Instagram Fuel: 11 of the Best Cafes in Seoul
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Whether you’re currently in South Korea or planning to visit, I’m sure you know this by now: Cafes are the religion of Korea. There aren’t many things to do in South Korea that don’t revolve around cafes; they’re the go-to whenever you’re with friends and don’t have a set plan of action. Since moving to South Korea, I’ve discovered that it’s not even remotely uncommon for you to take trips out of your way to go to a cafe you heard was incredible, to order coffee and cake everywhere you go, and to take a whole bunch of photos for you to post on the ‘gram.
Of course, Seoul is the capital of South Korea, and thus the capital of cafe culture. The cafes here are absolutely next level. Korean’s love a theme, and there are no shortage of funky cafes for you to explore during your next trip here. Without further ado, here’s a list of 11 of the best cafes in Seoul!
11 of the Best Cafes in Seoul
Pink Pool Cafe
Starting on the western side of the city, over in Hongdae, we have the pink pool cafe! Hongdae is a young-person hotspot, with lots of bars, nightlife, and super fun cafes. When I went, my friend Victoria and I dedicated an entire day to cafe hopping around this area and hitting as many as we could! While we only got to three, we deemed all of them some of the best cafes in Seoul. It was such a fun day, and we highly recommend doing the same. Our first stop was the Pink Pool Cafe!
There are two of these bad boys in Seoul, one is in Myeongdong, and the other is here in Hongdae. I recommend the one in Hongdae, as the cafe is much bigger and way more fun to photograph! It’s a little bit tricky to find, as it’s located inside one of the Stylenanda stores. If you put the address into Naver, it will take you to a large Stylenanda clothing store. Go all the way up to the top floor, and there’s another elevator that will take you up to the cafe. It feels a little bit like a secret and it had hardly any people inside when I visited.
The gorgeous pink interior, the neon signs, and the funky pool in the middle all make for a very instagrammable cafe - order a coffee or a tea and take all the pictures you want!
Harry Potter Cafe
Just a short walk away is the Harry Potter Cafe - Cafe 9 4/3. No, that is not a typo - to avoid copyright charges, everything in this cafe is merely ~inspired~ by Harry Potter, which was honestly a little bit of a letdown. While the outside of the cafe is gorgeous, and some aspects of the interior were really fun (such as the wall of wands, the fun bed-tables, and the dining hall floor) alot of it also just came off as a haunted house theme.
The drinks and food are very expensive, but the chocolate frappe drink with the chocolate sorting hat on top was absolutely delicious and worth the money. I’m glad I made the trip, but just know going into it that you might not get exactly what you expect.
2D Cafe
Another CLASSIC instagrammable Seoul cafe is, of course, the 2D Cafe - although that’s not actually its name! It’s real name is Greem cafe, although people really won’t recognize that name. This cafe is so trippy to walk through! Everything Genuinely looks 2D. Even the plates and the cups are designed to fit into the sketchbook aesthetic of this cafe.
Please note - as with all cafes, you should obviously purchase something before taking pictures! Here in the 2D cafe, it’s actually mandatory that you do so. So many people would come in, take pictures, and leave, so please make sure you’re respectful and purchase something, even at the cafes that don’t have it explicitly stated. I was starting to get a coffee headache at this point so I ordered an apple cinnamon tea - and it was literally SO DELICIOUS.
It’s definitely a classic that you can’t miss out on - definitely one of the most best cafes in Seoul.
Cafe Onion
One of my absolute favorite cafes, and a welcomed break from the overly cute, themed, instagrammable cafes in Seoul, is Cafe Onion. Located pretty close to the metro stop that will take you to Bukchon Hanok Village, it’s the perfect place to stop for a quick little pastry and coffee before continuing on to see the beautiful traditional Hanok houses. Cafe onion is actually inside a Hanok itself! It is truly just stunning; traditional Korean architecture is so beautiful. The sloped roofs, the low-to-the-ground tables that you get to sit at, and the calming atmosphere makes cafe onion one of the best Cafes in Seoul.
Read More: Things to do in Seoul
Bukchon Hanok Village (Cha Masineun Tteul and the Tea Museum Cafe
After you’ve thoroughly explored Bukchon Hanok village, there are two tea houses that you have to choose from where you can rest your feet that you absolutely have to visit! The first is called Cha Masineun Tteul, and it is a beautiful hanok building with courtyard garden in the middle and floor to ceiling windows that give you a stunning view of the mountains. It’s so easy to forget that you’re in one of the biggest cities in the world when you’re sitting on the floor here enjoying your tea.
I would recommend the flower tea, it’s a little bit pricey but it’s genuinely some of the best tea I’ve had in my life. Additionally, if you’re visiting Seoul in the summer, definitely get a mango bingsu to cool you down! It’s the perfect spot to rest and recharge before you head off to your next location.
