Ice cream café in Jangji, Seoul: choco shell cone at Wunder Coffee Bar

While shopping at Garden5 with my child one weekend, they suddenly said they wanted ice cream. We only meant to grab a quick scoop, but both the coffee and the ice cream turned out better than expected. This is Wunder Coffee Bar Hyundai Outlet Garden5 branch, a Garden5 café I'm happy to recommend.

Where is Wunder Coffee Bar at Garden5?

Wunder Coffee Bar Hyundai Outlet Garden5 branch is on the B1 floor of Hyundai Outlet Garden5. It's open daily 10:30–20:30, with last order at 20:00 (per Naver).

If you're heading down from the 1st floor to B1, the shop is right in front of you from the escalator, so even first-timers can find it easily.

Wunder Coffee Bar is an open-format shop on B1 rather than a standalone café with its own door. The tidy counter and the Wunder Coffee Bar logo stand out. When we went, there were lots of people out front and a line waiting to order. Seeing a crowd gathered as you walk by naturally catches your eye.

Is there somewhere to sit at Wunder Coffee Bar?

Wunder Coffee Bar has no seats of its own, but there are shared tables in the food square beside the escalator where you can sit and eat. At first I couldn't see anywhere to sit around the shop and wondered if we'd have to take it to go. Then I turned around and found shared tables in the food square next to the escalator.

We took our order over there and ate comfortably with my child. They aren't dedicated seats, but I was glad there was space to sit nearby. Looking around from the table, an unusual number of people were drinking Wunder Coffee. It felt like about 80% of the people around us were holding a Wunder Coffee Bar cup, haha. It must already be well known.

Wunder Coffee Bar's signature Wundergato: which flavor to pick?

Wunder Coffee Bar's signature items are Wunder Coffee and the Wundergato. The Wundergato is the shop's signature affogato (ice cream with coffee poured over), letting you enjoy ice cream and coffee together. You can choose hojicha, vanilla, or a hojicha & vanilla mix for the ice cream flavor.

Hojicha seemed to be the famous one, so I went with hojicha. It was a little unfamiliar to me, so I looked it up: it's tea made by roasting the leaves or stems of the same tea plant as green tea at high heat. It has that nutty flavor and aroma typical of roasted tea, and it went well with the sweet ice cream. It has a different charm from green tea flavor.

On the menu board I also saw set menus combining a Wundergato, Wunder Coffee, an Americano and more. They cost a bit less than ordering each item separately, so I'd like to try a set next time.

What we ordered for two, and the prices

At Wunder Coffee Bar we ordered a hojicha Wundergato and a vanilla soft serve cone with a choco shell added, which came to ₩14,700 in total.

• Wundergato ₩7,200
• Soft serve cone ₩6,500
• Choco shell add-on ₩1,000
• Total ₩14,700

My child might not like the hojicha aroma, so I picked the safest option, vanilla ice cream, and added a choco shell since I thought they'd like it. After ordering we got a buzzer, waited a little, and picked up our items when it signaled they were ready.

How did the hojicha Wundergato taste?

Wunder Coffee Bar's hojicha Wundergato was much tastier than I expected. It was my first time trying hojicha ice cream, and the sweet, nutty aroma wasn't overpowering and kept me going back for more. I first enjoyed the ice cream on its own, then mixed it with the coffee when a little was left.

The coffee soaks into the ice cream and it turns into something like a smooth latte, and this combination is really good, haha. As the ice cream melts it softens the bitterness of the coffee, so it felt like having dessert and coffee all at once. It's not just the ice cream that's good; the coffee served with it is delicious too, which made me even happier. I'd order the Wundergato again next time.

The choco shell vanilla soft serve cone my child ate

For the vanilla soft serve cone my child ate, we added a choco shell (₩1,000). The chocolate hardens into a crisp layer over the smooth vanilla ice cream, and my child loved it. I figured they'd eat only the ice cream and leave the cone, but they said the cone was tasty too and finished it all. Seeing them eat so happily, I felt ordering it was the right call.

Is it a good café to rest with a child at Garden5?

Wunder Coffee Bar's Garden5 branch was a good place to take a short break with my child while shopping. When you're shopping there are times you need somewhere to rest with a kid, and it was nice to have sweet ice cream and good coffee together. The shop is easy to find, and the shared food square tables nearby made it easy to eat there with a child.

One drawback: at busy times you may need to check the order line and seating situation. Above all, the hojicha Wundergato was better than expected and my child ate the vanilla ice cream well, so it was a satisfying visit. Next time I'd like to order a set menu and try Wunder Coffee and other signature items too. If you're looking for a café at Garden5 with great coffee and ice cream, stop by Wunder Coffee Bar. We're 100% planning to come back :)