Korea has a widespread franchise and impartial café tradition, and you’ll simply make a day of café-hopping from one fashionable, Instagram-worthy café to the subsequent. Due to this, there are a lot of cafés which have risen to fame on social media, for his or her superb meals, lovely aesthetics, or each!
However there are such a lot of cafés in Seoul that I consider should be skilled that haven’t had their second to shine. Right here I’ve compiled a listing of three viral cafés it’s important to add to your Seoul itinerary, and three cafés you’ll have by no means heard of which can be nicely value a go to!
Three Viral Cafés
Cafe Onion
In terms of viral cafés, the primary one which involves thoughts is Cafe Onion. In case you are in search of fascinating impartial cafés, then look no additional than Seongsu, certainly one of Seoul’s trendiest hotspots that’s residence to an abundance of previous warehouses-turned-cafés and cultural areas. And if there’s one café that really captures the vibe of ‘the Brooklyn of Seoul’, it’s Cafe Onion.
Cafe Onion is the epitome of business cafes, and it’s no shock they’re some of the well-known cafés in Seoul. It additionally opens at 9am, which could be very early for Seoul the place cafes often don’t open till round 11am, so it’s nice in case you’re an early chook or nonetheless getting over that jet lag! For one of the best (and least crowded) expertise, be a part of the doorway queue at 9am and sit on the rooftop to observe the subway trains move overhead. Their pastries are completely well worth the hype too; I extremely suggest the candy treats such because the fruit and cream topped croissants or the chocolate lined salt bread. Cafe Onion additionally serves their very own mix of espresso, and you should purchase merchandise on the counter to let everybody know you’ve been to the good cafe in Seoul. It may well get very busy, particularly at weekends, so I like to recommend visiting on a weekday morning for a scrumptious espresso and pastry breakfast.
To get to Cafe Onion, take Subway Line 2 to Seongsu Station and take Exit 2.
Deal with: 8, Achasan-ro 9-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
KakaoMap Pin: https://kko.kakao.com/6zRWFogp6H
Mooni
This café in Apgujeong is thought for its aesthetics, and is a good café to go to if you’re in search of Instagram-worthy footage! There are picture spots situated throughout, together with a devoted photospot on the roof which you might have to line up for, relying on whenever you go to. And well-fitting with such an exquisite cafe are the beautiful pastries you should purchase right here – however consider me, they aren’t simply fairly, however tasty too!
Their signature pastries are their Ribbon Croissants, which stand out resulting from their cute bow form and are available in quite a lot of flavours. I visited in December and so they had a variety of festive themed breads and pastries too. If you wish to attempt an assortment of gorgeous, distinctive and scrumptious pastries in addition to snapping some nice vacation footage, then I extremely suggest this café.
To get to Mooni, take the Suin-Bundang Subway Line to Apgujeong Rodeo Station and take Exit 5.
Deal with: 16, Apgujeong-ro 56-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
KakaoMap Pin: https://kko.kakao.com/Ez2N0-QPG2
Dasique Cafe
One of many latest fashionable cafes on this record is the Dasique Cafe, in Seongsu. Dasique is a newly fashionable make-up model in Korea, and so a go to to their retailer is nicely value it only for that – however their café is what makes the shop actually particular. You’ll most certainly have to affix a digital queue by getting into your telephone quantity, however it’s well worth the wait (and offers you an excuse to go and discover Seongsu within the meantime!)
On this café, you may encompass your self with pink velvet and white marble, whereas munching on the prettiest muffins you might have ever seen. And the most important motive I’m recommending this café out of all the numerous viral Korean areas as of late – the muffins really style so good! In terms of cafés which can be viral on social media, they will usually focus extra on how their meals appears than the way it tastes, however that’s not a problem right here. I attempted the rose chocolate cake and the lemon pistachio cake and each had been extremely scrumptious. For those who arrive early you may even attempt their most well-known earl gray flavoured dessert, formed like Dasique’s bear icon – however this sells out quick, so get there early if you wish to attempt it!
