It’s Naked Time in Itaewon By Jenny Cleary www.foodcoma911.blogspot.com

A recent addition to the Itaewon neighborhood is Naked Bar and Grill (Naked) that has the same great comfort food, but with a different vibe than its sister restaurant, the Naked Grill in Hannam-dong. Naked is meant for those cool evenings, when you seek a more intimate atmosphere to enjoy your burgers and fries with a drink or two.

The contrasting rich purple hues and sleek chrome make this loungy restaurant retroglam, yet relaxing. Naked is the perfect place to wind down and sink in to before going home. Their extensive food menu allows you to save or splurge. Naked stays true to their original menu of burgers, tacos, and sandwiches, but also adds more sophisticated fare like pasta, steak, and seafood. For those craving for a surf and turf meal, Naked has the answer. Their 38,000 won Naked Grill Platter beautifully combines elements of land and sea. It consists of a 150g tenderloin, two scallops, a king prawn, mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables.

Naked will also amaze you with their extensive bar menu. The quality of their drinks, which aren’t watered down, are top-notch. Naked uses real fruit in their drinks, which you can check out by ordering a house specialty like the La-mojita or Apple Cinnamon Margarita. You won’t stop at just one. Naked offers up some enticing weekday bar specials. Check them out on Mondays for 1,000 won shooters. Tuesdays is Beer and Wing Night – 10-pieces of teriyaki, BBQ, chili, or spicy wings for only 5,000 won. You can wash these down with domestic beers for 3,000 won or imported beers for only 5,000 won. Wednesdays get you mojitos and margaritas for only 5,000 won! Thursdays is Ladies Night and the ladies get a “buy one, get one free” deal on drinks.

Additionally, Naked adds music to the venue, and not just one genre of music. They embrace all types from oldies to the present, one minute they will be playing Rihanna to Sting- all the great songs you can’t help but sing to. Naked has an unusual stage – basically an exposed cabin of a truck with a connected stage. Live performances are on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 10pm, but the owner hopes to have it nightly. The fun doesn’t end there because a DJ takes over to keep you moving until 5 am.

As a final bonus, their kitchen is opened until 4am. What more can you ask for? All in all, I will say this. Naked combines great food and drinks in a relaxed lounge-like atmosphere with live performances. What you get is the makings of an ideal spot for a night out with friends or an intimate date with that someone special. Naked Bar and Grill Address: 119-7 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Telephone: 02-794-4225 Directions: Line 6 Itaewon station exit 1 walk straight and make a right at KFC. Naked Bar and Grill is next to B1 on the left. English menu and staff Price Range: 5,000 to 40,000 won The perfect after party place with great food and drinks.