There's apple, lemon, melon, mint, and peach flavors, so if you want a bit of an exotic vibe, you should definitely go ,, I recommend Ugly, a hookah bar in Gangnam, haha.

A hidden hangout spot in Gangnam that I seriously can't believe I didn't know about until now — once you visit, you'll probably want to come back. Highly recommend Ugly haha.

Atmosphere, taste, price, and even the friendly service — nothing was lacking at this Gangnam cocktail bar, I really recommend Ugly! It'd also be great as a second-round date spot ,, actually there were a lot of people around me that day who were clearly on dates ><🤍 A Gangnam bar recommendation with a romantic, distinctive starry night-sky ceiling — Ugly! I'm definitely going back next time haha. If you're looking for a second-round bar in Gangnam or a cocktail bar open late, I recommend this one!