In Korea, going to cafes is a national sport. In Seoul only, there’s more than 18,000 cafés, so when you come here the choice can feel a little bit overwhelming. Thankfully, I’ll do the choosing for you and I will introduce you to a new cool and trendy café every week on this blog.
Let’s go!
The first place I’d like to introduce you to is located in the trendy Ikseon-dong area, where hip restaurants and cafés are gathered along narrow streets - a must-visit neighborhood when in Seoul!
Cheongsudang Café
31-9 Donhwamun-ro 11na-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Average price: Drinks 7,500 KRW (5.4$) - Cakes 14,000 KRW (10$)
I met my two friends at Exit 4 of Jongno-3(sam)ga station. As soon as we got to the front of Cheongsudang café, we were transported into a quiet garden surrounded by bamboo trees and filled with the sound of the flowing water.
The urge to take a cool Instagram photo was real!
Inside the café, the ambiance was even more impressive. The space is divided in several areas, each with its own vibe and feel - you can either sit by the pond (yes, there is a pond in the middle of the café!) around the terrarium or hang out in the floor-seating area. We chose the latter.
The place offers a variety of special drinks and cakes that we were overly excited to enjoy.
I opted for the hand-drip Matcha tea, and my friends respectively had the Iced Black tea latte and the Cheonhyehyang fresh water. The quality of their coffees and teas is actually strikingly good.
Also, the experience of hand-dripping my own tea made this moment feeling even more authentic and pure.
We also shared the Strawberry Soufflé, one of their specialty cakes. Coming from France, I have to say that my standards for patisseries and cakes are pretty high and hard to top. But this was definitely one of the best cakes I’ve had in Korea. It was so fluffy and tasty!
Cheongsudang café is a popular spot among both Koreans and tourists, so you might have to wait in line for a moment before getting in. But trust me, the wait is definitely worth it! The atmosphere was so peaceful and relaxing that it just felt like time was suspended and we ended up spending almost two hours enjoying the environment, the food and the drinks (and chatting of course!)
If you need a break from the tumults of the city, this cafe is definitely the place to go and recharge.
Would you like to visit this café next time you visit Seoul? Let me know in the comments below!
See you guys next week for another café session with me! :blush:
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2 Comments
wow it looks lovely
Thanks for this article because the coffee was trendy I wanted to wait a bit to go. It’s so detail oriented and the pictures are so nice. It feels like I’ve already been there! As a french fellow I’ll say I expect a lot from patisserie as well. I, now, need to go asap 🙂