Hollywood Star II

Type of Establishment: Bar/Dance Club

Location: a couple of blocks down behind Taehwa Department Store in Seomyeon, on the 7th floor of a building across the street from the big record store. There's a big neon sign--look up--saying 'Hollywood Star' on the outside of the building.

Review: Hollywood Star is a favorite haunt of both expat teachers and GIs and the 20 or 30-something Korean set. It's a big place with a couple of bars and a dance floor, which is usually pretty buzzing on weekends. DJ Big Fun seems to keep the crowd up with a mix of American house and hip-hop, with none of the slow dance nonsense that periodically clears the floor at Korean nightclubs.

Friday and Saturday nights are pretty packed--come early if you want a table. Or sit at the big bar and check out the cocktail show (every night at around midnight), which is one of the most pyro-maniacal shows in town. You may be asked to move momentarily if you like your hair and eyebrows the way they are. If you've got money to burn, they will do a smaller personal cocktail show by request for W30,000, and flaming shooters for 10,000 won if you want to bring the fire home.

The staff is friendly and speaks English, and prices are reasonable (370cc draft beer for W2,000, 1,700cc pitchers for W7,000). The crowd has always been mostly Korean gen-Xers, and many of them are quite foreign-curious, looking for friends, lovers, or someone to try out their English with at 4 a.m. after several pints of courage. Hollywood Star is a regular stop for most Seomyeon nightcrawlers--anyone who stays here any length of time ends up at "The Star" sooner or later. Well worth the trip
 

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