To get to this Dasique retailer, take Subway Line Quantity 2 and Exit 4 at Seongsu Station; it’s situated reverse the long-lasting Dior constructing.
Deal with: 6, Yeonmujang 5-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
KakaoMap Pin: https://kko.kakao.com/sIOXPy19M6
…And Three That Ought to Be!
Cafe Letter
My first decide for lesser-known cafés that deserve a go to is in certainly one of my favourite areas for cute impartial cafes: Hapjeong. Stroll down a avenue in Hapjeong and also you’re positive to seek out an impartial café with nice pastries and desserts, however I extremely suggest Cafe Letter resulting from their fascinating, and most significantly scrumptious, pastries. These cube-shaped croissant-like ‘buns’ are so distinctive, and are available in quite a lot of flavours, together with vanilla cream, cherry pistachio and tiramisu. Strive the sweetcorn flavour in case you’re adventurous (it’s really fairly good)! My private favourite is the Coconut Mango Bun as the mix tastes superb; the pastry itself is strong sufficient that it doesn’t develop into soggy with the cream, making it an satisfying texture.
The coffees, teas and ades listed here are additionally superb, with three completely different espresso blends to select from, and the spacious room boasting white and lightweight wooden furnishings makes it a terrific place to calm down. As a result of abundance of cafés within the space, this one tends to be a lot quieter than the viral ones I discussed earlier, so it’s nicely value trying out. And a bag or mug with their easy paper airplane emblem makes a terrific, unassuming memento.
To get to Cafe Letter, Take Line Quantity 2 or 6 to Hapjeong Station and take Exit 3.
Deal with: 6, Yeonmujang 5-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
KakaoMap Pin: https://kko.kakao.com/kt8LoK7YUN
Ceci Cela
Ceci Cela, situated close to Dosan Park in Apgujeong, is themed conventional European cafés, so you could be questioning why it’s a must-visit throughout a visit to Seoul – however if you’re within the Apgujeong space, it’s actually a must-do!
Whereas all of the muffins on this café are scrumptious (consider me, I’ve tried all of them!) nothing compares to their signature carrot cake. This cake is made in home and sells out so rapidly that they need to put up indicators to warn clients that wish to attempt it to reach early. I’m unsure what it’s about this cake; perhaps it’s the moistness of the cake itself mixed with the Asian-style calmly candy and barely salty cream cheese frosting that makes it so good, however both method, if you’re a fan of carrot cake then it’s important to attempt it. The slices are monumental too, so I like to recommend sharing with a buddy whereas sipping on cinnamon milk tea, one other favourite of mine. For those who’re not a carrot cake lover, their candy potato cheesecake and double chocolate cake are additionally unbelievable.
To get to Ceci Cela, take the Suin-Bundang Subway Line to Apgujeong Rodeo Station and take Exit 5. It’s a couple of 10 minute stroll away, close to Dosan Park.
Deal with: 10-4, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
KakaoMap Pin: https://kko.kakao.com/RO6H2bIoIr
City Nook
A brand new café situated close to Seoul Forest, City Nook is a comfy New York-themed café identified for his or her tender American-style cookies. City Nook is the right spot to sit down and recharge; you may even do some people-watching from the balcony! There are a number of various flavoured cookies to select from, however my private favourite is the strawberry cheesecake one – and so they promote brownies, muffins and ice cream too.
Because it’s a brand new café, it tends to be quieter than others round it regardless of being situated in the primary Café Alley subsequent to Seoul Forest, so it’s the right sudden spot to calm down and seize a espresso with out having to attend too lengthy. You might even obtain a sugar cookie on the home as ‘service’ (an accommodating gesture from cafés and eating places in Korea to make sure you have a terrific expertise).
To get to City Nook, take the Suin-Bundang Subway Line to Seoul Forest Station and take Exit 5. Alternatively, take Line Quantity 2 to Ttukseom Station and take Exit 8.
Deal with: 26-20, Seoulsup 4-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
KakaoMap Pin: https://kko.kakao.com/yc5sBsgG-H
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