If you're ever in Korea, one thing you will notice is that cafes are to Korea like Chinese people are to every country - they're everywhere. The cafe culture here is so prevalent that they've even coined a term for it: 카페놀리 (ka-peh noh-ri) which literally means 'cafe-playing'. Regardless of age and time, you will find people in cafes everywhere doing all kinds of activities - studying, catching up with friends, watching videos, having group meetings, having Bible studies etc.
In my daily life in Korea, I visit a lot of different cafes so I thought I would share some of the best looking ones I've been to. This one is slightly pink-centric so I hope you enjoy!
Address: Mapogu Mangwon-dong 400-2, Seoul
By Subway: Take the subway to Mangwon Station on Line 6 and take Exit 2. It's a short walk and you'll be surrounded by convenience stores and markets.
You've seen it everywhere on Instagram. And if you haven't, you're clearly not on Instagram. This vending machine has been popping up everywhere and for good reason: it's not actually a vending machine. It is, in fact, the door to a cafe named Zapangi which ironically (or not) means vending machine in Korean. It is situated in the small suburb of Mangwon-dong, Seoul where more and more small chic cafes are popping up like rabbits in breeding season and attracts a large crowd every day, all waiting in line for a chance to take a photo with the famous door.
While its famous door is as pink as it can be, the inside of the cafe is decidedly less so. Exposed irrigation pipes, cool grey walls and only touches of its signature pink splashed here and there provide an industrial and minimalist feel inside; a subtle declaration that this is not some girly pink cafe with frills, laces and bows - it's chic and industrial and edgy and most importantly, cool.
Florte Flower Cafe / Flower Lovin Her (플로르떼) aka The One With All The Flowers
Address: Mapo-gu, Donggyo-dong, 22 Sinchon-ro 6-gil, Seoul
By Subway: Take the subway to Honda Station on Line 2 and take Exit 6. It's a very short walk and you'll pass by other cute cafes along the way.
If you love the colour pink, it's highly probable that you enjoy flowers as well. I'm not being discriminatory - it's just an observation. If that's the case, then Florte Flower Cafe is the place for you. Hidden away in one of the more quiet streets of Hongdae, this cafe has a peaceful and garden-like ambiance heavily aided by the abundance of floral ornaments, props and decorations scattered all over the cafe.
Flowers are everywhere here - inside, outside, on the tables, on the windows, hanging from the roof - you name it, it's probably there. The cafe even holds flower-arranging classes on particular days (the owner is a florist).
The menu has vast array of beautiful and delicious drinks, all served with their own floral accompaniment, but there isn't much food to speak of. Their savoury options consist of one choice of sandwich and one choice of croissant while they have several cakes and different desserts to choose from.
Of course, if you're coming to this cafe, you'll most likely want to take advantage of the Instagram-worthy moments which are also of abundance. There is a gorgeous tree outside the cafe which appears to change from time to time (when we went, it was a cherry blossom tree) and inside the cafe they have prepared floral headbands for you to wear while sipping on your tea and eating your cake.
Cafe Luneh (카페 륀에이치) aka The One With The Rose Petals On The Coffee
Address: Daejeon, Seogu, Galma 2(i)-dong, 1131-3
By Bus: There are quite a few buses you can take to get there from Daejeon Station: 103, 107, 101
Moving on down towards the city of Daejeon, here is where you'll find a cozy cafe with some of the most beautifully decorated coffees of all time. Located a little further away from the main hustle and bustle of downtown and more towards the outskirts of the city, Cafe Luneh is a pretty little spot to chill out with your friends or significant other, have some cake and enjoy the weekend.
The interior of the cafe is rustically modern with a variety of furniture styles for your fancy, all with a hint of floral to tie it all together. As is common with many a Korean, this cafe would be perfect for anyone looking for a quiet but scenic place to come work or study. It's far enough away from the street to cancel out any traffic noise but close enough to see the vehicles and pedestrians passing by.
Their most iconic drink is the Lune Latte, a rose-petal infused latte with the edible petals beautifully displayed on top of the coffee. The taste was a little strange, most likely because I don't actually drink coffee so I wasn't really into the taste, but you should try it out anyway if you enjoy your coffee! I also tried out their Sweet Chai Latte and Mango Aloe - both of which were really quite delicious. I'm normally not a huge fan of chai since the spices can be a little overwhelming but this one was just sweet enough to balance it out. The Mango Aloe was a little deceptive - there's thick foam on top but underneath it is more of a pudding than a drink. Still really yum though, so I highly recommend.
They also have a small selection of desserts to choose from. On the day I went, they only had tiramisu and a few cakes, but I've been told they have waffles on a rare occasion. We had the white vanilla cheesecake and carrot cake, both of which were decent but not particularly amazing. Except for the cream cheese frosting on the carrot cake - I would happily lick the ladle and bowl if I ever had the opportunity.
So there you have it, three cafes which should be a must-visit for any pink-lovers out there! As these posts can get rather long, I'll keep it to three cafes per post so that you don't have to keep scrolling down and down and down. Be on the look out for the next post!
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