The other tea house you should visit while you’re in Bukchon Hanok village is actually in a tea museum that you can find if you follow all the signs to the observatory. There is a small entrance fee, although your tea is included in this. Once you get your tea, head straight up to the roof and enjoy your beverage from there! Seeing all the sloped roofs from above is definitely a sight to see! Although the inside isn’t much to write home about, the roof and the view make this ones of the best cafes in Seoul.
Seoulism
Okay so you would ~think~ this cafe, with its gorgeous view of the lotte world tower, would be a good place to visit in conjunction with the Lotte World tower - but actually its quite far! Maybe thats just because I had committed to thigh-high boots that had absolutely no support and we had already walked 14 miles that day, but getting to Seoulism cafe was a freaking trek. (the traffic was bad and we were being cheap and decided to walk so that’s on us haha). Additionally, if you visit, take note that it’s not a main floor entrance so you have to go into a sketchy elevator and go up to the right floor.
But, once you do go there, it’s amazing. You’re greeted by the smell of incense when you walk in, and you can get either a coffee or a cocktail! There are enormous stained glass windows, and the interior is not at all what I expected, as I had only ever seen the view from the roof! Which is also amazing, by the way.
The decor outside is seasonal, and I’ve seen pictures of it during cherry blossom season - it’s stunning! I went in the dead of winter so it wasn’t popping off but the view more than makes up for it.
Read more: 10 day South Korea Itinerary
Cafe Highwaist
Both this cafe as well as the next are located in my favorite place to wander around in Seoul: Ikseong-dong. Ikseong-dong is the motherlode of instagrammable cafes, as every restaurant, cafe, boutique, and store in this area is committed to PEAK aesthetics. Lots of buildings are also constructed in the Hanok style, but Cafe Highwaist definitely stands out from the rest.
It gives very European vibes, with the moldings and the creamy colors and the light, breezy interior. Full disclosure, we didn’t actually get anything here, but we did stop in for a look! The spread of desserts had us wishing we hadn’t had so many souffle pancakes right before coming, and you should definitely stop in for a treat and let me know how it is!!
Madang Flower Cafe
One cafe we did go to that we were mildly underwhelmed by was the Madang Flower Cafe. I’m mainly mentioning this so that you can find it on the street and take a picture outside, because if you’ve done any research about Seoul, you’ve definitely seen this photo floating around. The exterior of Madang Flower Cafe definitely makes it one of the most best cafes in Seoul for instagram purposes. There are cute little trinkets for sale and floating umbrellas that are perfect for a photo. I definitely shed my two trench coats and braved the negative temperatures for this picture, and I’d say it was worth it!
Inside, they actually weren’t selling a lot of things that they were advertising, so we settled for a quick latte to avoid the embarrassment of walking out after realizing the breakfast sandwich wasn’t an option. The inside is also a flower shop, and while I’ve seen gorgeous photos of the inside on instagram, it wasn’t giving during the winter! Just something to keep in mind.
The photo below to the left is another cafe in Ikseong-dong, but I didn’t catch the name and at that point had been to too many cafes to even think of another coffee. If you wander around the area you’ll be sure to find it.
Read More: 10 things I love about South Korea
Best Cafes in Seoul: Honorable Mentions
Poop Cafe
Another cafe that Seoul is known for is the poop cafe! I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting it myself, but it’s something I really wish I got to see! Located pretty centrally in Seoul, just north of Myeongdong, is the Ddong Cafe. (ddong means poop in korean!) Everything is served in cups that look like toilets, and the entire cafe is decorated in memorabilia resembling the poop emoji. While I can’t speak to the quality of the food or the coffee, if you’re looking for a cheeky little instagram picture, or even just a silly story to tell, be sure to visit while in Seoul.
Temple of Ungnyeo
Otherwise known as the Cave Cafe, the Temple of Ungnyeo recently made a trip through Seoul Tiktok feeds, and everyone started flocking to this unique cafe. You can enter by pressing the button to the right of the entrance, and the fake stone exterior slides away, revealing the entrance to this dark and moody cafe. Once again, I haven’t been able to go, so I can’t speak to the quality of the food or drinks, but if aesthetics are what you’re after, or maybe just a very cool video showing the secret entrance to the cafe, then the Temple of Ungnyeo is the cafe for you.
Wherever you go in Seoul, you won’t be disappointed with the cafe options. There are a million other ones that aren’t mentioned on this list, and far too many to experience in an entire lifetime. Definitely make sure to visit a few of these instagrammable cafes on your next trip to Seoul!
Which of these cafes in Seoul speaks to you? Do you have any recommendations?
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