Near the Hilton Busan, there is a nice coffee shop called Deogmi! The workers are all so nice and they make the experience so pleasant. Plus, their drinks are fantastic!

Blot coffee!!! Kinda in between hongdae + hapjeong area. Easy walk from both stations, a lil out of the way and quiet because it’s off the main streets.

The coffee is super good, they have oat milk lol, the barista is super nice, very cute inside, and the drop cookies are super delicious too!

I went here almost everyday last trip and it’ll be one of the first places I go back to this time around :)

There‘s a cafe in Insadong called Cerulean Insa (on Naver maps it’s 세루리안 인사). I specifically searched for this place after having lunch in the area and it did not disappoint. It looks modern on the outside, but it’s a converted hanok on the inside. I enjoyed their coffee more than Cafe Onion.

Grandpa Factory Cafe in Seongsu. Came for the name, stayed for the coffee and design.

That whole neighborhood has blown up with a ton of good cafes in the last couple years.

So abit of backstory - i was there for a month, my wife literally drinks an iced americano everyday, so i looked for a new cafe/takeaway almost daily. My personal favourite would be Hanyakbang. There are way too many to name even in Euljiro alone, I'm just sharing the last few that I went. Just exploring Seoul forest/Seongsu, or Ikseon, so many choices.

Ediya labs, yes i know it's a chain but the flagship is really beautiful.

루프트커피명동

Anthracite

카페 차 성수점

Four stones coffee roasters

커피로스터스세루리안

인사하루앤원데이피치스

Peaches, nice vibes but eh

도렐 성수점텅플

래닛 성수점

Cheongsudang in ikseon or yeonnam! Super pretty ambience and their fromage cake is YUM. A bit pricier but it is big, meant to be shared

I am currently obsessed with Nuldam Space and their Black Sesame Cream Latte. It's a vegan cafe but the latte is so creamy, you wouldn't even know it's all vegan.

I have a list of cafes and food places. I haven’t tried all of them but it might be good to look at if you are stuck.

[NAVER Map] Cafe https://naver.me/GudF9QEv

[NAVER Map] Food https://naver.me/5PsMlYnn

I don’t really have a favorite tbh, but I did visit Angel-in-us a couple of weeks ago and tried their Biscoff snow drink. Pfffff instant favorite summer drink for me

I went to Café Onion in Seongsu. It's in this old industrial(?)-type building, so there are a lot of spaces to sit in. I got a strawberry and custard pastry and a savory focaccia bread with mushroom and cheese, and I liked both. I got an iced latte too, and they had oat milk, which was a plus :)

look up brewedbyjay on ig and yt and more specifically his cafe hopping vlogs with Bryan the owner of Ondo Cafe in koreatown LA. they highlight a plethora of great roasteries in and around Seoul!

Here is my Naver Maps list [네이버 지도] 커피 https://naver.me/Go2s7hzE

Doraeknot and FlickOn Coffee are the two best coffee experiences I've had anywhere in the world and nothing else really comes close

John Small Roastery is my favorite.

Brewing Ceremony, New Wave, Dark Edition, Mesh, Cuppacity, Biroso, Within Coffee, Coffee Ambience, Townpond, Kihei Coffee, TO.C.H Coffee.

There are tons and tons of speciality coffee shops here. I could give more if I know a specific location.

I just got back from Seoul. I used this Google maps list that I got from someone in my own post here, and has cafes all over Korea so we also used it in Jeju. Some places are outdated, you will see that they have closed.

As for my personal highlights in Seoul: ILHO (Gwangjang Market), Edition Denmark (Jahamun), Brewing Ceremony (Seongsu), Onion (Anguk), Cashmere (Myeongdong), Toch Coffee (Gangnam), Coffee Libre (under the Myeongdong Cathedral). However, my time was limited and I could only try the ones in the areas I was around.

Yeah, gotta check them out. I heard they specialize in coffees from Yemen. My friend told me about them recently.

Seoul was a city so wonderful I visited twice!

I had a choice to visit anywhere in Asia for a second trip, and I chose South Korea. Didn't get to explore everything I wanted the first time, and the coffee scene is bustling!

It really is. So many incredible cafes here. The coffee scene has exploded the past 5 years. When something gets popular here, it really gets popular. I notice a few of the cafes you have in your pictures, but not all. Glad you enjoyed it.

Coffee Libre is my go-to roaster.

Just ran across this thread while I'm here on day 2.   Kinda upending my itinerary cuz I gotta hit some of these.   At small batch now waiting on my cup.   Entrance is funny AF btw.

