Friday night jazz show near Gunja Station in Seoul: Kick Ass Jazz Club
In short
Kick Ass Jazz Club is a live jazz bar on Neungdong-ro near Gunja Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. The Friday visit was booked through Catch Table, with a 12,000 won per-person cover for both sets by the Gaonda Band, plus Guinness, Budweiser and a pastry pepperoni pizza. On show nights walk-ins may find no seats, so a reservation at Kick Ass Jazz Club is essential.
Good to know
- Address
- 1st floor, 332 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
- Hours
- Tue–Sat 18:00–02:00 (last order 01:30), Sun 18:00–01:00 (last order 01:00)
- Closed
- Every Monday
- Reservations
- Catch Table
- Live performances
- Fridays, Saturdays and special occasions
- Show cover charge
- 12,000 won per person (goes toward musicians' fees)
- Order rule on show nights
- 1 food item (dessert excluded) + 1 drink per person; a bar snack set for one is available
- Seating
- 9 bar seats, 4 tables for two, 4 tables for four
- Ordering & payment
- Order by QR code at your table; pay near the door
- Event
- 1 free Budweiser for a Naver photo review
- Price reference
- ₩12,000 ≈ $8.9 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026
You all know Gwangja is super hot right now, right?? And right at the center of it is Kick Ass Jazz Club, a great-vibe bar where you can catch live jazz performances!!!!
Where is Kick Ass Jazz Club, and what are its hours?
Kick Ass Jazz Club is a live jazz bar located at 서울 광진구 능동로 332 1층, near Gwangja Station. Hours are Tue–Sat 18:00–02:00 (last order 01:30) and Sunday 18:00–01:00 (last order 01:00), closed every Monday. You can book through Catch Table.
Inside Kick Ass Jazz Club: a movie-set look and the seating
Wow!! I gasped the moment I walked in! It felt like stepping into a whole new world — doesn't it look like a gorgeous jazz club set straight out of a movie?
There are about 9 bar seats, 4 tables for two, and 4 tables for four!
Cover charge and order rules on live show nights
Kick Ass Jazz Club has live performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and special occasions~ On show nights there's a cover of ₩12,000 per person, and that money goes directly toward paying the musicians! Live jazz bars like this aren't that common these days, so it really touched me to feel how sincere the owner is about the music, and how much they respect the musicians and try to give them a better environment!
On show nights you're required to order one food item (excluding dessert) and one drink per person, which could feel like a lot if you're dining solo, but there's a solo-only bar snack set prepared for single guests so no need to worry~
You can order comfortably from your seat via QR code, and pay at the entrance where you were first greeted.
Why a Friday visit needs a Catch Table reservation
We booked ahead through Catch Table because we wanted to visit on a Friday! If you reserve ahead, you get a good seat, so please, please book ahead~~~ (If you show up as a walk-in on a performance night, there may be no seats left!!)
Aren't the coasters so cute too? A dancing cat at Kick Ass Jazz Club~
They say you get a free Budweiser if you leave a photo review on Naver! Definitely try it out~~
Welcome drink, free popcorn refills, Guinness and Budweiser
The strong-lemon, sweet-tart welcome drink surprised me with how much of a kick it had, paired with salty popcorn!! There's a popcorn machine, and they kept refilling it for us~
We ordered Guinness and Budweiser! The Guinness was smooth and went down easily~ The Budweiser had a sharp, refreshing fizz! Next time I want to try their cocktails!
The Gaonda Band live: set one and set two
On Friday, September 11th, the musicians were the Gaonda Band~ It started at 7:30 and ran in two sets with an intermission in between, going nearly to 9:30!
From sweet jazz standards like Lullaby of Birdland, Misty, Cheek to Cheek, and L-O-V-E, to instrumental numbers that showed off the tight interplay of keyboard, drums, and bass (I got chills during each solo!), all the way to more popular songs like Norah Jones' Don't Know Why and Bruno Mars' Runaway Baby — it was such a varied set!
They also played a Gaonda Band-style reinterpretation of Hanroro's 'I'll Fall in Love'!
The vocalist of the Gaonda Band mentioned that her new song ('Now') came out on September 10th! It was really lovely to watch her smile and connect with the audience so warmly! The final encore wrapped up with Insooni's 'Bamimyeon Bammada.'
How does the pastry pepperoni pizza taste?
While we were enjoying the show, the pastry pepperoni pizza arrived — check out that look,,, isn't it incredible?? It was loaded generously with pepperoni and cheese and it was so, so good! They also serve it with parmesan cheese, pickles, and Tabasco sauce!
Can you see the layers of pastry? It was so crispy and crunchy — the perfect beer snack!
Is Kick Ass Jazz Club fine if you know nothing about jazz?
You might worry, 'Can I enjoy this if I don't really know jazz?' but there's absolutely no need to worry at all — Kick Ass Jazz Club is a place you can enjoy freely and comfortably! It had been a while since I'd heard live music and it was genuinely exciting and fun~~ The staff were all so kind and the vibe was so good that I'd recommend it both for a date and for going solo! I'm planning to come back on another show night next time~
