Gongdeok old-house café with financier-base egg tarts: Ieo Coffee

Ieo Coffee Roasters — a little healing spot in the middle of the city, near the Gyeongui Line forest trail between Gongdeok and Daeheung stations :)

One breezy day, after eating near Mapo station, I walked toward Gongdeok to help digest and went looking for a café along the way — and found one with a really nice vibe, so I stopped in with a friend for some good coffee. Let me introduce a Gyeongui Line forest trail café near Gongdeok and Daeheung stations — Ieo Coffee Roasters~

Where is Ieo Coffee Roasters, and is Gongdeok or Daeheung Station closer?

Ieo Coffee Roasters is on the 1st floor of 9 Baekbeom-ro 24-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, tucked in a small alley near the Gyeongui Line forest trail. I walked from the Gongdeok side, but checking the map, it's actually a bit closer to Daeheung Station! Something to keep in mind if you're taking public transit >_<

A renovated old house outside, a cozy room inside

It feels like an old hanok turned into a café — vintage yet cozy, that's Ieo Coffee :) Tucked in a small alley off a bigger street, this Gongdeok/Daeheung café felt like a tiny healing space in the middle of the city~ The quiet alley is calm, with few people or cars passing by, which made it feel genuinely relaxing in the middle of the city.

Oh, and the Ieo Coffee sign is small and written only in English, so keep your eyes peeled~~ I walked right past it and had to turn back haha.

The little standing sign was cute and charming too haha — Ieo Coffee Roasters has a great feel starting from the outside!

There was also this small space out front where you can eat outdoors haha. On a nice day, sitting outside looks like a great option.

Step inside and a duck figurine pouring coffee greets you haha. The interior was cute and full of little details.

The interior, furniture, and little props all add up to a cozy, comfortable vibe at this Gongdeok/Daeheung café. And since they roast their own beans in-house, the fragrant coffee smell made things even more pleasant.

Ieo Coffee Roasters menu and signature drinks

Here's the menu board at Ieo Coffee Roasters! :-) The signature menu items are basil milk tea, almond latte, and cream almond.

They also sell their own roasted beans!

They also make their desserts in-house!

What we ordered at Ieo Coffee Roasters and what it cost

• Decaf iced americano ₩4,300 (same price as regular beans, no extra charge for decaf)
• Cream almond ₩5,800
• Egg tart ₩4,100

How do the decaf americano and cream almond taste?

A refreshing-looking iced americano and a cream almond that looked soft and smooth just from sight! I liked that Ieo Coffee Roasters didn't charge extra for swapping to decaf beans — other places usually tack on about +₩500, right, haha. The decaf iced americano had a slight acidity with a nutty, savory bean flavor. Decaf usually has a bit of acidity, I think, but it wasn't overly sharp, so it was fine.

The cream almond is a cream latte made with house-made almond latte topped with house-made almond cream. Since cream almond is Einspänner-style coffee, I first spooned up the soft almond-flavored cream without mixing it in, getting a bunch of cream on my upper lip haha haha. Then the coffee and milk came through behind the soft cream, filling my mouth with a nutty flavor — really good~ After eating it Einspänner-style for a while, I stirred it with a spoon to switch to cream-latte style. It's tasty either way, but I'd recommend trying just the cream first. It wasn't too sweet, and was full of gentle, generous almond flavor and aroma~

The egg tart with a financier for a base

The egg tart is a bit unusual in that the bottom is made of financier, giving it a slightly firmer texture than usual. Egg tarts are usually hard to cut cleanly, but because the base was a firm financier, it was easy to cut. There was no knife, so I just sliced through it with a fork. It's a sweet egg tart that goes really well with iced americano! :)

Honest verdict on Ieo Coffee Roasters in Gongdeok

Personally, I prefer quiet, cozy cafés over big, large-scale ones, and this Gongdeok/Daeheung café really lived up to the phrase 'a small healing space in the middle of the city' — quiet and comfortable. Tucked in a small alley with few people or cars around, my friend and I sat side by side, relaxed quietly, and enjoyed our coffee haha. We tried three things — the americano, the cream almond, and the egg tart — and the cream almond was memorable enough to earn its spot as the signature menu item~ If you're looking for a nice-vibe café near Gongdeok or Daeheung Station by the Gyeongui Line forest trail, I recommend Ieo Coffee Roasters :)