What are the Best Gay Bars in Itaewon? You don’t know? Well, in the past I’ve written about the Gay scene in Seoul and while the scene remains small comparable to other cities of equal or even lesser size, there’s still a thriving gay culture that deserves a more thorough inspection. So, since its been years the time feels right to revisit Seoul’s gay life this time zeroing in on the Best Gay Bars in Itaewon.
The best and most appealing aspect of homo hill continues to be its nature as a beacon in the often claustrophobic and stifling life for gays in Seoul. On the hill one can step out of the closet of hiding from friends and family and simply be. And that goes not just for Koreans, but for the expats living and working here who may not feel as comfortable coming out to Korean employers or the travelers desperately seeking some form of cosmopolitan aspect to a country so uniformly similar. Homo Hill opens it’s arms from the out and proud and coyly closeted to gaggles of women escaping the testosterone driven guys on the hunt who dominate the other clubs in Itaewon. Of course, the testosterone is there it just happens to not be aimed at them. And we cannot leave out the the open minded straight bros tagging along with their friends or just checking out someplace different. Homo hill has it all.
Lollipop (롤리팝)
Before you even make it to Homo Hill, right at the corner above the Infamous King Club, there’s Lollipop. It’s the new kid on the block as far as gay bars go in Itaewon. The Highlight of Lollipop revolves around the drag show at that runs Friday and Saturday nights at 1 am and again at 3 am. If you’re in the mood to hob knob with the queens of Seoul then make your way over and see what flavor of Drag Queen Lollipop has to offer.
Trance
Once upon a time Trance existed as an underground hot spot for the hip straight but not narrow to grab a drink and take in a drag show along with the gays. Here trans women perform along with drag queens to entertain the crowds, still mixed, of adoring who crowd around the edges of the stage on little plastic seats so as not to obstruct the view of the patrons further behind unlucky enough to find a good seat. Trance, located near the foot of homo hill, has long held it’s spot as one of the longest running gay bars on the hill. Expect plenty of thumping dance music with queens scurrying about encouraging you to drink, drink, drink.
Doors Open 11 pm to close
Drag Show Fri & Sat Nights 2:30 am
10,000 KRW cover + free drink
Eat Me
Directly across from Trance you’ll find Eat Me. This Cocktail bar serves as the perfect spot to hit up with friends before a night of dancing. Here you can not only sip away at your favorite drink of choice, but you also have the much needed opportunity to soak up all that alcohol with some finger food. Serving late night munchies like wings, cheese sticks, calamari, chips or chicken tenders. Here the atmosphere aims for something more accommodating for conversation and chit chat away from the booming music of the other nearby bars and clubs.
Monday: 6:30 am to 3:00 am
Tue-Thursday: 6:30 pm to 3:00 am
Fri-Saturday: 6:30 pm to 4:00 am
070-7624-3149
Queen
Bow down bitches cause the the queen of all gay bars still keeps its grip on the scene. Yeah, it may be a trembling-by-the-fingertips grip, due to the competition, but it’s a grip none the same. During the summer and fall the terrace action rules at Queen. Here folks giggle and gaggle, chatting away through the night or pose and preen for the onlookers walking up the hill for Queen or one of the other spots nearby. Inside, if you go too early, yes you’ll find ear candy music but enjoying it with the bartender will be the start of your evening because the guys at Queen don’t begin strutting and stomping the dance floor until at the earliest midnight. When the party does start you’ll marvel at how such a tiny space manages to pack in so many tightly pressed bodies. Smile and squirm your way to the bar for a drink, maybe you’ll meet a new friend on the way.
Doors Open 7:30 pm to close
Popular around Midnight onward.
No Cover
Located up from Trance
Always Homme 올웨이즈옴므
Let me say that the tables at Always Homme always remain full and brimming with folks enjoying drinks and conversation. Socializing sums up the spot nicely. On the plus side not many of the homo hill bars stay open during the weekdays but Always Homme does because, well, someone is always home. Punny, right? When the other bars and clubs start bursting at the seams you may want to calm things down a bit here. Personally, I don’t. Why? SImply because my first experience there one of the waiters joined my tabled to chit chat (I thought) which was great. However, somehow his several drinks he had magically ended up on my tab. Those drinks I didn’t pay for and that was my last time there. So if you find some of the staff a bit to, shall we say overzealous, be sure to let them know their drinks are on their dime. Unless of course you’re buying for the bar and then, hey, you do you.
Weekdays 7:00 pm to 2:00 am
Weekends 7:00 pm to 5:00 am
02 798 0578
Why Not?
Across from Always Homme stands Why Not? Before its renovation Why Not packed itself with young twenty somethings gyrating to K-pop hits drenched in scarlet lighting. Then lithe bodies twisted and turned dueling on the dance floor, moves so intricate and magnetic they resembled some strange insect mating dance seen only on National Geographic. However, that was then. Now the Why Not possesses a more upscale gentrified feel that looks ultra modern but has none of that old soul and grit that made the bar fun.
11:00 pm – close (weekends only)
02-795-8193
Oz
Oz may not seem like much from the outside, but it has one thing going for it: class. The space makes use of its limited square footage with a sleek design that allows for patrons to chat comfortably at the bar or a couple or trio to while away the night on their itsy-bitsy patio. Inside friendly bartenders dish out drinks all night long. Great for conversation between friends, but not a pack of party goers you’ll find Oz a nice change of pace from the hustle an bustle in the other bars.
Small, intimate bar next to Always Homme.
