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Depending on one's palette, quality food in Seoul can be dirt cheap or relatively pricey. Street food in Seoul is safe and tasty, and high-end restaurants are generally a good value as well. Much Korean cuisine is made specifically to be shared with a group so solo-travelers may get some strange looks eating alone.
A striking space built from a former shoe factory, this cafe opened its first location in Hapjeong-dong in 2010 and has since developed a reputation for its moody ambiance and aromatic coffees. Today, their signature beans—named after well-known writers Pablo Neruda, Natsume Soseki, and William Blake—can be found at several Anthracites across the city. Nearby is Anthracite’s Mangwon-dong location, a sunny, three-story cafe built into a residential home and furnished with polished wood furniture. Mangwon-dong’s quiet policy (speaking allowed in hushed voices only) makes it perfect for an afternoon with a book while the former is a better fit for an intimate coffee with a close friend.
A neighborhood institution better known for its friendly staff and welcoming space than its coffee per se, Berkeley Coffee Social offers Americanos, lattes, and a few non-caffeinated options. There is a wide communal table for remote workers looking to get some work done and couch seats for getting in some leisure time. The space is dog-friendly, so you’ll often see local residents stopping by with their pups on their afternoon walk.
The name of this tucked-away cafe, located in an incredibly narrow alley in Euljiro, means “traditional medicine room.” Visitors are charmed as much by the vintage lamps and traditional Korean furniture inside as by the single-origin coffee and baked goods. Items can be purchased on the first floor and there’s seating available on the first, second, and third floors of the establishment. The coffee itself may not be to everyone’s liking, but it's a must-see for the charming decor alone.
Opened in 1965, Hakrim Dabang is widely considered the oldest running coffee shop in the area (dabangs are old-school Korean establishments that primarily served coffee and non-alcoholic drinks). Not much has changed since then, including the shelves of vinyl, vintage photographs of Seoul on the walls, and velvet lined seats; walking up the creaky, wooden stairs to the shop almost feels as if you’re traveling into the past. Its name is fitting as Hakrim, meaning “forest of learning,” was once where intellectuals gathered and students secretly organized. The Seoul Metropolitan Government designated Hakrim Dabang as a Seoul Future Heritage site for its role during the Democracy Movement, guaranteeing its preservation for future generations.
Although Seoul’s love of coffee has now boomed in the past decade, and the city often tops lists of most cafes per capita, Namusairo was a game changer when it first opened its doors in 2002. The cafe (its name means “through the trees”) boasts specialty beans from all over the world and an airy, elegant aesthetic. Built around a hanok, the cafe has a modern storefront that hides a traditional Korean setting. In recent years, the cafe’s owner Bae Jun-sun has become even more involved in the sourcing of his beans, and the cafe’s Instagram outlines each coffee’s origins and the stories of its farmers.
A neighborhood institution, Tteuran—meaning inner garden—opened its doors in 2009 long before Ikseon-dong became the tourist hot spot it is today. The traditional tea house inside in a hanok is owned by Kim Ae-ran, a woman who personally worked on the building's renovation and still runs the cafe’s register on a daily basis. In addition to Korean teas, Tteuran has traditional Korean treats such as danpatjuk (sweet red bean porridge) and patbingsu (shaved ice topped with sweet red beans). While you'll find many variations around the city, few establishments excel in the beloved summertime dessert like Tteuran. Take a seat facing the garden, left of the main entrance, and enjoy its vibrant colors over authentic Korean flavors.
Both a flower shop and cafe, Ver’s Garden is a green oasis owned and operated by plant-lover Kim Sung-soo. While floral design changes with the seasons, the two-story space is a constantly growing home to monsteras, ivies, and pilea that offers coffee, herbal teas, and desserts. The cafe’s quiet corners are ideal for studying or remote working, but if you’re coming on a warm day just to relax make sure to grab a seat outdoors. Shaded by overhanging white sheets billowing in the wind, the cafe has tables on the second floor terrace looking out onto the Gyeongui Line Railroad Park as well as seats in the garden on the first floor. Don’t forget to wave hello to resident dog, Bandal: the cafe is pet-friendly and you’ll often see one or two furry friends running around.
Though Yri Cafe offers little of the minimalist design and photogenic, colorful drinks that hip, new cafes in the area have begun to specialize in, the venue is one of the few places to encapsulate the independent, down-to-earth spirit of the neighborhood. Offering a simple selection of coffees and teas, the cafe is strewn with hundreds of books and local zines and decorated with portraits of Korean activists and intellectuals. Film directors, novelists, and painters still come here to meet in groups and on weekdays, you can see writers hunched over their laptops until the wee hours of the night. The cafe hosts a wide array of events such as book talks, art exhibitions, and film screenings.
The Beautiful Tea Museum offers guests a chance to not only sample a variety of Korean teas, but learn the history and properties of them as well. The interior is designed to look like a traditional Korean courtyard, albeit one lined with western style tables. The staff can also help customers decide which of the 130 some teas on offer is best for them. The museum part of the name comes from a gallery exhibiting ceramic works and a display about the traditional teas of Korea, which were once made from flowers rather than tea leaves.
