Café hopping never gets old – regardless of where you are. But there’s one city that is known for their cafés and café-hopping culture – Seoul. This is why the entire city is filled with cute and charming cafés that you should find space for in your itinerary.
Here is a list of the 27 most Insta-worthy cafés that we guarantee, will be SEOUL worth your time (sorry, we couldn’t resist!)
1. Zapangi
Wait, did that vending machine just open? Predictably an Insta-famous café in Seoul even amongst the locals, the pink vending machine you see in the picture is actually the entrance to this iconic café.
When even the entrance is already this cute, you know you’re going to be in for a good time.
Expect a selection of all things you’ll want to snap for your Instagram feed: cakes with a mermaid tail sticking out, drinks served in a unicorn float, amongst other colourful, swirly sky-high frothy milk teas that’ll send you straight to aesthetic and sugary paradise.
Opens daily from 10am – 11pm, 400-2 Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
2. Café Onion
With a rather industrial, dilapidated looking exterior, it’s easy to overlook Café Onion as just another factory in its surrounding industrial area.
But upon entering, get ready for rustic walls, brick patches, plush grey seats, and plenty of people taking pics – likely for the ‘gram. For those who love aesthetic, rustic looks – think something like Wheeler’s Yard, but stripped of its signature bright blue colour, and replaced with grey tones.
The food served up is completely different though, with a selection of baked goods that are purportedly freshly baked in-house, every single day, their specialty being their Pandoro (5,000 Won), a fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth Italian-style bread sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar.
Sit back, relax with a nice cuppa coffee or latte of your choice, and a dessert, and you’re set!
Opens daily from 8am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 10pm (Sat – Sun), 8 Achasan-ro 9(gu)-gil, Seongsu-dong 2(i)-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
3. The Sky Farm
A café in Seoul that looks more like a hotel holding a grand wedding, this is another place that has everyone flocking over to jazz up their Insta-feed.
In addition to is sky-high ceilings and just plain gorgeous interior, The Sky Farm is also located on the 50th floor of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) building, which gives you a pretty stunning view of the street below, as well as the famous Han River.
Can there not be a more perfect place for a super romantic date? We don’t think so!
Serving up classic European fare in this restaurant like Spanish Omelettes, Truffle Black Risotto with Scallop, and French Toast, this café often sees stylish diners who are looking to spend quality time with their companions.
Opens daily from 9am – 11pm (Rest-time: 3pm – 5pm, last order 9.30pm), 28-1 Yeoeuido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Heogwan 50th and 51th Floor, Seoul, South Korea
4. Midnight in Seoul
A café in Seoul that is dedicated to cereal, cereal, and all things cereal – and yes, this means you get to eat cereal all day, errday! Having being patronised by the likes of J-Hope, Amber Liu, and many other K-pop stars, this is not a place you want to miss if you’re a K-pop fan.
This café is stacked (literally) to the sky-highs with boxes of cereals upon cereals. You can order your own customised bowl of cereal – add in some Knusper Crunch Museli with marshmallows or Nutella! Really, it’s the best chance to do whatever weird combination that would likely get you a judgey eyebrow raise elsewhere. Almost any cereal you can think of – Midnight in Seoul has it.
And when you’re done with your selection, remember to take an OOTD of your sugary dose!
Opens daily from 10am – 10pm, Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeon 2(i)-dong, 63-16 -dong, Seoul, South Korea
5. C.Through
This popular café in Seoul may have an unassuming exterior but it makes it to our must-visit list because of the beautiful coffee art it offers. Dedicated to coffee cream art featuring animals, flowers, Pokemon, Korean artists, and even art compositions like Mona Lisa, and Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, the café will have you spending lots of time admiring your cuppa before reluctantly taking a sip. Just check out how beautiful it looks in the picture above!
Although rather pricey at 10,000 Won per cup of cream coffee art, we’d say given how magically life-like these cups of coffee cream look, it’s certainly worth the price.