8:00 pm to close
Soho
Directly across from Oz you’ll find Soho. Infamous for its summer time packed patio crammed with patrons smoking, sipping cocktails, and gossiping the night away. Part dance bar part lounge inside teems with dancers bopping to the not so latest but at least hottest pop and kpop songs from the past five years. Sure, things don’t get going until around midnight at the earliest but you can still find a mix of teachers, soldiers, Koreans, travelers as well as straight gals and guys and everyone in between. It’s a good place to start the night slowly and then build into some fun times on the dance floor.
Located across from Oz
8:00 pm – close
02-797-2280
Miracle
Further up Homo Hill on the right side you’ll find the only Lesbian on the hill: Miracle. Here you’ll find a cool laid back crowd with both Koreans and Westerners mixing and mingling. This is a Lesbian and as their spaces are few and far between it would be appro to go with women especially lesbians but gays are welcomed. Maybe not so much for the lone straight guy wandering inside. This is probably why other lesbian bars in other parts of Seoul don’t let any guys in no matter what. Expect you’re standard drinks in great atmosphere.
Club Qubic
Qubic is the new kid on Homo Hill. Here you’ll find a dance club with often times special guest go go dancers shaking their assets. Dj’s spin their tunes into the wee hours of the night. Dancing and Drinking are what it’s mostly all about. Other nights though they do put on special events ranging from those aforementioned go go boys to art house films.
Happy hour from 11:30 pm to 1:00 am.
Free admission every Friday night otherwise cover charge.
For the longest time you could only find a queer friendly space on the infamous homo hill. Times, while still tough in Seoul for gays, have still managed to change and broaden. To put it simply: the gays just aren’t on the hill anymore.
Pulse
Pulse pulses in the night as the late night spot to go dance the night away after the other clubs begin petering out. In the sprawling basement darkness sparked by strobe lights and beams Korean and Western mean strip off shirts and get sweaty on the dance floor. The music booms out pop, house, and techno. There’s an area to lounge away in private chaise lounges as well as a performance stage for guest artists. I will say that one time I was halted at the door with a terse, “Korean only.” declaration from the doorman. This happened just after my two very Western friends preceded me into the Club. When they popped back out to find me they were just as slack jawed as I. A few quick words from my friend fluent in Korean and presto all was good. He just thought I was some straight guy trying to cause trouble. I decided not to go in that night and skipped the place for several years after. No matter what though you should go see for yourself. Pulse doesn’t start hopping until 3:00 am, so prepare to meet the morning sun after a night of dancing. Women will play double and sometimes triple the cover price to get in so it’s not very female friendly. However, around 6:00 am ish they usually stop charging cover.
Number: 02-2792-6662
Sun-Fri: 10,000 won
Sat: 15,000 won
8pm – ~7:30am
Le Queen
Small but bustling with bodies and booze, Le Queen has become the go to after hours club for gays who want to dance and drink while hobnobbing with feisty drag queens. Not only does the dance floor fill up, but there’s also an occasional go-go boy show to keep you entertained between the drag queen acts. Busy during the weekends mostly you’ll not find much happening during the week. Keep an eye out for their notorious themed events that always deliver a good time out. Naturally, Le Queen is a place where you’ll find lots of party queens. This small dance club turns gets busy on the weekends, with regular themed events.
Weekdays 10:00pm to 4:00am Closed monday and Sunday
Saturday 10:00 pm to 6:00 am
Drag Shows at 1:00 am and 3:00 am Saturday (times may change)
Cover 10,000 KRW
02-794-8377
Gray
Club Gray arrived on the Itaewon gay scene with a neon splash. Inside the basement club beams of scarlet light drench the dance floor in blood red color giving true meaning to MJ’s classic blood on the dance floor lyric. Here at the witching hour hot men shirtless and sweaty grind away to the thumping beats of house, pop, and techno music. Often times you’ll be treated to the gyrating antics of go-go boys from around Asia, popping in specially to entertain the patrons. Check their facebook page to find out when those events happen. Being that it starts so late I can only remember snatches of things because of my inebriated stated. I do remember, though, having a great time. Gray is not very female friendly.
1:00 am to close
Cover 10,000 KRW, for women expect to pay five to ten times that.
Dojo
Dojo is a hit the gyeongridan/hbc area and it’s made an impact in a big way. You won’t hear bubblegum pop or k-pop at dojo. Here the bass is down low and thumping. Think underground DJs and bands, spinning and blasting deep house with nothing on the agenda but to make your body move. Open to a diverse crowd you’ll find everyone and anyone inside. Dojo is the seed seen to fruition by three friends (Jinhwa Choi, Joseph Kim and Joss Wooju Ge) now partners in an endeavor to bring something new and exciting to the Itaewon area. So far it looks like they’re succeeding. So you can live out their motto: “work hard, play hard, sleep later!”. From Noksapyeong Station take exit two, walk straight until you reach the underground tunnel, go down and cross over and up on the left hand side. You’ll see GS 25 in front of you and Dojo’s entrance is on the left.
10:00 pm to close
02-790-1334
Cakeshop
Just like Dojo, Cakeshop opens its floor to any and everyone. They even have a special monthly event called VOGUE that caters to the LGBT crowd. Open from Thursday to Sunday it’s a cement basement chic with a stark feel and a lurid frosted pink neon sign that beckons one and all to come party below. It’s located right at the main entrance to Itaewon near Noksapyeong subway and below the restaurant Sujis. Created by the entertainment think tank Multi Seoul Cakeshop fills a niche previously unnoticed in Itaewon: electronic and progressive house with flourishes of dub, trip hop, DnB and anything else on the outer edges not played in the usual night scene stomps. DJs from Korea all the way to the international scene show up to flex their musical muscles and get the people moving.
10:00 pm to close
010-4765-6139
Cover 10,000 KRW to 20,000 KRW depending on event
