Café near Hongdae for solo journaling and cold brew: Jitheunsan

How to get to Jitheunsan in Yeonnam-dong: 15 minutes on foot from Hongik University Station

I walked about 15 minutes from Hongik University Station to visit Jitheunsan (짙은산), a dessert café in Yeonnam-dong. It's open daily from 8:30 AM to 11:00 PM. I'd been needing some solo café healing lately, and this place turned out to be perfect for exactly that — I left with my heart completely full.

Is hiking the concept here or something haha? The sign says 'Jitheunsan' (deep mountain), and there's actual hiking gear sitting out front... way too cute.

Seating at Jitheunsan: window seats made for solo visits

I felt cozy the moment I stepped into Jitheunsan. Deep wood-tone interior with lots of plants 🍀. The table on the right is big enough to seat five or more.

I picked this seat that faces out the window! Someone else came in alone too and sat here reading a book — I should bring a book next time... It's a calm, unhurried atmosphere, so it's a great café for reading 📚

The inner tables are a bit more spacious, suited for two or more people! There's a certain charm in how every chair and table is a different shape. There was also a comfy sofa on the right side!!

Jitheunsan is a total sunlight haven. I love a café that opens up the full window wall and lets the light pour in like this. Especially perfect for weather like this!! There was even a guy in a T-shirt that read 'The 3 essential nutrients of modern life: caffeine, nicotine, alcohol'... a Santa Claus kind of figure (?).

And here's the speaker that set the café's mood with music. Above it was a long mirror that read: 'Love and cake make everything sweeter. Wishing you a sweet day!' — just reading it genuinely made my day sweeter.

A guestbook touched by so many hands, and a menu board the owner drew and wrote by hand themselves. So cute!!

Jitheunsan menu and prices, wine included

Of course, there's also a regular menu board you can take in at a glance.

<Coffee> Americano ₩5,500 (takeout ₩3,500) Café latte ₩6,000 (takeout ₩4,000) Cream latte ₩7,500 Einspänner ₩7,000 Vanilla latte ₩7,000 Cold brew ₩5,500 Chestnut affogato ₩8,000 Lemony-cano ₩6,500 Salt latte ₩6,500 <Non-coffee> Earl Grey milk tea ₩7,500 Matcha schweppes ₩7,000 Strawberry latte ₩6,500 Blueberry ade ₩7,000 Lemon cream sherbet ₩6,500 <Tea> Rose chamomile tea + lemon syrup ₩6,500 Earl Grey tea + plum + pearls ₩7,000 Rooibos tea ₩7,000 <Wine> Red wine glass ₩9,000 Bottle ₩42,000

There's quite a range of drinks, and each one has its own distinct character, so it was fun just to browse. Since they're open until 11 PM, there's also a wine menu — I bet this place has a whole different vibe once the sun goes down...

Fig cream cheese terrine cake and cold brew at Jitheunsan

Jitheunsan is a terrine specialist, so there were several kinds and it was hard to choose ㅠ_ㅠ Terrine is moister and softer than a brownie, but still has a chewy quality to it!

The plating made me feel properly taken care of. Everything came out clean on one tray, which I liked. Since figs are in season, I went with the fig cream cheese terrine cake and a cold brew. Good weather, good mood, good taste ~ having a self-care day like this every once in a while is what keeps me going . .

Cold brew coffee, ₩5,500. Caffeine hits me way too hard and makes me dizzy, so I don't usually drink coffee — but I'm apparently still a sad girl who loves the taste of it haha 🥲 Cold brew is my favorite because it has a bit of a dark chocolate flavor to it. Jitheunsan's cold brew wasn't too heavy — cool, clean, and it paired perfectly with the terrine!

The coaster with the Jitheunsan label was so cute it made me want to pick knitting back up. Maybe I'll start again this winter?

Fig cream cheese terrine cake, ₩9,500. Maybe because of the name Jitheunsan (deep mountain), that little flag on top feels just like the one you'd plant after reaching the summit.

The cream cheese terrine was really soft. Nutty, dense, and moist — and eating a bite of the fig on top with it brought out that fresh, sweet flavor that's so distinctly fig!! Turns out I love figs . . 🩷 They were so fresh, too — perfectly ripe figs!!

Decorating a diary with Jitheunsan's own café stickers

The thing that makes any dakku (diary decorating) lover lose it: café or restaurant house stickers haha

Eating fig terrine, sipping cold brew, and journaling in between... this is the life I always wanted. Although at this point my diary only has records of what I've eaten

While I was soaking up all this happiness, they brought out a cute lemon sherbet on the house, saying it'd be a nice palate cleanser!! It was so refreshing and cool that it left my mouth perfectly clean 🍋

Why Jitheunsan works for solo café time in Yeonnam-dong

If you want to step away from everyday life for a bit in Yeonnam-dong, I recommend Jitheunsan! The quiet, unhurried atmosphere makes it great for going alone to read or write in a diary and enjoy some time to yourself, but it's also a lovely spot for chatting with a friend or taking it slow on a date with someone special.

Especially when there's a lot on your mind these days, it's the kind of place where you can order a delicious dessert and just let time pass slowly — for me, it was a proper Yeonnam-dong healing course 🌿 Whether it's a solo café visit or a date with friends or a partner, it's worth stopping by whenever you need to reset your mood.