C.Through, opens daily from 12pm – 10pm, 403-3, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
6. Thanks Nature Café
Not just your basic aesthetically pleasing café, with a woody, earthy interior, Thanks Nature Café’s main draw is its two cute, fluffy sheep roaming inside, and outside of the café that patrons can pat, while sipping on a cup of coffee or a chowing down on chillingly refreshing bowl of Bingsu. And yes, with no admission fee required!
With free Wi-Fi and charging points provided, this is the place to chill out at. Don’t forget to give the sheep some well-deserved pats, and take a once-in-a-lifetime selfie with them!
Opens daily from 11am – 10pm, 486 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
7. Hello Kitty Café
Who can really resist this cute mascot? With a glaringly pink exterior (some might argue gaudy… but we say totally cute!), this café is near impossible to miss.
Look forward to a pink, sparkly interior – think: pink walls, pink floors, pink tables, pink plush chairs, and pink Hello Kitty-themed food items. This café also has designated areas for taking pictures to make sure you have tons of Instagram-worthy shots while you’re there.
Opens daily from 11am – 12pm, 94-3 Eowulmadang-ro Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (Hongdae, main outlet), check out its other outlets here. http://www.hellokittycafe.co.kr/en/store/shop_info.asp
8. Bau House Dog Café
You may have heard of many cat cafés, and perhaps have dreamed of the day when there would be a dog café, for dog-lovers like yourself.
Good news – Seoul has a dog café! Having both small and big dog breeds alike, waiting for you to play with them, this café offers free admission.
Be sure to be there early as it can get quite crowded, and it’s when the dogs have the most energy to play with you!
Opens daily from 1.30pm – 11pm, 64 Yanghwa-ro, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
9. Ho Ho Myoll
With a real Volkswagen perched right outside the café and whimsical fairy lights adorning the entrance, you know you’re going to be in for a good time.
This café in Seoul is where you need to be if you really dig vintage-style anything. Dress up in retro-inspired outfit and you’ll look right in place here.
(In case you’re wondering, you can actually sit inside the Volkswagen! So go ahead, and take a selfie because nobody’s going to stop you from doing that.)
Apart from its super aesthetic interior, they also serve up a heck of a mean flannel-drip coffee, and pretty latte art to boot! Pair it with the cozy atmosphere and you’re set for some pretty good vibes and just, a good, good time.
Opens daily from 11am – 12am, 364-14 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
10. Banji Café
Featured on Korean reality show ‘We Got Married’, Banji Café is a unique café that allows its customers to make their own custom-made rings, necklaces, and bracelets, while sipping on a cup of coffee, it’s not simply a gimmick that offers cheap material you would never don on yourself – Banji Café is pretty darn serious about its accessories.
This café offers fine silver rings with the choice of black, white, pink or yellow plating (starting from 5,000 Won), as well as the option of adding gemstones and laser engravings. Consider visiting as a surprise to your partner (or your BFF!)
Opens daily from 11am – 7pm, 366-13 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
11. 221 B
Never expected to find a Sherlock Holmes in Seoul, of all places? If you’re a fan of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes series (or just in general!), this café will fuel all your fan needs.
(And yes, that is a statue of Benedict Cumberbatch sitting on the bench.)
Expect Sherlock Holmes-printed mugs, tumblers, cakes, cookies and even buzzers! You can also take photos with various portraits and statues of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in this swanky café.
Don’t forget to head to the souvenir area to bring home Sherlock Holmes merchandise!
Opens daily from 9am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 9pm (Sat), closed on Sun. 116-6, Seoul, South Korea 135-821
12. Takeout Drawing
A café that doubles as an art exhibition space, this is where you go to get art and design inspirations.
If you’re here mainly for the ‘gram, order their artfully plated desserts like the very beautiful Paul’s Meringue Factory, a smooth cup of espresso topped with a melt-in-your-mouth meringue biscuit.
Try out their other desserts (all organic!), such as the Green Tea Dacquoise Cake (8,000 Won), which are indulgent, fluffy, yet guilt-free.
Don’t forget to take an OOTD shot by the various art exhibits!
Opens daily from 11am – 11pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 11pm (Sat – Sun), 244 Noksapyeong-daero, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
13. Line Friends Café & Store
An absolute must-visit for all Line Friends fans, this store exudes overloaded cuteness as all of its food items and interior decor are designed after its mascots. Think super cute macarons, soft serves, cups, mugs, and huge, oversized plushies and replicas standing around the store for you to take pictures with.
