Ttukseom coffee shop in Seoul: iced Valrhona Guanaja mocha at Notldun

There's just so much to see around Seongsu and Seoul Forest. Should we eat first? No wait, we need coffee and dessert — everything along the way looked delicious haha.

After some back and forth, we headed to Notldun (노틀던), a well-known dessert spot near Seoul Forest that people call one of the hottest cafés around Ttukseom.

Where Notldun is and when it opens

• Address: 서울 성동구 서울숲2길 11 1층 (11 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea)
• Location: 7-minute walk from Exit 8 of Ttukseom Station, near Seongsu High School
• Hours: 11:00–22:00
• Last order: 21:30
• Parking: Nearby public parking lot, self-service
• Reservations: Pickup reservations for various desserts available via Naver

Notldun is a Seoul Forest café you'll find if you get off at Seoul Forest Station and stroll slowly toward the forest — it sits right near the end of the Seoul Forest walking path. You climb half a flight of outdoor stairs to reach this small space, so it's easy to walk right past it at first, but honestly that cozy, tucked-away vibe was part of what I liked about it.

Inside Notldun: the room and the dessert showcase

The front of this Ttukseom café is one big window wall, so sitting at a table by the glass let us take in the outside view while relaxing. The whole place skews clean and calm in all-white rather than flashy — the kind of spot where sipping coffee and chatting feels a little fancy... okay, I'm basically a city girl now.

The coffee menu was pretty varied too. And the desserts were so intricately pretty I couldn't look away 😭😭

Cakes, mille-feuille, mousse cakes — 'pretty' doesn't quite cover it, 'intricate' was the word that kept coming to mind.

It looked like madeleines are sold individually, and financiers come as boxed sets — those seemed like a great gift option.

The four items ordered at Notldun

We ordered an iced vanilla latte, iced Valrhona Guanaha mocha, lime madeleine, and Notldun's Signature Noir.

What does the iced Valrhona Guanaja mocha taste like?

The iced Valrhona Guanaha mocha caught my eye because it uses Guanaha, the dark chocolate from French premium chocolate brand Valrhona, which was celebrating its 40th anniversary — so of course I had to try it!!!

It's a mocha latte with espresso shots blended into Guanaha chocolate, and it wasn't sweet in the usual strong-mocha way. Because it uses dark chocolate, instead of over-the-top sweetness or bitterness, what comes through first is that rich, deep cacao aroma!!

I also tried a sip of my friend's iced vanilla latte — the vanilla bean flecks scattered through the drink were striking. She said it tasted good too, so next time I think I'll properly order a vanilla latte for myself.

Lime madeleine at Notldun

The lime madeleine had a subtle, refreshing lime aroma. The madeleine's classic nutty, soft texture combined with the lime's brightness made it great to pair with coffee.

The lime flavor wasn't overly sour or artificial-tasting — just pleasantly bright, easy to eat without feeling like too much.

Best of the day: the Signature Noir

The Signature Noir was the best thing we had that day.

It's a dessert with almond praline and whiskey cream sandwiched between milk chocolate mousse, sitting on a base of salty crustillant. Visually it screams chocolate dessert, and once I tasted it, more textures and flavors came together than I expected — I could tell right away that Notldun takes its desserts seriously. Fell in love with it all over again.

Personally, the layer with almond praline was my favorite part. The salty crustillant at the bottom was thin and crisp, a clear contrast to the soft chocolate mousse. I loved that crunch with every bite, and combined with the saltiness, it hit that sweet-and-salty combo so hard I nearly cried.

It's tiny for ₩14,000, which stings a little, but if you love chocolate, I'd say it's an experience worth having.

Who should visit Notldun, and when

☕️🤎 Notldun, this Ttukseom café known for its cakes, has a clean, upscale feel across both coffee and desserts, which makes it great for a Seoul Forest date or a café tour with friends. If you want to take a walk through Seoul Forest and then enjoy good coffee and dessert, give Notldun a try 🤎