Seoul’s Best Nightlife

Best Theme Bar [1]: The 1960s-inspired bar Rainbow [1] brings a much-needed dose of love and good vibrations to the city’s business heartland.

Best Bar for Beer Lovers [2]: Boasting a wide selection of international draft and bottled brews and consistently fair prices, Itaewon’s 3 Alley Pub [2] is an oasis in the land that quality suds forgot.

Best Dance Club [3]: With its earth-shaking sound system, roster of top DJ talent, and a crowd that takes full advantage of its after-hours wing, Club Heaven [3] is Seoul’s reigning dance hot spot.

Best Traditional Pub [4]: Pureunbyol Jumak [4], a humble traditional pub in Insa-dong, draws a convivial, eclectic crowd with its casual, bohemian ambience, top-notch rice wine, and tasty food.

Most Unusual Nightspot [5]: With its womb-like corridors, trance-inducing light displays, and all-over-the-map food and drink selections, it’s hard to tell what kind of theme Hongdae lounge bar Oi [5] is shooting for, but somehow it works nonetheless.

Best Romantic Hideout [6]: Head deep underground to Cave de la Petite France [6] to canoodle over a bottle of wine in what could be the city’s most sheltered drinking environment.