Of course, there’s a mechandise store where you can get your hands on Line Friends phone cases, plushies, and almost any other knick-knacks you never thought you needed in your life – so go wild.
Opens daily from 10am – 10pm, 27 Dosan-daero 13-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
14. Banana Tree
During your SEOUL searching adventures on which cafés to go to, it’s possible you might’ve come across this particular café that’s famous for its pudding with chocolate crumb masquerading as a potted plant!
Its flower pot desserts are priced at 5,500 Won each, and available in four different flavours: blueberry, coffee, banana, and strawberry. The entire pot is edible (sans the flowers) and that’s incredible!
Check out their other fancy items like their Cotton Candy floats and lattes, amongst other super cute, Instagrammable food items!
Opens daily from 11am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), and 12pm – 8pm (Sat – Sun), 10 Apgujeong-ro 4-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
15. Blüte Flower Café
“Blüte” means “flower” or “blossom” in German, and from its namesake, you can probably already guess the theme of this well-loved café.
Look forward to a garden-like café surrounded and by lush greens, various exotic and beautiful plants and flowers, rustic furnishings. Order a cup of tea or cake and imagine you’re in a rustic cottage in the middle of a beautiful garden.
Specialising in mostly fruit teas (a great complement with the ambience!), order their Fruit Herb Blending Tea (8,000 Won) to truly soak in the atmosphere (and a chance to sit amongst the flowers!)
Bonus: there is also a rather impressive ceiling with what must be over a thousand yellow roses, just overhead as you munch on their delectable food!
Opens daily from 10am – 6pm (Mon), and 10am – 10pm, 12 Wausan-ro 14-gil, Seogang-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
16. Ddo-ong Café
A poop-themed café in Seoul dedicated to serving up its eats in ‘toilet bowl’-like bowls, or in the shape of the ‘poop’ emoji, bring that one friend who reminds you most of that poop emoji here.
(Kidding, of course, unless you really want to!)
A café that certainly doesn’t mind a teensy bit of playful fun in its food, expect smooth lattes, espressos, hot chocolates, teas to be served, and almost anything you can think of served in mini toilet bowls, taiyakis in the shape of the poop emoji, and lastly, turd-shaped hats and plushies to join you while you eat.
Opens daily from 10,30am – 9pm, 67 Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
17. Blind Alley Café
You may have seen snakes, and hedgehogs, owl café galore in Tokyo, but Seoul isn’t one to lose out in terms of variety of animal-themed cafés, nor in cuteness.
Seoul is where you can find a raccoon café, which is an incredibly rare sight in Singapore. Feel free to interact, pet, feed, and play with the raccoons for a fee of 6,000 Won, and if you’re thirsty, order a drink!
P.S. There’s also a Welsh corgi and a capybara in the café. Don’t forget to say hi to them!
Opens daily from 9.30am – 10pm, 76 Cheongpa-ro 47-gil, Cheongpadong 2(i)-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
18. Get & Show Café
A Lego-themed café where you can play with with Lego blocks while enjoy café food, this is where you can relive your childhood days of imaginative building.
The café also sells imited edition Lego sets (like Lord of the Rings, The Simpsons, and Frozen), and has an area for you to create your own Lego figurine.
Remember to bring home some Lego man and Lego block chocolates for your family and friends as souvenirs too!
Opens daily 11am – 11pm, 395-80 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
20. Princess Diary Café
We’re willing to bet that it’s almost every little girl’s fantasy, at some point, to be a princess of some faraway, magical country (we have you to blame, fairy tales and Disney movies!).
Realise your dreams here in Princess Diary Café where you can literally dress up like a princess, including in a traditional hanbok to live out your K-Drama fantasies like Scarlet Heart, or Dae Jang Geum.
Alternatively, you could also be decked out in a fancy gown (rental prices go from 10,000 Won to 45,000 Won!) for a bit of princess-y fun. Drag along your girlfriends, and take a group OOTD shot that you know you’ll all remember for life.
