The coolest theme cafes in Seoul

Photo credit: Seoul State of Mind blog

Seoul has had a bustling industry of coffee shops, tea shops and cafes in recent years, and now another trend that is setting a new standard is the theme cafe. Relaxing in a cafe often involves sipping coffee and endless chatting, and the uniquely themed cafes take the experience to a new level. These thematic dining establishments show their creativity not just through stimulating the taste buds, but through all the other senses as well.

Here's our list of theme cafes, coffee shops, dessert shops and restaurants that are worth a visit in the areas of Hongdae, Itaewon and Gangnam!

Hongdae

Air Cafe (비행기카페)

Air Cafe is an airplane theme brunch restaurant where you can feel the excitement and anticipation of going overseas. Seating is divided into ”economy” seats for parties of two and ”business” seats for larger parties. Also, customers wanting to get the feeling of traveling abroad or even those planning a trip abroad can browse the many travel brochures and books available in the restaurant.

More Info

★ Air Cafe (비행기카페)

Address: 3F, 42 Dongmak-ro 7-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-2-332-2789

Directions: Hapjeong Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 6) Exit 3.
- Walk straight out of the exit (northeast) and turn right at the second alley (100 m).
- Walk to the end of the alley (325 m) and the restaurant will be in front of you.

Website: theaircafe.alldaycafe.kr (Korean only) / blog.naver.com/the_air_cafe (Korean only)

Hoho Myoll (호호미욜)

Stroll down to Hoho Myoll to get a sense of the bohemian lifestyle of a nomadic traveler. The first thing that stands out is the classic Volkswagen Type 2 van parked inside the store. This adds immensely to the vintage, hippie-esque interior, and will make you want to hop into the driver’s seat and get out of town for a road trip.

The name of the coffee shop comes from the name of the owner’s cat, who is there to greet customers in the store. Hoho Myoll also offers educational programs, such as latte art and coffee blending, although only in Korean.

More Info

★ Hoho Myoll (호호미욜)

Address: 50 Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-2-322-6473

Directions: Sangsu Station (Seoul Subway Line 6) Exit 2.
- Come out of the exit and turn left (north).
- Walk down the road about 100 m.

Something Out (썸띵아웃)

Something Out is a camping theme coffee shop that also sells camping supplies. Its carefully-designed interior is changed for each season, and is continuously updated to reflect realistic camping trends. On sunny days, you can enjoy coffee and camping meals on the terrace.

More Info

★ Something Out (썸띵아웃)

Address: 4-13 Donggyo-ro 39-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-70-4121-2013

Directions: Hongdae Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, Gyeongui Jungang Line, Airport Railroad) Exit 3.
- Walk straight from the exit (northwest) about 200 m. Turn right onto Donggyo-ro.
- Walk about 250 more meters. Turn left onto Donggyo-ro 41-gil and walk about 50 more meters.

Needle Story (바늘이야기)

Needle Story is a yarn store with a theme coffee shop upstairs where you can get drinks and desserts! The place is decorated with a display section, a learning section and a book section where you can get books to help you learn how to knit.  There are a mutiple locations in Seoul, of which this Ehwa branch is the biggest!

More Info

★ Needle Story (바늘이야기)

Address: 162 Sinchon-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Inquiries : +82-2-771-9771

Directions: Ewha Woman's University Station (Seoul Subway Line 2) Exit 6.
- Walk straight from the exit (west) for 150 m.

Website: www.banul.co.kr (Korean only)

Get & Show Cafe (겟앤쇼 카페)

Get & Show Cafe is a Lego theme dessert cafe, one of the branches by Bricks Korea. Families with young children or lego lovers should add this coffee shop to your list of must-see places in Seoul.

The shop is easy to spot, as the giant Lego man above the door and giant Lego characters in the display window make it hard to miss. Inside the store, customers get to browse a vast collection of Lego merchandise, including castles and houses adorned with various Lego characters. This makes the experience a lot more fun.

The shop is also an official Lego retailer, so customers can not only browse but take home their own limited edition Lego sets to put together at home.

