Seoul study café with decaf latte and terrace seats: Mudeungdowon

Now that I'm in late pregnancy, I can't really wander around freely anymore. But when I manage a successful little neighborhood outing, my whole day's mood turns around, so lately I've picked up a hobby of hunting down nice-vibe cafés. This one's good to visit alone or with a partner, and the calm atmosphere makes it great for studying or working on a laptop too — so I saved it as a favorite spot. This is Mudeungdowon, a study café near Seongshin Women's University and a latte hotspot near Bomun Station. ⛰️

Where is Mudeungdowon, and where can you park?

Mudeungdowon is a café and LP music bar at 56 Bomun-ro 32-gil, 1st floor, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, near the Seongbuk Stream between Seongshin Women's University and Bomun stations. There are three parking options.

• 1 free parking spot in front of the store
• Resident-priority public lot within 200m on foot, via the Modu Parking app, ₩1,200 per hour
• Seongbuk-gu Office parking about 200m on foot, first 30 minutes free, then ₩1,000 per 30 minutes

🤎 Key point — a study café near Seongshin Women's University and Seongbuk Stream, a nice-vibe hand-drip coffee spot in Bomun, a latte favorite near Seongshin Women's University and Bomun, and a café that's also an LP music bar.

Mudeungdowon's bean and album of the month change monthly

Each month, you can check the bean of the month and album of the month on Naver Place and their Instagram account.

• 🍁 September's Mudeungdowon pick
• ☕️ Costa Rica San Isidro Labrador Typica Honey
• 🎧 Lee Soo-young, My Stay in Sendai

Closure info is also posted on Naver Place or Instagram. They're closed September 24–26, so keep that in mind before visiting.

Inside Mudeungdowon and the terrace seats

Mudeungdowon has terrace seating set up right in front of the store 🤎 These days, with the cool mornings and evenings making it clear that fall has arrived, I really wanted that terrace seat and made sure to claim it.

Somewhere between a café straight out of a movie and an LP bar, Mudeungdowon has a great atmosphere as a nice-vibe latte spot near Bomun Station. You could sense the owner's personal taste in little details throughout. Maybe because the seats are so comfortable, there were a lot of university students studying or working on laptops.

The quiet background music didn't get in the way of focusing or chatting. The fact that the beans and the LP change every month was one reason I'd want to come back.

Mudeungdowon's menu and the free decaf switch for pregnant guests

At Mudeungdowon you can choose between nutty, light-acidity, or decaf beans, and there's also an oat milk swap and a personal tumbler discount. Pregnant customers can switch to decaf for free.

They also have caffeine-free options like persimmon leaf tea, which was nice for switching things up with a warm drink.

They also have filter coffee available.

And there's a prepaid card. They even offer extra points on top, which shows a nice sense of taking care of regulars 🥰

Four kinds of slice cake. They also have a seasonal cake.

Mudeungdowon's signature dessert, the cardamom bun. Cardamom bread, a beloved staple in Nordic countries. It's made with cardamom, famous as a premium spice. I even got to smell it before trying it — mint and lemon notes came through, and the texture, a bit like chewing on a seed husk, was an unusual and interesting flavor. Mudeungdowon, the cardamom bun spot in Seongbuk-gu.

How the light-acidity latte, decaf latte, and cardamom bun tasted

Since this café is known as a latte favorite near Bomun Station, my husband and I both ordered lattes — one with light-acidity beans, one decaf.

The owner told us the latte art wouldn't come out as pretty since it was decaf, haha. But it still looked lovely to me.

I had high hopes for the cardamom bun 🥐 The way the bright cardamom aroma blended with the flour was so good. It was my first time trying it, and it was a total success. That husk-like texture and lingering scent at the end was exactly my kind of thing.

Even though it was decaf, I could fully taste that smooth, nutty flavor a good latte should have — I loved that. I get why they're proud of their lattes. I'm normally someone who loves a latte with rich, soft foam and a nutty milk base, and this one completely won me over.

Is Mudeungdowon worth a visit?

Mudeungdowon, with its nice vibe near Seongshin Women's University, made for a successful, mood-lifting outing for a heavily pregnant me. I stopped by for a bit after work, and sitting on the terrace, I got to fully soak in the approaching fall.

Both the coffee and the cardamom bun were a total win 🥐🤎 Mudeungdowon ⛰️