Yeonnam-dong sofa café with cherry choco chiffon sando: Noknok

Every time I go to Yeonnam-dong there are so many pretty cafés that I can never decide where to go. This time I had a meal there with a friend, then wandered along Gyeongui Line Forest Park, and that's how we ended up at Noknok (녹녹, Knock Knock), a well-known big café in Yeonnam-dong.

I heard Noknok is popular as a Yeonnam-dong bakery café because it's rare to find free parking in the area, and it also has lots of bakery items and plenty of space. Having visited, I can see why so many people put it on their Yeonnam-dong café recommendation lists. The space is big and the seating is varied, so it looked good both for chatting with friends and for working on a laptop. Okay, let me get into the details 😊

Where is Noknok and does it have parking?

Noknok (Knock Knock) is on the 1st and 2nd floors at 139 Seongmisan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, about a 15-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3. It's listed as open daily 08:30–23:30, with delivery and takeout, and pets are welcome.

Noknok sits inside the Yeonnam-dong alleys, but it wasn't as hard to find as I expected.

My friend and I had lunch in Yeonnam-dong and strolled slowly along Gyeongui Line Forest Park. The weather was nice, and we got there before we knew it. So it's a good spot for a Yeonnam-dong date, or for a coffee after a meal when you're meeting a friend.

Noknok also has free parking, which is rare in Yeonnam-dong. I came by public transport, but since there's parking, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Yeonnam-dong café with parking. You can park in front of the shop, and it was free~

How do the 1st and 2nd floors of Noknok differ in mood?

Noknok is a big café on two floors, so it's good for visiting in a group. The 1st floor has a lounge feel that's good for talking, and the 2nd floor is quiet and good for working. Let me go through each floor~

1st floor: a lounge-like space with a big central sofa

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that it's much bigger than I expected.

Noknok is a two-floor Yeonnam-dong bakery café, and it's quite large.

The huge sofa seating in the middle of the 1st floor stood out the most. It's arranged like the café's main space, and we were lucky enough to get that spot. I was really happy with it.

The sofa was much squishier than I expected, and chatting with my friend felt almost like sitting in my own living room.

We drank coffee and chatted and completely lost track of time. It felt more like a lounge than a café.

The overall mood on the 1st floor is cozy and comfortable, with green-toned interiors and warm lighting. It's good for visiting with a friend, and I thought it would work as a Yeonnam-dong date spot too. Overall the 1st floor is a nice place to talk with friends or take your time.

2nd floor: a quiet space for laptop work and studying

The 2nd floor of Noknok has a slightly different mood from the 1st. As soon as I went up the stairs it felt much calmer and quieter. When I visited, many people were using laptops, and quite a few were working or studying alone.

So I felt Noknok isn't just a Yeonnam-dong bakery café but also a good study café in Yeonnam. The seats are spaced fairly far apart, so you can focus without worrying about the person next to you, and it felt fine to come alone.

If the 1st floor is for spending time talking with people, the 2nd floor felt right for studying, work or reading, anything that needs focus. Getting both moods in one café is part of Noknok's charm. If you're looking for a quiet place to work among Yeonnam-dong cafés, I think you'd be happy here.

What coffee and desserts does Noknok have?

The coffee menu has basics like americano and café latte, and you can switch to decaf. That seemed like a good option if you visit late in the afternoon or want to cut back on caffeine.

The dessert menu was varied too. There were Basque cheesecake, crème brûlée cheesecake, choco roll, chiffon sando and more, all good with coffee. I found myself wanting to try the other bakery items on my next visit.

From meal breads to desserts: Noknok's bakery display

Noknok isn't just a place for coffee; it's a Yeonnam-dong bakery café where you can enjoy lots of baked goods too. I was surprised by how many kinds were in the bakery display at one side of the shop, from light desserts to breads that can stand in for a meal.

• Meal breads: sandwiches, baguette, croissant, salt bread
• Desserts: cheesecake, choco roll, chiffon sando, financier, madeleine

It was hard to decide what to pick. If you want coffee and bakery items together in Yeonnam-dong, this café looked like a very satisfying choice.

With such a wide range of bakery items, it would work like a brunch café too.

How do the cherry choco chiffon sando and decaf iced americano taste?

• Cherry choco chiffon sando
• Decaf iced americano

What I ordered at Noknok was the cherry choco chiffon sando (chiffon cake sandwich) and a decaf iced americano. The decaf iced americano had an impressively nutty flavor. It wasn't very acidic, so it was easy to drink and went well with the dessert. The coffee aroma was subtle and nice too, and I was personally happy with it.

And the cherry choco chiffon sando! It looked really tempting, and it was even better when I ate it. The chiffon sheets were fluffy and moist, and the chocolate cream in the middle was rich yet sweet.

The fresh tang of the cherry on top made a nice sweet-and-tart balance. It went especially well with the coffee. If you like pairing a sweet dessert with a nutty americano, you'd be happy with this one.

Who should visit Noknok?

Noknok (Knock Knock) was a place where I could see why so many people recommend it as a Yeonnam-dong bakery café. The big space, varied seating and rich bakery lineup made it very satisfying. The central sofa on the 1st floor was so squishy that I was chatting with my friend and lost all sense of time 😊

It's about a 15-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3, so it's nice to stop by after a meal in Yeonnam-dong and a stroll along Gyeongui Line Forest Park, and with free parking I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Yeonnam-dong café with parking. If you want a Yeonnam café with a good laptop space, lots of bakery items and decaf coffee, it's worth a visit at least once.