Korea's self-service pubs: Cheap, simple, hugely popular

Fri, 02/17/2012 - 05:00 — Anonymous by Jean OhIn the Kunguk University
neighborhood of Seoul -- an area peppered with stationery shops, "hangover
stew" restaurants and "DVD rooms" where college students go to make out
in privacy -- a D.I.Y. beer pub has become one of the most popular venues on
the block since it opened last March. At Beer Barket, the set-up is
straightforward. Customers grab a table, which comes with a basket that they
can fill with ice and use to shop from a selection of over 100 brews from a
row of refrigerators. Prices are posted on each fridge. At the end of their
night, when they get up to leave, an employee gathers the bottles and brings
them to the counter, where they are tallied up for the bill.  These
self-service watering holes -- often referred to as "beer changgo" or
"beer warehouses" for their stark look and rows of refrigerators -- are
cropping up all over the country, attracting a young clientele with their
wallet-friendly and varied selection of domestic and imported beers.
Student-friendly and wallet-friendly.read more