Hi~ The semester so far in Korea has been very different from the previous semester in terms of campus life, activities, extracurriculars, and me adjusting to in-person classes. It has been a bit challenging, but I am doing the most that I can with the time that I have left in Korea.

For this blog post, I thought about the weather changing (it is becoming spring slowly) and decided that now would be a great time to cover my Top 10 Cafes list!!

It’s FINALLY here and I hope that I can be a helpful guide in your search for pretty or aesthetic cafes here in South Korea. I have visited over 100 cafes so far (according to my saved Naver Maps cafe list) and am still on the lookout for cool looking ones in my area.

** this list is in no particular order**

1. Peach Gray (피치그레이)

I procrastinated going here for a whole semester, so during winter break, I finally went by myself and had a very memorable self-care time. I ordered a strawberry latte and their famous souffle pancakes with fruit. This cafe is famous for having watercolors attached to your food tray where you can paint freely on a piece of paper. They even have tutorial books for beginners and the overall atmosphere is very peaceful. I ended up staying there for roughly 2 hours and I hope to go back one more time before the semester is over because I had so much fun!

2. Knotted Cafe (카페 노티드) [Peaches/Kakao Friends]

If you are a fan of the K-pop group EXO, you might know of Kai, the lead dancer and visual of the group. He had a comeback last year with a title track called ‘Peaches’. During his promotion period, he partnered with the cafe Knotted in 성수 and had a showcase that was pretty cool. However, I couldn’t go to it until after the promotion ended. Still, I went later on and was amazed. I loved the decor, music, and food!! Let’s just say that the vibes were good and I really enjoyed being there.

After that, I finally found the missing Kakao Friends Cafe in Gangnam (not in Hongdae; they closed the Kakao Friends cafe down and moved it here). Apparently, this Kakao Friends Store partnered with Knotted and have a third floor completely themed with Ryan and Knotted merch. Their doughnuts are their most popular items, but they also have really tasty croffles and cakes. Your mouth will begin to water as soon as you lay your eyes on their desserts~~

Tip: Try and get the comfortable chairs in the middle of both cafes as the outer chairs are a bit uncomfortable to sit and have a conversation on for a long period of time.

3. 카페 별채

This cafe has my heart for two reasons: (1) they are one of the few cafes that I’ve been to that serves very cheap strawberry aides and (2) their milk cake is DELICIOUS!!!

For context, I can’t drink coffee, but coffee drinkers basically run Korea 24/7 so – at cafes – coffee is super cheap. Any non-coffee drink usually ranges from $5-8 dollars depending on where you go, but – here – it is around $4! And… it is super tasty and comes out in a pretty fancy cup. Next, make sure you order their Milk Cream Stella Cake (우유크림스테라). Not only is the presentation amazing, but it tastes fresh, yummy, and is very filling~

Tip: I once went here to study for 4+ hours and then realized afterwards that it is one of those cafes that prefers people conversing and not studying there. If you want to have a quick study break, definitely come here to relax!

4. 옥류헌릴렉스 카페

This cafe is located in the mountains near Bukhansan, but you can easily get there via subway and a brief 10 minute walk up a small-ish hill. When I last went during the fall, the cafe was located in one place, but it has since moved to a different building area. However, it is still in the same location as before. I think going during the fall is the best time because the fall foliage is easily visible from the cafe’s windows and their desserts/croffles are very delicious. If you are wanting to spend a quiet day in the mountain, my go-to place would be here.

TIp: If the cafe is too far up for you to walk to, there is another cute cafe near the bottom of the hill called Cafe San Arae (카페 산아래) that has an amazing interior and good croffles as well. You might even see the stray cat that lives there!

5. 널담은공간 (해방초점)

Make sure that you visit this place at least once during your time in Korea. It is both a cafe and a place where you can write your future self a letter and have it sent on a certain date in the future. WARNING: to get here, it is located in the high hills of Itaewon so you will have to climb some steep hills in order to make it to the cafe. However, it is worth the climb for the astounding views, letter writing, and overall experience. Once you arrive, you buy drinks or macaroons (I ordered one but it was a bit hard to eat…ㅠㅠ), along with a letter set. The worker will ask whether you want to send it domestic or international (which costs a bit more but it can still be done). Then you get your food/drink, find a seat, and start writing your letter. I sat on their rooftop and enjoyed the close view of the Namsan Tower to my left and the tall skyline of Itaewon to my right. After you finish writing the letter to yourself, you head back downstairs and can burn and stamp the stamp wax that will close your envelope before putting it in the shelf which has every date of the year (the slot that you put it in is the date that you want to receive the letter on) 💌

6. Cafe Meal Zip

This cafe is the place you want to go to if you are:

a. craving croffles

b. craving CHEAP croffles

c. need a quiet place to study

d. really craving CHEAP croffles

I visited once to get some real studious work done and was happy to find a place where the croffles’ prices weren’t starting at $8 or higher, but around $4 for a good serving of 2 waffles and a scoop of ice cream. As it should be haha. Plus, the booths are the kind where only one or two people can sit in it at a time and you have enough privacy to help with distractions around you. Thank you friend for recommending me this place 😉

7. Aufglet (아우프글렛)

Oh my. I swear this isn’t becoming a blog post solely dedicated to my love of Korean croffles. I swear. But this place also has really good croffles!! There are many branches of it around Seoul, but I have gone to the Hannam (한남점) one before. If you plan to go, I would come earlier as this store is very popular and will most likely have a long waiting list if you come from 12pm-5pm. Totally worth the wait though!

8. Perception Cafe

If you are a sucker for cool interior design, this cafe is for you! Although it is a bit small in size, it makes up for that with it’s uniquely-designed roof ceiling. I love the atmosphere that it creates and, as an added bonus, this cafe is known for its ‘Milk Tea Float’. Yes, you are probably re-reading that item over again to double check that I didn’t miswrite it, but it does exist. And it is delicious!! It comes out with a martini glass filled with ice cream and a small pouring cup filled with hot black tea. All you have to do is pour that into the glass and devour it 🙂 Whoever though of this cafe item needs a pay raise.

9. 동갑부부 (부산)

Although this cafe is located in Busan, I had to include it to this list because it is SO CUTE. They sell rice cakes, mouth-watering desserts, and have cool drink specials where you can order a cartoon character to be put on your drink (see photos below!). I love the character 짱구 so I got him on my strawberry drink.

10. 호떡스

The final cafe to this cafe list is located in Jongno and has a line of tiger characters that match it’s trademark item: tteok (떡 or Korean rice cakes)! From sweet potato to strawberry flavor, they have the cutest interior decor that matches their brand and tasty drinks and tteok to choose from. When you go, make sure to take a picture of the big green tiger on the roof of the cafe! You can’t miss it!

This has been your Korean cafe guide Faith reporting for duty! See you in the next one~

☕🍰🍩🍵🍨 

*The writing and photos here are meant for use on finsupabroad.com and are not to be copied or redistributed by other entities without permission from the author.