More Info

★ Get & Show Cafe (겟엔쇼 카페)

Address: 2F, 27 Dongmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Inquiries : +82-2-326-1888

Directions: Hapjeong Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 6) Exit 5.
- Take your first right from the exit down the side road.
- Follow it about 200 m and turn left (northeast). Walk about 90 more meters.

Website: www.getnshow.com (Korean only)

Itaewon

Ando (안도 카페)

Ando is a calm, relaxing coffee shop located in the heart of Itaewon. It is decorated with antique furniture yet with a modern interior design. Not only do they serve coffee, but many of the furniture items have price tags on them, in which case you can actually purchase many of these vintage items. The shop is perfect for enjoying the sunny weather on a roof top terrace.

More Info

★ Ando (안도 카페)

Address: 4F, 216 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-2-749-0619

Directions: Itaewon Station (Seoul Subway Line 6) Exit 3.
- Walk straight from the exit (east) for 330 m.

Blüte (블뤼테 카페)

Meaning “flower” in German, this little dining establishment takes on its name with an interior full of bouquets and flowers, as well as orders served with a small bouquet for the table. Customers can really feel the uniqueness and authenticity of the shop, especially its delicious brunch and Gouda cheese sandwich, thanks to the owner’s 15 years of experience living in Germany.

More Info

★ Blüte (블뤼테 카페)

Address: 51 Hannam-daero 20-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-2-798-1995

Directions: Hannam Station (Seoul Subway Gyeongui Jungang Line) Exit 1.
- Go to the right from the exit (northeast) and take your first left at Hannam-daero.
- Walk about 400 m to the intersection and turn right.
- Walk about 250 m and take your first left down the hill onto Hannam-daero 20-gil.
- The establishment will be on your right after about 60 m.

Website: blog.naver.com/blute2010 (Korean only)

Banana Tree (바나나트리)

Photo credit: Seoul State of Mind blog
With a full-on banana concept, they say this cafe was made popular by a member of the K-pop idol group U-Kiss. Inspired by New York City’s Magnolia Bakery, one of this establishment’s most popular items is their Somsom Latte, a latte with cotton candy-covered banana inside, as well as a banana tiramisu in the shape of a flower vase, enhancing the banana theme with its interior, drinks and food.

More info

★ Banana Tree - Itaewon branch (바나나트리 2호점)

Address: 259 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-2-792-6050

Directions: Hangangjin Station (Seoul Subway Line 6) Exit 1.
- Walk straight from the exit (south) for 290 m.

Website: blog.naver.com/banana_526 (Korean only)

Gangnam

Mom's Cookie (맘스쿠키)

Mom’s Cookie is known for delicious cookies made with environmentally-friendly products. The way the store works is simple: since the store itself is quite small, customers order their cookie set with decorations in advance, and then just go pick them up and decorate them yourself! The decoration sets include a cookie decorating instrument as well as chocolate and vanilla decorations. The sets come with cute packaging for you to put your cookies in once you’re finished decorating them. There is even an easy to read instruction manual for those who are unsure of their artistic cookie-decorating abilities. They also serve drinks at low prices to wash down the cookies later.

More Info

★ Mom’s Cookie (맘스쿠키)

Address: 29 Seochojungang-ro 20-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-70-8864-8262 (Korean)

Directions: Seoul National University of Education Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 3) Exit 13.
- Follow the side road just behind the exit and walk 150 m (east).

Website: momscookie.co.kr (Korean only)

Assouline Lounge (애술린 라운지)

Photo credit: Assouline Lounge
Art, fashion and design are this international publisher’s specialty. With locations in various countries, this branch in Sinsa-dong is its only location in Asia. Assouline Lounge is equipped with a kitchen as well, so you can enjoy French wines and meals as you browse the art display area and its sophisticated interior.

More Info

★ Assouline Lounge (애술린 라운지)

Address: 11 Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Inquiries: +82-2-517-0316

Directions: Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Seoul Subway Bundang Line) Exit 5.
- Walk straight from the exit (southwest) for 370 m and turn right onto Dosan-daero.
- Walk about 300 m and turn right onto Dosan-daero 45-gil.
- The destination will be on the right after about 100 m.

<Last updated in July, 2015>

* This column was last updated in July 2015, and therefore information may differ from what is presented here. We advise you to check details from the official websites before visiting.

 

 

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