Can you share the Google link again?

If you’re going to Busan, you should try Momos.

There are way too many to even list here. Recommendations would depend on which part of Seoul you are in, and whether you want a chain like Fritz or Pomelo Bean or Camel or Coffee Tour or a one-off place of which there are scores. If you can use coupang there are even more roasters to order from.

Hanyakbang. It's down a tiny alley, it's been around since the 80s (old for Seoul), I have been to at least 2 dozen non-chain coffee shops in Seoul and this is far and away my favorite.

Coffee nap if you are looking for very good not too dark 3rd wave kind of stuff

Nordic Frost. Organic Coffee Roastery from the US. They import all their own coffee. You can find them in HBC. One of the owners usually hangs around Phillies. DM for contact details.

They're excellent and growing in Korea. I won't be surprised if you see them everywhere in a year's time.

Love it ! I'll save some of these, I love my espresso or black coffee. I went to momos main branch in Busan, was nice !

I believe you'd love Coffee Hanyakbang in Euljiro. Squeezed in a tiny alley, still hand roasted by an ajumma in a cupboard under the stairs. I kid you not.

https://preview.redd.it/x0vkw135b1cf1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9e3b682e57cd403d4ff28e51b1750c503332a7d

I couldn't 100% tell from your pics but which were your favorites in Seoul?

I love anthracite and momos bought some beans too. Camel is def on my list on the next Korea trip.

Have you been to Kai’s Sandwich in Daegu? Love the vibe there and the Reuben is a must! Their inhouse latte was too good too had to order another cuppa. Oh, and a.nook apsan’s creamy foam latte (forgot the name) was waaaay to good.

Momo's is amazing. Just watching the sea and the occasional dogs strolling past. The cafe gave a collective rippling OOOH when a massive, massive St Bernard sniffed around the garden

I went there (as a visiting tourist), and the place was full of other tourists. It’s pleasant, but it’s certainly not a must see destination. The coffee almost anywhere in Seoul is amazing.

I am with you on this, although the waiting line in front can be crazy! The coffee and pastries are not bad at all, but not worth the wait or the hype. Their social media game is on par, many K-celebs have been here and that might be the nr 1 reason for many to go there too.

Osori Bakery is great, with delicious sweets and coffee, super friendly staff, and their branding is really cute too :) lots of students from konkuk uni hang out there

Are you the instagram/tiktok type of sheep? Then standard bread. If you are not that category, then Frolla (there's also one in Hyundai Seoul), or equilibrium coffee, atob cafe and bar, herge bakery, etc.

I live and work in Seoungsu, and in my opinion, Daelim Changgo (대림창고) is the best cafe in the neighborhood. It is very close to Onion. They usually have interesting art installations and good music, and I think is one of the more unique cafes in the area.

There are probably 5 cafes / bakeries just in Seongsu alone that are better than Onion lmao.

This is basically a tourist photo op at this point, you don't go here for a respectable pastry.

Going to Seoul/Jeju soon, can you please recommend some good bakery?

https://maps.apple.com/?address=Pyeonghwa-ro%202490beon-gil,%20Dongducheon,%20Gyeonggi-do,%20South%20Korea&auid=16828297055387521688&ll=37.910256,127.058380&lsp=9902&q=%EC%97%90%ED%8E%9C%EC%B9%B4%ED%8E%98&_ext=CisKBQgEEJQBCgQIBRADCgQIBhAICgQIChAACgQIUhABCgQIVRAPCgQIWRACEiQpOr5+0WX0QkAxVnbu16nDX0A5hoK5sKD0QkBBglwWJ8/DX0A%3D&t=h

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In terms of just practicality, I remember Tom n Toms being open til pretty late. It's a chain coffee shop.

For the cozy type, I can't say. SK is dense and really well-connected, infrasctutre wise, youll find cafes around every corner, maybe even right next to one another.

Ediya coffee lab in Gangnam is the best place ever it’s like a college library upstairs with ports and desktop cubicles all over. You could literally run a business and some other people have all their clients meet upstairs or for English lessons. And the bathrooms are elite. Only downside is the price.

Dok-suri Dabang in Sinchon outside Yonsei is an amazing cafe for working.

Isn’t Korea boring?

I’m just asking to know if it is or isn’t.

How's the staff? Are they cool with you staying extended periods of time?

https://www.craftengineer.com/best-coffee-shops-seoul-digital-nomads/