Hongdae café with a mini waterfall & corn custard pudding: Naemyeonui

I went to a big café in Seogyo-dong, Hongdae, with my friends. It's been a while since I visited a café that felt so healing, so here's my review haha

Naemyeonui Balgyeon: location, parking and hours

Naemyeonui Balgyeon (내면의 발견) is a café at 53 Woldeukeopbuk-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. There is parking for 4 cars at the café, and they recommend using the nearby Cheonggiwa public parking lot.

• Location: 53 Woldeukeopbuk-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Parking: 4 spaces at the café / nearby Cheonggiwa public parking lot recommended
• Hours: Mon–Fri 12:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 12:00–20:00

A large Hongdae café: what's the space like?

Naemyeonui Balgyeon is a large café roughly halfway between Hongik Univ. Station and Hapjeong Station. There aren't many big cafés around Hongdae, and I was really happy with how roomy this one is haha

White partition walls and an entrance full of nature

The white-toned partition walls at the entrance caught my eye. The concept is a space for emptying, filling, pausing and immersing yourself, and it really did feel relaxed.

After the white walls, an uphill path leads to the café entrance. Little touches like stones and grass let you feel nature, and I loved the interior styling.

The mini waterfall and the misty space

This was the spot where I went "wow~". There's a mini waterfall, and mist comes out at regular intervals. I stopped for a moment to enjoy it haha Other visitors also stood there for a while to take it in.

Window seats with trees outside, my favorite view

This was my favorite composition in the café, and the photo turned out great haha Looking at the clear sky and green trees outside the window, the white walls, ceiling and chairs, the wood-toned table and the green accessories, I felt so settled and calm.

Most of the café isn't packed with tables and noisy. It's the opposite: relaxed and calm.

Were there plenty of seats on the weekend?

There were three of us that day, so we didn't go out to the terrace, but I think it would be lovely to take an iced Americano out there and just sit by myself lol

We visited on a weekend, and maybe because it's a large café, the open space is big and there are lots of seats, so we enjoyed our coffee and dessert at a leisurely pace.

What we ordered at Naemyeonui Balgyeon

We ordered 2 Americanos, a latte, a corn custard pudding and a Basque cheese brûlée.

We came after going to VIPS (a buffet-style restaurant chain) with a friend, so I was super full... but we ordered dessert anyway lol The staff member explained the menu so kindly... that I got curious and ordered two! haha

A tray that holds your drinks in place

Maybe because there are many areas you reach by stairs, the tray has a holder (a stand?) to keep the drinks steady. Thanks to that I could carry everything without spilling, lol Nice touch, well done! It also felt like being treated well, compared with just being handed a bare cup.

Latte and an Americano with some acidity

I've been craving lattes lately, so I ordered a latte! My friends ordered an Americano and a decaf Americano, and I tried them. Naemyeonui Balgyeon uses beans with some acidity. I'd only been drinking nutty beans, so having acidic coffee after a long time tasted great lol

Corn custard pudding vs Basque cheese brûlée

Of the desserts at Naemyeonui Balgyeon, the corn custard pudding was the tasty one! I was going to order just one dessert, but the male staff member explained so kindly that we ordered both. The corn custard pudding had a good balance of texture and flavor.

The cream is rich but not overly heavy, the layer under the cream has a potato-salad-like texture that's nutty, and since it's made with corn, you get bits to chew here and there.

The Basque cheese brûlée tasted a bit salty apart from the part where the sugar had melted, which was slightly disappointing for my taste. But Basque cheesecake is... well, always good, right? lol We ate it all happily!

Naemyeonui Balgyeon: final thoughts

A rare large café in Hongdae, where each space has its own concept and you can find some calm

Naemyeonui Balgyeon is a rare large café in Hongdae, and the calm feeling of the space made me feel I had really rested. There's also a rooftop area, so I'd love to come back when the weather is nice.

If you drink Americano, people who like beans with some acidity will probably enjoy it a bit more, and for dessert I recommend the corn custard pudding over the Basque cheese brûlée lol (purely my taste).