Valerie Emily

Roasted coffee beans, slightly too sweet pastries and vanilla. Just thinking about these scents gives me an endorphin boost. If you feel the same way about cafes and want to explore the incredible coffee and cafe scene in Seoul, then this is the one day guide you are looking for. 

Besides learning about Korean history, one of the things I love doing in Seoul is cafe hopping. This doesn’t come as a surprise to many of my family members and friends, but for the ones that do not know: I love coffee (all variations of it). I love finding my new favorite blend and then pairing it with the tastiest, most buttery pastry there is. And I’m here to share my absolute favorite places with you. 

Breakfast pick up Ochershore

We’re starting right off in the middle of the city center of Seoul: Ochershore. A bakery located right next to Exit 6 of Gyeongbokgung subway station. They have various options like bread, baguettes, croissants… and of course: pastries. My pick would be a baguette with jambon (ham). They serve these baguettes with a salty butter, which just makes the taste of the jambon so much better. Besides that, the baguette is not sweet which is a genuine plus. If you know, you know. 

While I love cafes with beautiful interiors, I think my favorite part about Seoul is being able to find quiet escapes outside. I’ve mentioned this place in my previous guide; Cheonggyecheon. So instead of eating your breakfast inside of Ochershore, I would recommend going to the stream instead. It’s a bit of a walk, but it will definitely feel like you are starting your day the right way, before all the caffeine kicks in. 

Visiting Kotton

This one might be a bit controversial, but I love a good mocha. The bitterness of the cacao and the coffee beans just work so well together. And I think I found the best one in Seoul. Kotton is located in the middle of Insadong. Tucked away and surrounded by hanoks, this cafe is at the top of my favorites list. They are known for their high-quality coffee, but their dessert menu is just as impressive. Their mocha is the creamiest, most bitter version I have ever tasted, and that’s why it’s my favorite. It’s not too sweet and therefore really enjoyable. If you love dark chocolate and coffee, then this is the drink I would recommend for a nice mix of both. 

Roaming around Ikseondong

From Insadong we take a 10 minute walk towards Ikseondong, the perfect place for 

cafehopping. In every street in this area there are tons of cafes, shops and restaurants to explore. While some cafes may be a bit expensive or overrated, there are still a lot of cafes with good food and drinks. I mentioned some of my favorite cafes already in a previous article, but one cafe I would definitely recommend for cafe hopping specifically is, cafe Seoul Coffee – Korean Dessert. Yes, that is the name of the cafe. As the name of the cafe already tells you, they serve Korean desserts. I really like their sweet potato cake. And if you want to cool down, they also have bingsu (shaved milk ice cream) in different variations. 

I made a public Naver Maps list with the cafes mentioned in this blogpost and some of my favorites in other neighborhoods. 

Ending the day in Haebangchon

To finish off the day, head over to Haebangchon. This neighborhood has been getting more popular in Seoul recently because of its cafes and restaurants. It sits directly underneath Namsan Tower. If you have trouble walking up stairs, this might be a difficult neighborhood to visit, since there are a lot of stairs and it’s mostly on hills you have to climb. There is a town bus that arrives at the main street, so there are options to make it easy for yourself. Haebangchon still has that old/retro Korea style everywhere. Think of old signs, small streets and locals sitting outside drinking their beer or coffee. After your last coffee in Haebangchon, grab a spot on one of the rooftops overlooking Namsan. By this point you’ve probably consumed more caffeine than any reasonable person should in a single day, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll already be planning which cafe to visit next.

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