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Alice Live Club
Anything from acid and rock to lounge jazz and pop is put on at this new venue in the heart of Hongik, usually between and . Ask at the door about what's on.
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All That Jazz
Local jazz bands have been playing here since 1976 and still play every night at (from on Sunday). Both beer and food are reasonably priced.
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Bahia
A Latin American dance club that is buzzing by with a friendly atmosphere, great music and around cheapo beers. Wednesday is bachata (music originating from the Dominican Republic) night.
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Bebop Jazz Club
Up on the 5th floor Bebop caters to an older crowd with its armchairs and cool jazz. A singer or an instrumental band perform from to . Beers are cheap enough but do get more pricey when the live music starts.
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Club Caliente
The salsa Latin beats will get you up and dancing around the unusual circular bar as the Itaewon expats show off their moves. Ask about lessons if you want to become a star dancer.
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Club Evans
Relax at tables and chairs and catch all kinds of jazz from at this long-running 2nd floor lounge venue that caters to a more mature crowd than other live venues in Hongik.
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Club Funky Funky
This small club (sometimes called Club FF) combines a live band with a DJ who plays anything from rock and funk to hip-hop. This is a favourite among the local indie scene, who pack the place out and rip into the fairly well-priced beers.
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Club Saab
Plenty of hip-hop DJs with a hard attitude play here including the popular Schedule 1. It's the nearest thing to gangsta rap in Seoul, but is it for show or for real?
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Feel
This live music rumpus room run by totally eccentric Shin Kyung-so is so packed with the mementoes of a lifetime that it's hard to squeeze in. But it's worth it when Shin and his musical friends get together to play anything from jazz to folk rock. Where else can you listen to a Simon and Garfunkel song being played on an accordion?
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Free Bird
Rock, punk and funk are blasted out every night by young uni bands between and . Four different bands, with names like Incubator, Scarface and Bum, perform every night generally at a high volume. The beers is cheap enough and they do have a happy hour.
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Grand Ole Opry
This grand ole country-and-western bar and dance hall is still going strong with staff who chat and DJs on Friday and Saturday. Beers and cocktails are at suitably old-fashioned prices.
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J Bar
This funky subterranean cellar with a youthful vibe and a dance area generally has live music every Friday and Saturday from to . At other times the bar staff have a choice of 6000 LPs as well as numerous CDs. There is a pool table, an occasional DJ and beers are not too pricey.
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JJ Mahoney's
Up the hill and inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel is this classy nightclub with nine different zones, and a live rock band nightly except Sunday. Drinks are hit with a 34% surcharge and there's a dress code. Take a taxi to get there.
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Live Jazz Club
The Seoul Jazz Academy, just off Daehangno has three different jazz groups playing every weekday and Sunday night until well past midnight. Special concerts are held every Saturday. All jazz genres are featured, and Western-style meals are available onsite. Don't miss this serious jazz venue.
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M2
Deep underground is one of the largest and best clubs in Seoul. It has a high ceiling and plenty of lights, and plays mainly progressive house. Telephone to reserve a chill-out zone upstairs. Wednesday is ladies night - free admission is only the start.
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Macondo
This fun and frenetic Latin American dance club in Hongik starts buzzing relatively early, and is soon as crowded as a Where's Wally? cartoon. Free dancing lessons are available. Named after a village in the classic One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, this bar is one of the few places in Seoul that serves dark beer.
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Marronnier Park
This free performance area in Daehangno usually has something happening on warm weekend afternoons. Student artists draw portraits in one corner while high-school rock bands crank it up on the glass-roofed outdoor stage, and a samullori troupe bang their drums and gongs while dancing around under the chestnut trees. 'Mr Guitar', a musician and comedian, regularly performs in front of a large and appreciative audience.
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Moonglow
This large underground venue with red armchairs and candles on the tables features live jazz from , with a different style every day. It is owned by Shin Kwan-Woong, a noted Seoul jazz cat who performs almost every night with his band.
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Once in a Blue Moon
Successfully fusing live jazz and nouvelle cuisine, this classy club is popular with local celebrities. It's very run-of-the-mill USA-jazz-club, but the music is good and very authentic. You can mix music with sirloin, sip on cocktails named after jazz musicans and sample hundreds of international wines.
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Reggae Pub
Reggae rhythms on the sound system are the main attraction at this Jamaican outpost, but there is the usual pool and darts. You can chow down on jjigae (Korean beef stew) or a decent Jamaican jerk chicken and wash it down with good cheap beer, punch or soju , the local vodka.
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Rolling Stones
This small underground cellar sells only soft drinks but is dedicated to putting on all kinds of live rock music, and it's often standing room only at the weekend. Listen out for Broken Pearl.
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Seoul Norimadang
This covered outdoor arena with seats hosts entertaining traditional music and dance performances that are enjoyed by the mainly elderly local audience who may get up and start dancing. If you are in Lotte World walk through Baby World and go up the stairs for a short cut to the lakeside venue.
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Skunk Hell
Skunk Hell is punk heaven - a black messy dungeon with peeling posters on the ceiling and live, loud punk rock from house band Couch. Saturday is the night to crawl in, but you may have to provide your own drinks.
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Slug.Er
Live indie rock bands and the dark ones of the local metal scene bring in the customers to this dark underground den of a live venue. The drinks aren't too expensive and the there are Hip Hop nights and DJ fests for those who prefer beats and rhymes to hair and solos.
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St 102
This smart three-level shrine to hip-hop blows the competition away with its lounges, bright dance areas, screens, neon and general pizzazz. This is definitely the place for Seoul young, cool and wannabe G's to hang out.
