Hapjeong night café: Haro Wachu vs La Betania Geisha, Central Site

After dinner in Hapjeong, I didn't feel like going straight home, so I stopped by Central Site Hapjeong. I was already stuffed, but one cup of coffee is fine, right? And the coffee here was seriously good. I usually like hand-drip coffee, and this was among the best I've ever had. The tiramisu was great too, so this place hit my taste right on target.

Central Site Hapjeong: basic info

• Address: 20 Yanghwa-ro 7-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00 / Sat–Sun 08:30–22:00
• Parking: no dedicated lot; use a nearby paid parking lot
• Menu: hand-drip coffee, tiramisu and more
• Seating: indoor tables, window bar seats, outdoor seats
• Pets allowed

Central Site Hapjeong preview

What does Central Site Hapjeong look like at night?

Central Site Hapjeong is a Hapjeong roastery café that looks even prettier at night. I came by while looking for a place to have coffee after dinner.

Even from far away, the round lights behind the big glass windows caught my eye.

In front of the shop there are wooden benches and little stools, which gave off Central Site's relaxed vibe. Hapjeong has so many pretty cafés, but from the outside this one already had that special coffee-specialist feel.

A busy evening interior and the roasting room

Central Site Hapjeong was full of customers even late in the evening. I opened the door and thought, wait, it's this crowded at this hour?

Even in the evening, the shop was quite lively.

The interior, with concrete walls, exposed pipes and warm lighting, looked stylish. There are bar seats by the window, and small tables further inside.

What really caught my eye was the huge roasting machine behind the glass wall! Seeing the space where they roast the beans themselves got my expectations for the coffee rising.

How do you choose the beans and dessert?

The counter at Central Site was lined with a variety of beans and hand-drip tools. Even the range of beans sets this coffee shop apart.

Each bean has a card describing its flavor, so browsing was a lot of fun. And next to it, the dessert showcase.

Oh my, I couldn't just walk past this.

• Strawberry trifle piled high with strawberries, ₩9,500
• Mont Blanc tiramisu, ₩9,500
• Brownie tiramisu, ₩8,500
• Classic tiramisu, ₩8,500

Everything looked good and I hesitated for a moment, but we picked the classic tiramisu.

And we'd just had a big dinner, mind you. Well, there's always a separate stomach for dessert, right?

How do the Haro Wachu and La Betania Geisha hand-drips taste?

I ordered two hand-drip coffees at Central Site Hapjeong that day. They were among the best hand-drips I've ever had.

• Ethiopia Guji Haro Wachu (Washed G1)
• Colombia La Betania, Geisha (Washed X1)

First, I loved the cups the moment the coffee arrived.

The round double-walled glasses were so pretty. The color of the coffee in them was lovely too, and each came with a card with the bean's name, so I felt well looked after.

But the real wow came after the first sip. Wow, Central Site really nails its coffee.

I loved that clean hand-drip taste. Nothing muddy or heavy, just clear and clean going down!

Both were delicious, but personally the Colombia Geisha was more my style. Its fragrant Geisha flavor spreads through your mouth, and I kept pausing to savor the aroma while drinking.

I drink coffee often, but Central Site's hand-drip was truly among the best I've had. I came for one cup of coffee and ended up completely won over.

Is the Central Site classic tiramisu a must-order?

If you come to Central Site, do get the tiramisu. The classic tiramisu is ₩8,500 and was the other star of the day!

The size alone passes the test. Cocoa powder is densely dusted over a thick slab of tiramisu, with plenty of chocolate pieces on top.

From the side, the cross-section with layers of cream and coffee-soaked sponge looked so appetizing. I scooped up a big forkful.

Oh… this is really good. The cream is super soft and creamy, and best of all, it isn't very sweet. Tiramisu can easily feel heavy or sweet, but this one is the kind you keep reaching for without any burden.

I liked how the moist sponge and soft cream came together in my mouth, too. A sip of coffee, a bite of tiramisu. Wait, where did the person who said they were full go? Even after that dinner, the tiramisu just kept going down.

A Hapjeong café you'll remember for the coffee

Hapjeong has plenty of cafés with great atmosphere, but at Central Site it's the taste of the coffee itself that stays with you. The in-house roasting space was impressive, and I was happy with everything from choosing beans to coffee served in pretty cups.

Above all, the combination of the fragrant Colombia Geisha and the creamy, not-too-sweet tiramisu! Next time I crave coffee in Hapjeong, Central Site will naturally come to mind. I plan to order a Geisha and a slice of tiramisu again. Of course, I'll be full that day too, haha.