After the Sunset Cruise, my partner, Liz, and I found ourselves in Gangnam, where we decided to spend the rest of the evening and explore the vibrant nightlife. Famous for Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” it’s known to be a vibrant, stylish, and luxurious spot with a cool vibe, promising an evening of excitement and exploration.
We took the metro to Gangnam, entering a lively scene with tall buildings, a busy road filled with shoppers, and big electronic billboards displaying ads—kind of like NYC. Our first stop was a two-floor cosmetics store. Even though the prices were a bit steeper than I expected, I bought various Korean products. After all, you don’t find yourself in Korea every day, and their reputation for top-notch quality is well-known.
After that, we decided to explore some Korean barbecue—or just barbecue, as they call it in Korea. We had mentioned to Liz our interest in trying out the charcoal BBQ, and although she initially had another place inu mind, she quickly did some research, and there we were, at a spot that looked promising.
Upon walking, we passed a vibrant party street where people appeared to be having a great time. We planned to go back later. The Korean barbecue on charcoal was a unique experience; I haven’t come across it in Europe or anywhere else in the world, nor have I heard of any places offering that. The food was delicious, and having Liz with us was a plus because it allowed us to sample authentic local dishes we might not have chosen ourselves, like the refreshing cold noodles on the side.
After enjoying the barbecue, we decided to continue our adventure by having a photo session in a “종합사진관” (jonghap sajingwan), a photo studio featuring numerous photobooths. As mentioned in an earlier post, this was something I had wanted to do for a long time, inspired by my Korean friends’ Facebook profile photos. We went for it, and at that time, many others were doing the same, creating a lively atmosphere in the place.
Inside the studio, you had the option to choose various items to wear for your photo. It turned out to be quite a cool experience. The photobooth also added an extra element by recording a funny video of us during the photo session, which was sent directly to my email.
That’s when Liz said her goodbyes to us, but it certainly wasn’t the end of the evening for us! Eager to experience the nightlife in this renowned and upscale area, already full with people, we hurried back home to change into more elegant attire and returned. It turned out to be a bit farther than we initially thought from our hotel, but we were in no rush.
Upon returning to the main party street in Gangnam, we couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed by its appearance. It was far from the fancy scene we had envisioned. The bustling street was packed with people, none of whom were dressed in a stylish manner, and the ground was scattered with flyers. Various individuals were streaming the events. As we searched for a place to go, we found that all the options either had exceedingly long lines or were already at full capacity. In the end, we settled for another Korean restaurant, filled with people across multiple floors, giving us the chance to enjoy some soju. Nevertheless, this wasn’t exactly the Gangnam experience we had in mind, prompting us to continue our exploration after a while.
We discovered a nightclub on the second floor of a building and decided to check it out. Unfortunately, there was another line. While waiting, we met some Korean Americans who shared our frustration. They informed us that the place we were standing in line wasn’t truly a nightclub; rather, it was more of a restaurant setting where people sit and eat with their friends while music plays, but there isn’t much dancing. This realization led us to give up on that spot, and we ventured outside to look for another place. The outdoor scene was still bustling with a lot of people, creating a somewhat chaotic atmosphere.
What added a touch of humor to the evening was witnessing a Lamborghini speeding through the streets, closely followed by a police car. The Lamborghini didn’t give up; instead, it continued attempting to escape from the police. The scene had a distinct GTA (Grand Theft Auto) vibe, making it quite amusing to observe.
Continuing our exploration, we finally stumbled upon a huge nightclub. There was still a bit of a restaurant vibe, evident from the iPads on the tables featuring food menus and a minimum required purchase. To meet the limit, we ordered a drink each and some snacks. This place did have a cool and fancy ambiance, complete with a DJ. The venue had two floors, and while people did dance a bit, it mostly centered around their tables—an interesting dynamic. We didn’t stay long, as when we arrived, people were already starting to leave, indicating that the place might be closing.
As the night progressed, the whole process of finding a place took much longer than expected. There were two famous nightclubs we wanted to try, and we headed to the first one. After waiting in line for a while, a lady approached us, speaking in Korean. Unfortunately, we couldn’t understand her, and she resorted to using something like Google Translate to convey that if you cannot speak or read Korean, you cannot enter! It marked the first time I encountered such evident racism in a public place. Despite being well-dressed—perhaps even overdressed compared to others—and denied entry despite being sober. Indeed, we did have some soju, but as mentioned in a previous post, it seems to have zero effect on me. Besides, with all the waiting, we would have sobered up anyway. t was surprising, especially after watching “Itaewon Class,” as we had no idea that such incidents actually occurred.
Proceeding to the next nightclub, we stood in line, and surprisingly, the same situation repeated! Once again, we were denied entry because we were not Korean! Gangnam turned out to be not the enjoyable place we envisioned. The idea of fancy places, upscale nightclubs, and well-dressed people was far from the reality we experienced, including racism. Feeling discouraged, we decided to head home. On our way, across the street, we spotted another nightclub—smaller, but still promising. However, the bouncer at the entrance once again denied us entry, citing that we were not Korean. Despite our disappointment, we pressed on. Upon approaching, we were warmly greeted by the bouncer. We shared our previous encounter, and despite his limited English, he expressed shame for the treatment we faced and welcomed us in. Inside, the ambiance was entirely different, resembling an actual nightclub with people dancing, not a restaurant setting. Unfortunately, they were closing as it was very late, around 4 am, so we had to call it a night.
To conclude the nightlife in Gangnam, it was definitely not how I imagined the fancy Gangnam to be! Though it started really well with a great Korean barbecue on charcoal and a photoshoot session in a photobooth with my friend Liz, the nightlife itself was quite disappointing. There was nothing fancy about it, especially not the party street. We were denied entry to two places because we weren’t Korean. Most of the supposed nightclubs were more like restaurants, where no one danced; instead, people sat, drank, and ate with their groups. It was kind of dirty, with the ground full of flyers, and people weren’t dressed nicely. The minimum spending policy made it difficult to do club hopping. So, this was definitely not the experience we were looking forward to. However, there is a twist to this, which I will write about in the next post! Stay tuned, as the day after, we had a completely different experience in Gangnam.
Anyah Mroz 