I have always heard a lot about the café scene in Seoul, and my recent trip to this capital city has proven the hype right. All that I had seen left a deep impression on me. I visited many outstanding cafes with unique concepts, lovely interior designs and refreshing menus that I never thought I would have known of.
There are so many goods cafes in Seoul that it will be impossible to come up with a complete guide. Instead, I will share some of my favourite places. Here is a list of the 10 cafes that you must visit in Seoul.
Beans Bins
Beans Bins is a speciality coffee and waffles café chain. The branch in Hongdae is situated on the second level and it provides a good view of the main shopping street. Come here for their signature ice cream waffle and a cuppa after shopping.
163-19, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82 2 325 0737
Nearest Station: Hongik University
Bloom and Goute
Located in one of the alleys at Garosu-gil, Bloom and Goute is a nice cafe where the highlights are coffee, desserts and flowers. It has a brunch menu which features dishes like Eggs Benedict (15,000 won), meatball and hummus (15,900 won) and teriyaki chicken sandwich (9,200 won).
545-24 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
(35-1 Apgujeong-ro 10-gil)
Nearest Station: Sinsa Station
Coffee Chu
Having churros with hot chocolate dip is always a good idea, so it made me wonder why nobody had thought of opening a cafe selling churros. That was, of course, until I chanced upon Coffee Chu in Seoul. I was very excited when I stepped into the cafe. A cafe devoting itself to serving differently kinds of freshly made churros with a variety of dips? I am sold.
682-10, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
(7 Itaewon-ro 54-gil)
Tel: +82 2 790 6821
Nearest Station: Hangangjin
Dodo Cafe
When in Samcheong-dong, drop by Dodo Cafe for a break. They specialise in coffee, but you can also find food like tacos (6,000 won), hamburger (7,000 won) and their signature waffles (13,000 won) on the menu.
Bukchon-ro 5-gil
119-1 Samcheong-Dong, Jongno-gu
Tel: +82 2 737 7236
Nearest station: Anguk
Glamorous Penguin
Itaewon is known for its diverse range of restaurants – offering anything from Thai food to Spanish tapas and Mexican tacos – but the area also has plenty of nice cafes too, and one of the places that we like is Glamorous Penguin, tucked at a back alley off the main road near Hangangjin station. The three-story café has pretty good cakes – think red velvet, carrot cake, raspberry cake, maple apple cake (7,000 won for a slice) – and if the weather is good, get a table at the rooftop and read a book while enjoying a cuppa.
743-41 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
(Itaewon-ro 49-gil)
Tel: +82 2 790 7178
Nearest Station: Hangangjin
Jiyugaoka
There are many cafes in the Samcheong-dong area, but Jiyugaoka deserves a special mention. We love that the café is not only small and cosy, but it also has good cakes, which the owner bakes on site. The café is perfumed with the lovely scent of the baked goods, and we love sitting by the al fresco table to people-watch.
Yunposun-gil 46
Tel: +82 2 6487 6156
Nearest station: Anguk
Momo Cot
A trip to Garosugil is probably not complete without a pit stop at the always bustling and noisy Momo Cot for a munch or two and a latte. The lawn at the foot of the cafe is a wonderful spot to watch the world go by. And oh, if you are a fan of Suecomma Bonnie’s shoes, she has a boutique just above the cafe.
535-17 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Nearest Station: Sinsa Station
Passion 5
I was mightily impressed with Passion 5, a chic concept destination with 5 different categories of dining all under one roof –- gelato corner, bakery take-out station, patisserie and café, chocolatier and a full-fledged restaurant. If you love desserts like me, you must make a trip to Passion 5 when you are in Seoul.
272, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82 2 2071 9507
Nearest Station: Hangangjin
Take out drawing
Take out drawing is a gorgeous two-story café, which doubles as an exhibition space. It serves a variety of organic beverages alongside delicious baked goods. This is a trendy spot where you can easily spend a day catching up with friends.
140-861, Itaewon-dong (Noksapyeong),
Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea
Tel: +82 2 790 2637
Nearest Station: Hangangjin
Toms Cat Cafe
There are plenty of cat cafes in the Hongdae area, but if you only have time to check out one place, go to Toms Cat Cafe. Here, you can enjoy a cup of coffee in the company of 33 cats roaming around freely in the premise.
3F, 358-125, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82 8900 0450
Nearest Station: Hongik University
For more recommendations, read our guide on where to eat in Seoul.
Wow! All these cafes look so interesting. I’ll definitely be taking note of them when I visit Seoul. There are a lot of Korean cafes sprouting here in the Philippines, so it’d be interesting to see how authentic Korean cafes in Seoul differ from the ones we have here.
You should do a post on Seoul and its awesome food! Saw your pictures on Instagram and they were mouth-watering, to say the least.
Hey Brad, any recommendations on good indie cafes in Shanghai?
@YX Hello I haven’t been to Shanghai for a while, so not able to give suggestions. Let me know if you have any good ones to recommend after your trip? Have fun!
Try Coffee Cojjee and Bums Story on your next trip!
This is delightful! I’m in Seoul now and can’t wait to try some of these out!
Thanks for the info which come at correct time as we are going to Korea next week! Definitely will check these cafe out!
Good to see my hometown cafes in your blog!
Just want to add a note – ‘Passion 5′ is actually run by a company that has ‘Paris Croissant’ and ‘Paris Baguette’, which are most famous bakery franchises in Korea. Paris Baguette is comparable to BreadTalk in Singapore, a famous and cheap franchise. Paris Croissant is a nicer version of Paris Baguette, and the most famous one is the one at Suraemaul. They use authentic ingredients from France to make nice baguettes and croissants! I also highly recommend you try Paris Croissant, as Paris Croissant and Passion 5 have some overlaps.
Hi,
Will I have any problems at these cafes if I do not speak Korean? Thanks
hi Ladyironchef, I was just in Dodo Cafe yesterday. they do not serve food anymore. just cakes and waffles.