Songpa coffee shop for egg tarts and iced Americano: Grid Cafe

On Sunday afternoon, the three of us—my husband, our child, and I—went to Grid Cafe. Honestly, we had not planned to stay long that day; we had heard the egg tarts were good and only meant to pick some up to go. But the moment our child saw the egg tarts in the display case, they wanted one so badly that we changed our plans and decided to eat there instead, haha.

Grid Cafe location, hours, and parking

• Location: 1F, 146 Macheon-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 송파구 마천로 146 1층)
• Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 09:00–18:00; last order at 17:30
• Closed: Every Monday
• Parking: Not available on weekdays; use the parking lot behind the café on weekends

Rather than a huge destination café, Grid Cafe felt like the kind of neighborhood bakery café people return to regularly. We arrived around 2 PM on Sunday, and it was nearly full inside, with lots of customers continuing to come in for takeaway. The information said weekend parking was available, but the lot was already full when we got there, so we could not use it. It seemed quite busy on weekend afternoons, so if you are driving, there may not be a parking space.

Luckily, a seat had just opened up, so we were able to sit down right away. Looking around, there were hardly any children besides ours, and the tables were not especially far apart. Personally, it felt less like a café for lingering with a child and more like a nice place to have bread and coffee casually or get them to go.

When do the egg tarts and salt bread come out?

There was also a separate bread schedule posted in front of the café. The egg tarts and original salt bread come out from 9 AM, followed throughout the day by different kinds of salt bread, ciabatta, and sandwich bread.

Ahh... as expected for an afternoon visit, much more bread had sold out than I thought. From ciabatta onward, most of the different breads in the case were SOLD OUT. It was only 2 PM, but if you want to see a wider selection, it would be better to come a little earlier. With people constantly coming in and so many takeaway orders, it was obvious that this is quite a popular neighborhood spot.

Still, thankfully, the egg tarts I most wanted to try were continuing to bake. The display case said “NO.1 Egg Tart” and “NO.2 Salt Bread,” so it was easy to see that they were the signature items.

Ordering original and chocolate egg tarts with salt bread

We ordered an original egg tart, the chocolate egg tart our child chose, and salt bread. The salt bread was divided into two main types, SOFT and CRACK, so we hesitated for a moment. But we were told the CRACK type might be a little hard for a child, so this time we chose the original salt bread.

You order at the kiosk inside the café. Since you order the bread and drinks together, it was not difficult, and we added an iced Americano and strawberry latte too.

A rich, full-bodied iced Americano

The coffee beans were displayed separately, which made it feel like they paid attention to coffee as well as bread. And after actually trying it, the Americano was much better than I expected. It was deeply aromatic and full-bodied; my husband said it was delicious as soon as he tasted it. I had a few sips too and thought, the coffee here is good.

Egg tart, chocolate egg tart, salt bread, strawberry latte, and iced Americano. As soon as they were all laid out on the table, our child reached for them right away, haha.

They wanted the chocolate egg tart so badly that I asked them to wait while I took photos, but their hand kept reaching for it. That is why there is a little child’s hand in every photo, haha.

The egg tart I remembered most

And the most delicious thing that day was, of course, the egg tart. When I cut it in half, it was packed with filling, and it looked wonderfully moist at a glance. The tart shell crumbled crispily, while the inside was soft and creamy, so the contrast in texture was really good. The chocolate egg tart was like the original egg tart with added chocolate flavor! It seemed to suit our child’s taste better, because they ate it so happily. The salt bread was good too. It was soft on the outside, with a buttery flavor inside, and I think choosing the original salt bread was a good fit for sharing with our child. Still, of the three things we had that day, the egg tart was what stayed with me most.

A broken glass and coffee I regretted losing

But there was one little mishap that day. While my husband had briefly stepped away, I was with our child and accidentally knocked over the iced Americano. The coffee spilled everywhere and the glass broke too, so it instantly became a complete mess. The staff came over and cleared away all the broken glass, and I felt so sorry for giving them extra work. On top of that, I had only had a little of the coffee, so I was even more disappointed.

In the end, I was sorry that I had barely been able to drink the Americano, so I got another decaf Americano to take away on the way out. The decaf was clean-tasting and good too, but to me, the regular iced Americano I had first tasted felt a little richer and more flavorful. Still, I definitely came away remembering that this is a place with delicious coffee as well as bread.

We drank our coffee as we walked to where we had parked and strolled along Seongnaecheon Stream, and the weather was lovely—it was so nice! Next time, I want to get egg tarts and coffee to go and spend some time outside. If you are looking for a dessert spot in Ogeum-dong or near Ogeum Station, this was worth stopping by. And if, like me, you are looking for great egg tarts in Songpa, I definitely recommend visiting Grid Cafe!