Costs of Drinking- In Korean Won

How much does a beer cost in Korean Won? In a corner store? In a outdoor restaurant? In a bar?

Can you drink openly (on the street) in Seoul?

If one is trying to have a few beers before going out, should one do it in their hotel? are there low-cost alternatives (e.g., open air-resturants, other venues)?

Thanks!

Costs of Drinking- In Korean Won

The scale is quite long.

You could pay 12000 for a small bottle of Kirin in an upscale hotel; or 1500 for a large bottle of OB in a Korean restaurant.

Outdoor restaurant? Not really sure what you mean; it%26#39;s not like Germany with biergartens.

You would normally drink in a ';Hof'; - a bar.

I find the ritual slightly unusual- you normally need to order a snack- anju- if you drink. The snack can be much dearer than the beer.

You might like to look out for O%26#39;Kims Brauhaus- there%26#39;s one in COEX and another, I think, in the Lotte (???). A microbrewery.

O/wise you%26#39;re stuck with local beers -Cass, Hite, OB- or imports.

Many Koreans drink either soju, a sort of vodka, with variations like Omija (quite different but a similar type of bottle etc) or else things like makkoli, a traditional rice drink that%26#39;s a bit alcoholic.

Costs of Drinking- In Korean Won

Thanks, this is very helpful!

So at your normal restaurant, a local beer mgiht be between 1500-5000 KRW?

And at a Hof, about the same?

Thanks! Looking forward to my trip (leaving on Saturday!)

In a GS25 or the like (convenience store) I guess about 1,000Won for a bottle of local beer.

Under normal circumstances- eg not the World Cup- I%26#39;ve never spotted any Koreans drinking in the street from bottles. You can sit outside in some sort of Korean pubs, but they asre very much a local%26#39;s in-place, where you drink soju and eat squid.

I think one of most popular and cheapest venue for drinking soju and anju are street snack cart, plus few tables and chairs. They are called ';Po-jang-ma-cha'; They usually pop around the side walk or street after sundown. Some of them actually have nice setting, with tent covering tables to protect customers from cold weather. They are mainly for locals, so don%26#39;t expect they will speak English for you.

As ethelmann mentioned, you must order some food to go with drinks. One of most popular food Korean drink with their beer is fried chicken, and Korean style fried chicken (they come several different flavors) has been quite popular in NYC in recent years.

I think it%26#39;s good idea to keep your drinking indoors.

If you want to have fun at the bars, go to Hongdae and Itaewon. At this places you not gonna have any language problems. Here is list of clubs at Hongdae. And there are some good bars at the alley behind Hemilton hotel in Itaewon.

www.clubculture.or.kr/2005/info/info2.php

Sorry, I mean Hamilton hotel at Itaewon.

Thank you!