Late-night Hongdae café: choco banana soufflé, decaf affogato, Petrico

I was looking for a dessert café between Hongdae and Hapjeong and ended up at Petrico, known for its soufflé pancakes. Baked-to-order soufflé pancakes are the signature item here, and the photos alone show off that fluffy thickness, so I'd been curious.

This time I ordered the choco banana soufflé and an affogato. The soufflé was covered in chocolate sauce, so it looked rich from the first glance, and the affogato is Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream with espresso, which works nicely alongside a dessert~

Where is Petrico, and what are the hours and parking?

Petrico is at 75 Jandari-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, about 500 m from Hapjeong Station Exit 2, a very walkable distance. Sitting between Hongdae and Hapjeong, it's easy to reach from both areas.

• Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00
• Sat 10:00–22:00
• Sun 10:00–20:00
• Soufflé last order: weekdays 20:30, weekends 18:30
• Other: groups welcome, separate men's/women's restrooms, mobile payment, parking available

Petrico is also a café with parking! On weekdays after 6pm it's first come, first served during your time in the café, and weekends and holidays are said to be relatively roomy. If the lot is full, though, you'll need a nearby paid parking lot.

What's the atmosphere inside Petrico?

The exterior is a red brick building with big windows, and it looked lovely even at night.

Inside, wood-toned tables and chairs and plants are arranged naturally, which felt cozy. The space is bigger than I expected, with a variety of seating.

From window tables to seats that suit bigger groups, it looked fine for a date or for visiting with several people. The lighting isn't too bright and feels warm, so it's a good place to linger over dessert.

I think it would also suit anyone hunting for a quiet new café in Hongdae these days. You order at a kiosk inside, so it was easy to choose while looking at the menu photos.

What did I order at Petrico, and how much was it?

• Choco banana soufflé ₩17,000
• Affogato ₩7,000
• Decaf swap +₩1,000
• Total ₩25,000

How does the choco banana soufflé (₩17,000) taste and feel?

I ordered the choco banana soufflé, one of Petrico's signature dishes. It's loaded with rich chocolate sauce and topped with banana and chocolate pieces, so it looked pretty spectacular the moment it arrived.

Cream and chocolate chips sit around it too, a setup that's tempting just to look at if you love sweets. The soufflé starts baking when you order, so it can take about 20–30 minutes.

After the wait, it really did arrive towering and thick. Cut with a fork, the outside held together softly while the inside was super fluffy.

It wasn't heavy like a regular pancake; the texture was moist and tender with an airy feel. With so much chocolate sauce on top, the first bite tasted quite richly of chocolate.

Eating it with banana added the banana's gentle sweetness to the chocolate, and they paired well. The soufflé itself is soft and moist, so even with lots of chocolate sauce it wasn't too dry, and the fluffy layers showed more the further into the middle I cut.

Especially a slice of banana with chocolate sauce was a familiar, can't-go-wrong combo. If you love rich chocolate desserts, I think you'll be very satisfied.

The portion wasn't small either, so it was nice to eat slowly with a drink. If you're hunting for a great dessert spot in Hongdae and like soufflé pancakes, it's worth trying once.

Does the decaf affogato go well with the soufflé?

Petrico's affogato (₩7,000) comes with Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream and Petrico espresso. Since I visited late, I paid ₩1,000 more to switch to decaf.

It first arrives as vanilla ice cream with a topping, and you pour the espresso served alongside to your taste. When I poured it, the surface of the ice cream melted slightly and a strong coffee aroma spread.

The bitter coffee on sweet, smooth vanilla ice cream felt like it reset the sweetness when eaten with the chocolate soufflé. I also liked how the melting ice cream blended naturally with the espresso and became much smoother and creamier than at first~

Taking a bite of affogato after the rich chocolate soufflé was a good match. If you want to enjoy specialty coffee with dessert, it's worth ordering together.

Petrico: overall verdict

Petrico is a café near Hapjeong Station where you can enjoy fluffy soufflé pancakes baked to order. The choco banana soufflé I had was moist and fluffy with rich chocolate and banana, which should suit anyone who loves sweet desserts, and the affogato of vanilla ice cream and espresso went well with the soufflé~

The café is spacious with roomy seating, good for sitting and chatting slowly, and being easy to reach from between Hapjeong and Hongdae, plus having parking, were pluses. If you want fluffy soufflé pancakes, or a Hongdae café where you can relax over dessert, check out Petrico :)