This trendy coffee label from Oakland, California has percolated into South Korea, with its newest location on the fifth floor of the Hyundai Seoul department store. The light-and-tree-filled space with no walls or windows was designed by a landscape architect to give it an outdoor feeling. The crew of well-trained baristas grind and brew each cup by hand to create a bespoke coffee experience.
Located in the Bukchon Hanok Village, this traditional tea house and hanok offers seating that looks out onto Bugaksan mountain and serves an extensive menu of Korean teas. The staff, accustomed to tourists, can answer any questions you might have about the beverages and can recommend drinks based on your preferences. While the view outwards is undoubtedly the draw, and many prefer to sit on that end of the house, don’t be too disappointed to be seated elsewhere as all seats have a view of the charming little garden in the hanok’s madang (courtyard). Avoid early afternoons, especially on the weekends, as the tea house fills up quickly. If you’re not too fussy about the hour you have tea, your best bet will be after 6 pm when most tourists are out for dinner.
A well-known name in Korea’s coffee industry, Champ Coffee has several locations in Seoul, including this small cafe in the backstreets of Itaewon. Their standard Americano is perfect for anyone who appreciates medium-dark beans without any acidity, but they are best-known for their rich and creamy lattes. They have a solid flat white and their signature, the Queens Coffee, is an odd but addictive espresso topped with a bit of berry syrup. Tack on a macadamia-cranberry cookie to your brew as all the baked goods are delicious. The space, unlike many in Seoul, isn’t great for sitting for long periods of time.
Opened in 2009, Coffee Libre is a small, independent coffee shop owned and operated by Korea’s first Korean Q-grader, Seo Pil-hoon. Many in the barista community credit Mr. Seo for being one of the first to introduce specialty coffee into the country and consider it a coffee lover’s rite of passage to visit the original Yeonnam-dong location. The cafe is small and fits a maximum of eight to ten people at best, but the rich aroma of coffee fills every corner of the space.
Bukchon may have no shortage of cafes, but thanks to its funky and laid back feel, fresh baked bread, and coffee roasted on premises, Double Cup Coffee stands out. Stop by around lunch and the shop offers satisfying vegetarian or pastrami sandwiches. While it makes for a good stop in the middle of a day wandering Bukchon, Double Cup is also one of the few coffee shops in the neighborhood open at 8 in the morning, making it a good place for coffee-lovers to fortify themselves before a day of sightseeing.
Founded by a pastry chef, barista, and designer trio, Fritz Coffee is a bakery and cafe with three locations in Seoul. This one, Fritz Wonseo, is aptly located in Wonseo-dong, on the first floor of the Arario Museum, a contemporary art museum founded by world-famous collector Kim Chang-il. Fritz visitors can order coffee and sweets from an addendum to the main building then choose from seats either in the courtyard or in a modern hanok that’s been built inside the courtyard. The brand is well known for their single-origin coffee as well as their red bean and butter baked goods, but also make sure to check out the official Fritz goods. The brand’s signature baby seal logo is a favorite among many Seoulites.
Inspired by the Korean cartoon W, this small coffee shop was designed to look like a two-dimensional drawing filled with black and white furnishings that resemble something out of an old-time comic strip. Since its opening in 2017, Greem has become an internet sensation that's been featured in a wide array of media, including the opening scene of Netflix hit To All The Boys: Always and Forever. No wonder its motto is “a cafe’s main characters should be the people in it.” In addition to coffees and lattes, they also serve chocolate and strawberry milks as well as macaroons.
This café on the first floor of Insadong's Kong Art Space serves excellent classic Korean sweets. Chef Yong-il Sin has used his experience at the Swiss Consulate and high end restaurants to reinvent classic desserts like sweet tteok and ju-ak rice cakes. There are only a few seats in the tiny café, but on a nice day it is a perfect take-out snack to have while wandering the streets of Insadong.
A fiery name for a memorable coffee, Hell Cafe is located off the beaten path in Bogwang-dong. The cafe gets its reputation thanks to its owner, Kwon Yo-seop, a barista famed for his drip coffee. The classic cappuccino and Hell Drip are the two most popular orders and they’re typically ordered with the cafe’s signature tiramisu, rumored to be one of the best in the country.
Located on the fourth floor of a warehouse in Euljiro, Hotel Soosunhwa is a picturesque cafe, bar, and co-working space. While they do serve basic coffees and lattes, they are best known for their colorful, fruity drinks like their passion fruit–ade and sangria. The cafe’s low-lighting, vintage decor, and exposed concrete are not exactly conducive to better focus but artistic types come with their laptops on weekdays. During the weekend, the space is crowded with groups of friends, and waiting for a table can take longer than an hour. The cafe also hosts events such as concerts, markets, and talks on a regular basis.
Set in a circa-1915 traditional hanok house passed down through generations to the current owner, this is without a doubt the most atmospheric cafe in Dongdaemun. The time-worn interior and tranquil courtyard feel miles (and years) away from the bustling city beyond, and a locavore focus on seasonal Korean ingredients and domestic producers creates a unique menu of baked goods, snacks, tea, coffee, beer, wine, and cocktails. Most of Seoul’s historic hanoks are set in the time-tested Insadong or Bukchon neighborhoods, but this peaceful coffee shop is tucked just off the main road near Heunginjimun Gate.
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