P.S. If you drag your beau along, you’ll be pleased to know that they also have tuxedos in stock, perfect for a romantic couple shot!
Opens daily from 1pm – 9pm, 54-9 Daehyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
21. Stylenanda Pink Pool Café
You know the deal – anything millennial pink is almost always Instagram-worthy.
K-beauty junkies would be familiar with Stylenanda (the company that brings you 3CE) – and did you know they have a café and it is spectacular?
Mimicking the appearance of a swimming pool and a resort of sorts (yes, that bathtub is actually filled with flowers!), this is the place you absolutely have to nab a few shots of, because you know you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t.
Be sure to deck out in shades of pink, sip on a pink, artfully decorated drink and you’ll look right at home in this stylish café.
P.S. There are a total of five stories in this pink paradise, so be sure to make time to explore every inch of it!
Opens daily from 11am – 11pm, 37-8 Myeongdong 8-gil, Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
22. a;t fox
A one-of-a-kind, makeup café (didn’t think you’d ever hear those two words together, huh?), makeup lovers are sure to love this unique café.
With the a;t standing for afternoon tea, enjoy their in-house special blends of tea, served in delicate, oh-so-pretty, classic looking tea pots, and dessert items stacked in a tier, afternoon tea style.
If you’re bored waiting, you can choose to take a little walk around the store, play with their in-house makeup (that’re made from the very same tea leaves in your tea!) from lip balms, to hand creams, to skincare products, to chocolate bar soaps.
Opens daily from 12pm – 11pm, 13 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
23. Dreamy Camera Café
Looking entirely like it’s Photoshopped, this giant camera, believe it or not, is actually a café, and is a part of the quaint, lush green area surrounding it.
With plenty of realistic looking camera props (and real cameras to play with too!), as well as a whole collection of vintage and unique cameras collected by the owners of this café over the years, this should be on the bucket list of all photography-lovers.
Opens from 11am – 6pm (Tues – Sat), closed on Sun – Mon, 341-13 Jungwon-ri, Yongmun-myeon, Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
24 Café NaZzzam
Café NaZzzam, also lovingly known as the ‘nap café’, has comfortable hammocks strung all over the place. Each hammock comes with a cozy blanket, fuzzy slippers, eye masks, and a water bag for the ultimate relaxation experience, alongside soft, soothing music to really lull you to dreamland.
Open to all worn-out travellers, tired shopaholics, and Seoul city-dwellers alike, this is the place you go to to catch a few (or many) winks of some well-needed shut-eye.
Once you’re done with your beauty sleep, be sure to head to the drinks section and get yourself some hot chocolate or coffee to keep yourself going for the rest of the day!
Opens from 11am – 7pm (Tues – Fri), 1pm – 7pm (Sat – Sun), closed on Mon, 3rd floor, 115-Gye-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
25. Café Bora
A quaint café in Seoul’s heritage Bukchon Hanok Village, this café is dedicated to all things purple. Brought out from the natural colour of sweet potato, the purple-hued food items they serve include ice creams, bingsu, and even porridge and steamed bread. Get your camera ready and snap away!
Opens daily from 11.30am – 10pm, 75-3 Yulgok-ro 3-gil, Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
26. Dore Dore
A patisserie that specialises in gorgeous looking layered cakes, and all things rainbow – like rainbow bagels! – this is a must-go for you colour-obsessed fiends out there.
When you’re there, you have to order its famous rainbow cream cheese bagel (5,000 Won). Also check out its cake selection. Each slice of cake (at around 8,000 Won) is layered with fluffy sponge, and generous amounts of cream – almost too hard for any sweet tooth to resist, we think!
Opens daily from 10.30am – 11pm, 40 Dosan-daero 15-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
27. Milky Bee
Famous for their rose-shaped ice creams, at 5,500 Won per scoop), it comes in four different flavours: strawberry, yoghurt, chocolate, and green tea.
Want your ice cream to really resemble a rose? Pair the strawberry and green tea flavours together, and get snapping.
Opens daily from 11am – 12am, Myeongdong 8ga-gil, Chungmuro 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
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