Mugyo-dong café: Guatemala Bourbon drip & spring blend, Lemangdoré
In short
Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun is a bakery café spread over 3 floors in Mugyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, between City Hall and Cheonggyecheon Stream. After lunch with a friend, the writer tasted the spring blend sample on the 1st floor, then had a Guatemala Finca Amatillo Bourbon hand drip, a café latte made with the Blanc beans and a cardamom bun. Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun uses good beans, so a hand drip shows off their flavor better than a latte.
Good to know
- Getting there
- City Hall Station Exit 4 · 3-min walk (store listing, Oct 6, 2026)
- Address
- 1F–3F, 17 Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Hours
- Daily 08:00–21:00
- 1st floor
- Coffee bar, seating and a coffee tasting corner
- 2nd floor
- Seating at tables of various shapes
- 3rd floor
- Fritz Hansen Lounge, furnished with Fritz Hansen furniture
- What we ordered
- Hand drip (Guatemala Finca Amatillo Bourbon), café latte (Blanc beans), cardamom bun
- Coffee beans to go
- Whole beans are sold; no drip bags were on display at the time of the visit
as written by the visitor on Jun 10, 2026
After a hearty lunch with my lunch buddy, we headed to Mugyo-dong for a cup of coffee. Today's stop was Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun (레망도레 광화문점), between City Hall and Cheonggyecheon. It's close to the Cheonggyecheon walking route, so it flows naturally from a stroll into a café.
- Address: 17 Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1F, 2F, 3F)
- Hours: Daily 08:00–21:00
What's the atmosphere at Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun like?
Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun is a bakery café that describes itself as making bread, desserts and coffee with care and love. Red heart accents are scattered around the shop, and the whole place feels warm.
Being so close to Cheonggyecheon makes it a good stop after a walk, and an easy fit for a Cheonggyecheon café date.
Floor-by-floor layout of Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun
Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun is quite big, spanning the 1st to 3rd floors. Each floor has a different mood, so it's fun to look around.
- 1F: Coffee bar, seating, coffee tasting corner
- 2F: Tables in a variety of shapes
- 3F: Fritz Hansen Lounge, furnished with Fritz Hansen furniture
I went up to the 3rd floor first. It felt so elegant and quiet that I just took a few photos and came back down. In the end I settled into the busier 2nd floor.
1F coffee of the day tasting: how is the spring blend?
Next to the ordering area on the 1st floor of Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun, a coffee-of-the-day tasting was going on.
Today's bean was the spring blend, a seasonal bean said to have fresh fruity sweetness and a bright lingering finish like lemongrass tea.
I took a small sip and it was much better than I expected. I wanted my husband to try it too, so I felt like buying it as drip bags.
Looking around the shop, beans were on sale, but sadly I didn't see any drip bags. Personally, I'd definitely buy them if they came out.
What we ordered
- Hand drip (Guatemala Finca Amatillo Bourbon)
- Café latte (Blanc)
- Cardamom bun
What does Lemangdoré's cardamom bun taste like?
The cardamom bun is introduced as a Nordic-style signature bread made with the spice cardamom, giving a distinctive, subtle floral aroma.
I tried the cardamom bun first. The outside is crisp, with a flaky, layered pastry texture.
The moment I bit in, it reminded me of a churro. A faint cinnamon-like scent spreads, and I guess that's the signature cardamom aroma. The topping crunches like tiny star-shaped sugar candies.
As I ate, it also reminded me of the kouign-amann I once had at Bee Pâtisserie. The crisp, layered texture and sweet flavor are what they share.
It's a dessert that goes even better with coffee.
Hand drip review: Guatemala Finca Amatillo Bourbon
The Guatemala Finca Amatillo Bourbon is the hand drip coffee my lunch buddy ordered. Cup notes: grapefruit, peanut butter, caramel and dark chocolate.
First comes a fresh, bright acidity. As time passes and the ice melts, the taste keeps changing, which is fun. In the middle, a bittersweet, rich dark-chocolate flavor rises, and a faint acidity lingers at the finish. The aroma is sweet and the aftertaste ends clean.
It's a balance that satisfies both me, who loves acidity, and my buddy, who prefers nutty coffee. The bean quality itself is good, so coffee lovers should be happy with it.
How was the Blanc café latte?
As usual, I ordered a café latte with the Blanc bean. Blanc is described as having the sweetness of green apple and berries, a clean finish, and a feel like summer light.
But since I'd tasted the hand drip first, I was a little disappointed. At a café with beans this good, I thought next time I should pick something that shows off the bean itself rather than a latte.
That doesn't mean the latte was bad. It was smooth and fresh, and I enjoyed it. I wanted another cup, but I'd had such a big lunch that I saved it for next time.
Is Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun worth going back to?
Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun is satisfying for both the coffee and the space. It's easy to recommend as a Cheonggyecheon café date spot that follows naturally from a walk along the stream.
Next time I'll go back to take my time with the seasonal blend and the other bakery items.
Where it is
17 Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1F, 2F, 3F)서울특별시 중구 무교로 17 1층, 2층, 3층
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