Yeonnam-dong tea café with Goyo and Sandeul herbal blends: Sideway

A Sunday afternoon, and why I ended up deep in a Yeonnam-dong alley

Sideway (사이드웨이) is a café tucked into an alley on the Gyeongui Line Forest Park side of Yeonnam-dong. It was two o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, and I had gotten a text cancelling my plans an hour earlier.

I wondered what to do with my suddenly free half day, and in the end my feet took me toward Yeonnam-dong. I didn't really have a destination. The idea was just to walk and go in wherever I could sit down. I've known Yeonnam-dong for quite a while, but I had only ever walked past the alleys on the inner side of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park. Today was different. The empty afternoon pushed me a little deeper into the alley.

Getting to Sideway: how far is it from Hongik Univ. Station?

Sideway is about a 10-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station. My app said exactly 895 m, but when you actually walk it, there's a spot near Gotit where you turn into the alley and get a bit lost. I did too.

I'd read that you should look for a gray side path, but at first I didn't realize that was the entrance and walked past it twice. Only after learning that it's on the ground floor, deep in the alley, did I find it.

Sideway's herbal blended teas: what are Goyo and Sandeul?

Sideway's menu has herbal blended teas that a Korean medicine doctor blends personally. I went in expecting an ordinary espresso bar because it's a café, but I stopped short at the menu.

According to the menu, 'Goyo' (고요, meaning "stillness") is a blend that helps ease tension and promote deep sleep, and 'Sandeul' (산들, a gentle breeze) helps reduce swelling and supports circulation. Normally I order coffee at a café. Isn't that just what you do? But somehow today I wanted something that wasn't coffee. Or, honestly, I got hooked by the name 'Goyo'.

Sideway on a weekend afternoon: is there a wait?

At Sideway on a Sunday at 2:30 p.m., I waited about 15 minutes. The problem was that I showed up too late.

I knew there were solo seats, couple seats and a terrace, but the seats inside were already full. Two groups had settled on the terrace too. I stood near the entrance for a bit and then put my name down for the wait. In that time I read the menu three times.

Sideway's space, designed by an owner who studied architecture

I'm told the owner, who studied architecture, designed Sideway's space personally, and looking around while I waited, that was no empty claim. Korean and vintage furniture are mixed together, and it doesn't feel like a forced mix-and-match.

The lighting was lower than I expected. Even in the daytime the interior is a little dim, and that actually worked in favor of making you want to stay seated. The outdoor terrace was decorated like a garden, and everyone coming in and out peeked at it first.

What I ordered at Sideway: Goyo, Sandeul and an egg tart

A seat opened up. It was an indoor solo seat. I ordered Goyo, Sandeul and an egg tart.

It was my first time ordering two teas at once. The staff member checked with me. "You're having both?" Yep. I have lots of time today.

Sideway's egg tart: is it sweet?

Sideway's egg tart is much less sweet than I expected, a thick type with a firm bottom crust. The egg tart came out first, and it was slightly smaller than my palm. As the explanation said it was baked in-house, the bottom crust was quite firm. When I pressed it lightly with a fork, it didn't give way; there was resistance. The first thing you notice when you bite in is the texture of the crust.

It wasn't the puff-pastry kind with layers of butter, but the kind that crumbles short. After two chews the crust has mostly broken apart, and then the custard filling rises up behind it.

It's not sweet! Much less sweet than I expected. The egg aroma comes first, with a faint vanilla underneath. At the third chew there's a moment when crust pieces and filling mix together, and that part was my favorite.

The teas arrived.

Goyo herbal tea: is it bitter?

Sideway's Goyo herbal tea is a deep brown, yet it isn't bitter, and the aftertaste is slightly sweet. Goyo came out first. The color was darker than I expected. I'd pictured a pale yellow-brown, but it was closer to dark brown.

I smelled it first. There's something mugwort-like, though it isn't mugwort; it felt like the familiar herbal-medicine smell with the sharp edges taken off. With the first sip, the inside of my throat warmed up first. It wasn't bitter. Strangely I was tensed up expecting bitterness, but it wasn't. A slight sweetness lingered in the aftertaste, and it wasn't unpleasant.

Sandeul herbal tea: how is it different from Goyo?

Sideway's Sandeul has a more distinct aroma than Goyo and a lighter first sip. I think something floral is mixed in among the ingredients, but I'm not sure. Little was left in my mouth after drinking. If Goyo is 'weight,' Sandeul is closer to 'ventilation.'

I alternated between the two cups while eating the egg tart. I didn't think this combination would work, but it did.

Sideway hours, parking, seating and prices

Sideway is open from 11:00 to 21:00 on weekdays, with last order at 20:30, and is closed on Mondays. Parking isn't available.

• Hours: weekdays 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:30)
• Closed: Mondays
• Parking: not available
• Seating: solo seats, couple seats, terrace
• Herbal blended tea: ₩7,000 range per cup
• Egg tart: ₩4,500
• Goyo + Sandeul + egg tart total: about ₩19,000

There aren't many seats overall, so if you get the timing wrong on a weekend afternoon, you'll wait. Like me.

Would I go back to Sideway?

If you ask whether I'd make a second visit, I think I'd go back to Sideway to drink Goyo again. Going not for coffee but for that tea is, by my standards, a pretty strong endorsement.

For a day in Yeonnam-dong when you just want to sit, Sideway.