3 Alley Pub

No Longer In Business

Very poor selection 10th October 2013. Just OB Golden (Inbev) and a small selection of foreign beers (including nitro-kegs). There was a better choice of bottled beers but none exciting. No sign of any Korean micro breweries which was a disappointment. Beers expensive but food good and reasonable price. No wifi but smoking allowed inside!

We used to visit here for good beer and atmosphere but never again since the incident in May. My wife and her friend got there early around 5:30pm and the restaurant was empty. It was a nice day and they requested to be seated in the patio area. The manager denied their request and insisted that they sit inside. They asked whether those tables were already reserved. The manager said no, but they anticipate other customers later so the party of 2 should not occupy a table for 4. They said they do not intend to stay too long and by the time it gets crowded, usually after 7pm, they will be long gone. The manager did not look pleased but she reluctantly let them take a seat outside. They ordered a couple of beer and fried calamari. Minutes later, the waitress brought chicken teriyaki. They asked what happened and the waitress realized her mistake, apologized and promised she would bring fried calamari as ordered. The manager who was watching the scene from the distance approached them and asked what was wrong with the food. They replied nothing, but that was just not what they ordered. The manager demanded that they just accept what was brought to them and stop whining. They replied it’s not like they changed their mind after the order was placed. It was the waitress who made a mistake. The manager immediately began to raise voice, saying she has never seen anyone who intentionally causes trouble like this. After taking that for a couple minutes, they demanded to see the owner (whom they remember as an old American man) and she replied that’s not gonna happen because she is the “de facto” owner since she owns more than 50% share of this pub. She got aggravated by their request to see the “real” owner and then began to use “B” and “F” words and eventually kicked them out. As beer lovers, we used to go there to have a good time. Now I have to find a new place where customers are treated like customers, or at least human beings.

Beer quality is good~

Not bad, but certainly not amazing. There’s a decently large number of bars in Korea with the a much larger bottle selection (i.e. WaBar, Beer Park, etc.), though 3 Alley Pub does have a tap selection that is better than most (Alley Kat and Krombacher come to mind as ones not commonly available elsewhere). Ambiance is nice, one of the few true "pub" style joints I’ve found. However, if you’re only coming here for the beer, you can likely find something a lot closer to your area with a similar selection.

Located in the expat strip in Itaewon. The selection wouldn’t turn many heads in larger US cities, but in Korea is downright special. Most of the major Belgians are represented, as well as a good bunch of German, English, etc. Service was quick, outdoor patio was nice for watching the entertaining passers-by in Itaewon and generally proper glassware to boot! All in all, if you’re an RB type in Seoul, you won’t do much better.