Highball Garden is a highball specialty bar at 39 Nonhyeon-ro 161-gil in Sinsa-dong, just off the Garosu-gil shopping street in Gangnam. It opened in 2014 and built its name on a long, inventive highball list, with the Korean guide Hot Place Hunter pointing to its wasabi, yuzu, and oolong versions as the draws. The format is simple and the variety is the point.
The room
Highball Garden is a small, casual spot with a counter and a handful of tables, the kind of room that fills with a young Garosu-gil crowd on weekend nights. The mood is easy and unpretentious rather than a polished speakeasy. Seating is limited, so peak hours mean a wait. It is built for a few quick, well-made drinks rather than a long sit-down.
What to order
The list runs deep on highballs, from a straightforward whisky-and-soda to flavoured versions built on wasabi, yuzu, and oolong tea, with a highball of the day that the bartenders recommend for newcomers. Whisky, wine, and a short cocktail list round out the menu. The flavoured highballs are the reason to come, so order beyond the standard. Light bar snacks pair with the drinks.
Who it is for
Highball Garden fits anyone curious about Japan-style highballs done with Korean invention, plus a casual group warming up for a night on Garosu-gil. Skip it if a large seated room or a full classic-cocktail program is the goal, since this is a compact, highball-led bar. Go early to beat the counter rush.
The crowd
The bar draws a young Sinsa-dong and Gangnam crowd, with couples and small groups treating it as an early or mid-evening stop. The pace is relaxed and conversational. Weekend nights pull the densest crowd, when the wait for a seat is longest.
The neighbourhood
Highball Garden sits a step off Garosu-gil, the tree-lined shopping and dining street that anchors Sinsa-dong, so it pairs easily with a meal nearby. Sinsa station on the subway is a short walk. The surrounding blocks hold plenty of late options for after the highballs.
Best time to go
Early evening is the calmest window before the Garosu-gil crowd arrives, while weekend nights run busiest and latest. The small counter means timing matters more here than at a larger bar. A pair of flavoured highballs makes a good first stop before dinner or a later bar.
Getting there
Highball Garden sits a short walk from Sinsa station, near the top of the Garosu-gil strip, so it slots neatly into an evening of shopping and dinner in Sinsa-dong. The counter is small, which makes an early arrival the difference between a seat and a wait once the weekend crowd builds. Prices sit in the mid range for Gangnam, with most highballs landing below the cost of a full cocktail elsewhere on the street. The flavoured pours rotate over time, so the wasabi, yuzu, or oolong version on the board may differ from one visit to the next. A pair of highballs here makes a sharp opener before a later Gangnam bar.
The bottom line
Highball Garden is Sinsa-dong's highball specialist, a small 2014 bar off Garosu-gil known for wasabi, yuzu, and oolong highballs and a daily bartender's pick. Hot Place Hunter flags the flavoured list as the draw. Arrive early, order beyond the standard whisky-soda, and treat it as a sharp first round.
Keep exploring with our best cocktail bars in Seoul guide and the full Seoul bar guide, or browse our edit of the best cocktail bars worldwide. Pair Highball Garden with Charles H., Le Chamber, and Southside Parlor.
Sources: Hot Place Hunter (Seoul highball bars); MangoPlate (Highball Garden); Trip.com (Highball Garden, Garosu-gil); Highball Garden Instagram (@sbc_highballgarden).
