Hongdae café for peach lemon iced tea on a hot day: Think Fruit

After eating in Hongdae, I wanted a proper dessert, so I went looking for Think Fruit.

This place is known for soufflés piled high with seasonal fruit. I'd originally gone for the peach soufflé, but sadly — SOLD OUT! Instead I ordered the seasonal fig soufflé, and to cut to the chase, the menu change turned out to be no letdown at all, haha.

Who Think Fruit suits best

• Anyone looking for a soufflé spot in Hongdae
• Anyone who loves seasonal fruit and takes dessert seriously
• Anyone looking for a Hongdae dessert café to linger in rather than grab-and-go

Think Fruit location, hours and parking in Hongdae

Think Fruit sits on the 1st floor of 14-12 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, tucked into an alley in Hongdae. It's open 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM with last order at 8:00 PM, and there's no parking.

Since it's down an alley, we walked over — and of course it was hot that day, so by the time we got there we were already a little worn out. The moment the café door opened, it was basically "cold drink, please, now"... haha.

Inside Think Fruit: roomier than expected and easy to linger in

From the outside Think Fruit looks small, but once we stepped in, it was more spacious than expected.

There are quite a few tables, and the vibe is relaxed enough to sit and enjoy dessert without rushing.

Especially since Think Fruit isn't the kind of café where your soufflé comes out right away, having a comfortable space to wait in matters.

It felt more like a café for talking and taking your time while the soufflé bakes than a quick coffee-and-go spot. It'd also suit a date, as a place to rest for a bit.

That said, since there's no dedicated parking, public transit is a more convenient way to get here than driving.

How long does a soufflé take at Think Fruit? About 30 minutes

What we'd originally planned to eat was Think Fruit's peach soufflé, 22,000 won. But by the time we visited, the peach was already sold out. A bit disappointing, but we switched to the seasonal fig soufflé, 20,000 won.

Since the soufflé is made to order, it took about 30 minutes. So rather than dropping in on a tight schedule, I'd recommend visiting with time to spare from the start. We chatted over coffee for a while, and before we knew it, the soufflé we'd been waiting for showed up!

Fig soufflé at Think Fruit: fluffy, fresh and worth 20,000 won

First off, it's gorgeous. A puffed-up soufflé topped with seasonal fig, whipped cream, and even Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

Cutting in with a fork, the soufflé was genuinely soft. "Fluffy" almost undersells it — the texture felt more like "pillowy," haha.

Rather than a heavy chew, it just melts away softly in your mouth, which made the 30-minute wait worth it. The fruit that came with it was great too.

Even at a soufflé specialty spot, if the accompanying fruit is disappointing, overall satisfaction drops fast — but the fig was fresh and paired really well with the soufflé.

The whipped cream also passes the test. It's not pushing sweetness hard — it's soft and not overly sweet, so it doesn't overpower the soufflé or the fruit.

And then, one more move: a scoop of Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Personally, this was the kicker of Think Fruit's soufflé. Adding a bit of cold ice cream onto the warm, pillowy soufflé completely changes the temperature and texture.

Eating the soufflé alone, then with the fruit, then finally piling on the ice cream too — by the end it felt like we'd gotten a lot of variety out of one 20,000-won dessert. Turns out the rumors about Hongdae's soufflé spot were true...

Peach lemon iced tea, 8,000 won, that cooled off a hot day

For drinks we picked an iced americano at 5,500 won and peach lemon iced tea at 8,000 won. The one that really stuck with me was the peach lemon iced tea. The moment we took a sip, we both thought the exact same thing.

Wait, doesn't this taste like Bundaberg?

Hahaha it's actually really good!

It's not just sweet peach tea — the sweetness feels a touch more refined, and the lemon's tartness doesn't punch through too aggressively.

The peach's sweetness and a gentle tartness blend together nicely — I doubt this one would split people into love-it-or-hate-it camps. Especially since we'd just walked up a hot Hongdae alley and were pretty worn out — one sip of that ice-packed peach lemon iced tea and the heat just washed away.

Cold drinks really hit different at moments like that, haha. The americano was good to order alongside as a palate cleanser between bites of the sweet soufflé.

Want one proper dessert in Hongdae? Think Fruit

Think Fruit felt less like a café for a quick coffee and more like a place to come and slowly enjoy seasonal fruit and soufflé as the main event.

Since the soufflé takes about 30 minutes to arrive, it's best to leave plenty of time. We were a bit disappointed we couldn't get the peach soufflé, but once we actually tried the fig soufflé, the combination of pillowy soufflé, fresh fig, soft whipped cream, and Häagen-Dazs ice cream was quite satisfying.

Next time I'd like to come back when peach is available again. It also seems like it'd be fun to try different menus as the seasonal fruit changes.

The verdict on Think Fruit in one line

A Hongdae dessert café where you'll wait about 30 minutes, but the pillowy soufflé, fresh seasonal fruit, and Häagen-Dazs combo really delivered. We ended up with the fig soufflé because peach was sold out, but it turned out to be very satisfying.