Koreans love coffee
I did not realize how obsessed Koreans are with coffee until I arrived in Seoul. There are cafés everywhere! Many of those are chains like Starbucks, A Twosome Place, or Holly’s Coffee, and although the carrot cake at A Twosome Place is to die for, there are also many more independent alternatives. So if you’re looking for cute cafes in Seoul here are some great alternatives to boring chain cafés.
Tip: If you visit South Korea you definitely need to get Naver Map or Kakao Map as Google Maps is completely useless. I personally prefer Kakao Map as I found it easier to use. Sometimes you can find places by looking them up in English but it never hurts knowing the name of a place in Hangul (Korean Alphabet).
1. Daerim Warehouse Cafe in Seongsu (대림창고 in 성수동)
Seongsu-dong is not as well known by tourists as Myeong-dong or Itaewon but it is very popular with younger Koreans. The area has been called the “Brooklyn of Seoul”, probably getting the name from all the old factory buildings. Besides shoe and leather stores you will find many nice cafés here. So if you want to find cool cafes in Seoul I really recommend checking out this area.
One of these cafés that’s worth a visit is the Daerim Warehouse Café. The big wooden doors you enter through, its high ceilings and the metal decoration give the café an industrial flair. The café also showcases some artist work and towards the back of the room, there are even real trees growing! (Check out their current Artwork on their Instagram).
Price: I, unfortunately, don’t remember the exact price but it was very similar to other cafés in Seoul (around 3.000 – 5.900 KWR for a drink).
How to get to Daerim Warehouse?
Address: Daerim 78, Seongsui-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Or open directly in:
2. Cafe Tape in Itaewon (테이프 in 이태원)
This café has been hyped up on social media (especially on TikTok). Check out their Instagram to have a look at their cake! The Cafe Tape is popular for its galaxy cake and its modern but simple interior design. A few streets down from Itaewon underground station you will find this café on the second floor.
Price: This is definitely a more pricey place. The cake itself is around 9.000 KWR (if you order a drink you get a discount of 3.000 KWR though). Although it is rather expensive the galaxy design looks awesome and the cake itself was really good. We ordered a lemon and a chocolate cake. (I preferred the chocolate over the lemon cake).
How to get to Cafe Tape?
Address: 21, Itaewon-ro 14-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (the café is on the second floor)
Or open directly in:
3. Teddy’s Oven in Seoul Forest Park (테디스오븐 in 서울숲)
The Seoul Forest Park is a very popular area with some of the best coffee shops in Seoul. Right next to the park is a street filled with cute little cafés. If you’re looking for something to do on a sunny day, you can also just join the many people who like to hang out in the park or go for a walk along the little lake (okay sorry getting off-topic, this is about cafés).
As I said, there is a café street. However, I would not recommend visiting the café street on weekends (especially not on a Sunday). It is very packed and it’s hard to get a seat in a café (even if you’re only two people). In some places, they even ask you to write down your phone number so they can call you when they have space. With our tourist SIM cards where you can’t receive any calls, this was not an option.
After walking up the street twice we decided we wanted to try our luck at Teddy’s Oven. It was a hot summer day so we were hoping to find a seat inside. When we joined the queue we were asked “inside or outside” and to our surprise, they seated us immediately inside. Apparently, everyone else wanted to sit outside in the heat.
The café is adorable and decorated to resemble a French café (or at least what Koreans imagine a French café looks like). I really liked the décor but I don’t know what French people would think of it. My friend and I shared a carrot cake and a brownie (which was definitely too much for us). My friend also ordered a green tea latte and received it in this adorable bear bottle.
Price: For a drink and a cake each we each paid 13.000 KWR.
How to get to Teddy’s Oven?
Address: 43 Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Or open directly in:
4. Sumsei Terrarium (섬세이 테라리움 in 서울숲)
Sumsei Terrarium is more than just a café. It’s rather an experience. I still wanted to include this in the list because I think it is definitely worth a visit, even if it is rather pricey. Like Teddy’s Oven, the Terrarium is located in Seoul Forest Park right on the café street.
The idea of this “café” is that you get to experience the beauty of nature. The whole experience is barefoot and you get to feel different types of ground (stone, “air”, grass, mud, etc.).
It’s best if you get a reservation beforehand, as it is usually booked out pretty quickly. We tried to make our booking a few days before but were not able to go through with the payment online. We decided to just go and see if they still had some space for us. If you do this during the week (and maybe check the website beforehand) you might be able to just get a time slot when you arrive.
Apparently, the system had a problem with our cards again (that was the only time my Revolut credit card was rejected in South Korea) so we had to pay in cash. Since they don’t have change, make sure you have the correct amount on you.
Price: The price was around 18.000 KWR per Person. This includes the experiences and a free drink at the café on the third floor.
How it works: You book a time slot on their website (or try to get a booking right there like we did). When you arrive you are asked to take off your shoes and socks. They give you a short explanation (if you don’t speak Korean they will give you a short written explanation in English that you can read).
Then you enter the first room which is completely dark and you slowly make your way up through different rooms all the way to the third floor. (I don’t want to take away too much by describing all the rooms but if you’re interested you can find more information on their website).
Once you’re up on the third floor you can get a drink and enjoy the decorations. To leave you just make your way back down, the same way you came up. Before you leave, they lead you into a small room where you can clean your feet (which was definitely a fun experience, as we had no idea if we were using the machines correctly – but clean feet are clean feet, right?)
How to get to Sumsei Terrarium?
Address: B1, 44-1, Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Or open directly in:
5. Nuldam Space by Gyeongbokgung Palace (널담은공간 in 경복궁점)
To my surprise, it was rather difficult to order a milk alternative (my lack of Korean did not help either. “No Milk Cow?? is probably not the most convincing question to get almond or soy milk). But the menu at Nuldam Space was vegan and the iced coffee I had there was one of the best ones I drank in Korea!
I would definitely just go back there for the coffee because it was sooo good. BUT there is something even better about this café. It’s not a normal café, because together with your drink you can write a letter and have it sent to you in a year.
Price: I think the coffee together with the letter package (plus 1.000 KWR extra for the international postage fee) was around 11.000 KWR in total. Which I find for the experience pretty okay.
(There are actually two of these letter cafés in Seoul but I went to the one next to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which is literally next to the Museum of Modern Art. There is another one closer to Namsam Park)
How it works: When you arrive at the café they ask you to first go upstairs and grab a seat. Once you know where you’re sitting you can go downstairs and order your coffee and your letter at the bar. Then you enjoy your coffee and write your letter upstairs.
Once you’re done you can head downstairs to the wax sealing station. When purchasing your letter package they give you some wax (they let you choose your colour), with which you can seal your envelope at the end. I did not really do a great job so I used some of the free stickers they had to seal the envelope and secure my letter.
Behind the table, where you seal your letter with wax, there is a wall with little boxes and you just put your letter in the box with the date when you want it sent out.
How to get to Nuldam Space?
Address: 24 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Gyeongbokgung)
Address: 18-12, Sinheung-ro 15-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (Close to Namsam Park)
Or open directly in (café close to Gyeongbokgung):
