Roastery café in Mangwon, Seoul: peach-note Aricha Americano, PICT

PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch: a Mangwon café stop after a weekday lunch

PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch (픽트로스터리 망원점) is a roastery café on Woldeukeop-ro 23-gil in Mangwon-dong. I went after a weekday lunch to relax with coffee and something sweet. After a meal, you just want a cup of coffee to cleanse the palate, right? So here's my honest review of a popular Mangwon café, where I had two kinds of coffee and a Basque cheesecake!

PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch opening hours and days off

• Address: 45 Woldeukeop-ro 23-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1st floor)
• Hours: Wed–Sun 11:00–19:00
• Last order: 18:30
• Regular days off: every Monday and Tuesday

What kind of café is PICT Roastery?

PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch is a roastery café that focuses on roasting and brewing its own beans! What makes it special is that you don't just pick an Americano or a latte; you can choose according to the aroma and taste of the beans.

Mangwon has lots to see and plenty of pretty cafés for after a meal. If you want somewhere to rest during a Mangwon Market browse or a date on Mangridan-gil, you look for a café where you can have coffee and dessert together, and PICT was exactly that.

Choosing the beans: Aricha Bouquet vs. Midnight Cacao

I ordered an iced Americano and a vanilla bean latte. For the Americano I chose the Aricha Bouquet blend, known for its acidity and fruity aroma, and for the vanilla bean latte I picked the Midnight Cacao blend, hoping for a nutty, rich flavor.

Besides coffee, there are desserts like aged French toast, matcha Basque cheesecake and pistachio tiramisu, so it's easy to pair something sweet with your cup! Even at the same café, the beans you choose change the direction of the taste, which I found fun. You can pick a bright coffee or a rich, heavy one depending on your taste, which I loved.

What does the Aricha Bouquet blend iced Americano taste like?

The Aricha Bouquet blend iced Americano has a pleasant acidity from the very first sip~ The peach aroma and bright acidity really come through! It doesn't linger heavily in your mouth; it finishes fragrant and clean, which impressed me.

Coffee after lunch can feel too heavy sometimes, but this Americano left my mouth feeling fresh, so I was very satisfied. If you usually like acidic coffee or beans with a fruity aroma, keep an eye on the Aricha Bouquet blend! It's not the style that only stresses bitterness; it's nice to sip slowly while savoring the aroma.

Is the Midnight Cacao blend vanilla bean latte sweet?

For the vanilla bean latte I chose the Midnight Cacao blend. If the Americano was fragrant and bright, the vanilla bean latte is centered on a nutty flavor, so the coffee's richness and the vanilla's sweetness blend naturally and go down smoothly.

What I especially liked was that the sweetness wasn't overdone!! The vanilla bean latte at PICT is housemade, so you can still taste the nutty beans, and it's an easy-to-enjoy, upscale taste.

Kyoto matcha Basque cheesecake: texture and sweetness

The dessert I ordered with the coffee was the Kyoto matcha Basque cheesecake~ What caught my eye first when it arrived was how moist it looked!! The calm matcha color is pretty, and set next to the coffee, it lifted the whole dessert-time mood.

Taking a bite, the texture was every bit as soft as I'd hoped. Scooped with a fork, it felt like it melted away in my mouth, and a subtle matcha aroma joined the gentle flavor of cheesecake. Best of all, the sweetness was not overdone, so the coffee and cake didn't spoil each other, a combo I especially liked. If you're hunting for a great Mangwon dessert spot and want something that satisfies in taste and texture, not just looks, I'd recommend the Kyoto matcha Basque cheesecake!

Who should visit PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch?

If you're eating in Mangwon and want a rest before or after Mangwon Market, or a place for coffee and dessert on a Mangwon date, I highly recommend PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch! Since it's a roastery café, it's especially good if you care about coffee: you get the fun of choosing your own beans, plus a dessert that isn't overwhelming.

Next time I'll visit with plenty of time and definitely try the signature aged French toast too!!!