Hanam café terrace gelato and espresso con panna: Damgeum Gelato

Is this really Italy 🇮🇹, or Hanam Misa? It was hard to believe, but you can find Italian government-certified handmade gelato right here in Misa. From the atmosphere and flavor to the pride behind it, this place is simply Italy. I visited Damgeum Gelato (담금젤라또), a wonderful gelato spot in Misa! 🍨

Damgeum Gelato Misa Branch: location and hours

• Hours: Wed–Sat 12:30–21:30; Sun 12:30–18:00
• Regularly closed Monday and Tuesday
• 3-minute walk from Misa Station exits 5 and 6
• Parking available behind the building

In Misa Culture Street, a three-minute walk from Misa Station toward Misa Hoban Summit, you will find Damgeum Gelato beneath its shaded awning. It is a gelato shop with a classic, unpretentious exterior that feels like something you would encounter on an Italian street. The giant gelato hanging at the entrance was especially striking. Parking is available in the Monolounge lot behind the building.

I was surprised because it so perfectly captured the feel of a gelato shop on a European—or Roman—street. The colors, awning, outdoor terrace, and surrounding plants all came together to create exactly that mood!

Italian government-certified handmade gelato

Damgeum Gelato is an Italian government-certified shop.

Here, you can enjoy gelato made by a gelatiere trained at an Italian gelato university, using Damgeum's own recipes adapted to Korean tastes and traditional Italian handmade methods. There is also coffee by a barista trained at an Italian barista school, an official training institution of the National Institute of Italian Espresso. It is the only place in Korea—and in Misa—where you can find this kind of gelato and coffee. Honestly, I was a little amazed when I heard the explanation.

The interior, too, had warm wood tones and a true Italian feel! It really felt like I was traveling. Maybe it was the same excitement I felt while visiting Rome a few years ago.

European-style items displayed throughout the shelves added to that European mood.

With classic wooden tables and chairs, it was a compact but elegant space—casual somehow, comfortable, yet classic.

A cute gelato symbol was planted right in the center of the interior! Looking through blog posts, it seems this gelato sometimes goes outside too. Haha.

Damgeum handmade premium gelato is truly handmade: Damgeum's chef personally selects the finest ingredients, prepares natural ingredients by hand, and even makes the base from scratch. Its recipe greatly lowers sugar and fat while adding more of the actual ingredients. With less sugar and fat, Damgeum Gelato is less chewy than other gelato and has a texture closer to sorbetto.

There are small cup sizes, but they also sell it in larger takeaway containers.

Damgeum Gelato menu and the four flavors I chose

• Recommendations: pistachio, Ugok watermelon, Chodang sweet corn, Venezuelan dark chocolate (+₩1,500)
• Stracciatella, Slow Makgeolli, Seongju melon, Gyeongsan white peach, pure milk, Black Label orange, Jeju lemon, Andong Baekjinju rice
• Two flavors: cup ₩7,000 / cone ₩8,000

Wait! It is Italian handmade gelato, yet the ingredients are familiar Korean flavors and ingredients. Gelato made with our ingredients! I think that makes it even more charming.

Espresso and Italian desserts

Damgeum's café menu includes espresso, espresso con panna, espresso con pepe, and strapazzato. You can find rich Italian espresso right here in Hanam Misa.

You can enjoy Italian desserts here as well. This really is just real Italy.

Pistachio and Venezuelan dark chocolate (cup) / Chodang sweet corn and Seongju melon (cone) / espresso con panna

This handmade gelato cup came with an added charge, but these were the gelato flavors recommended as Damgeum signatures, so I chose them. The pistachio and chocolate arrived so beautifully in a container designed to keep them cold.

Gelato on the terrace

And the moment the Damgeum Gelato cone came out, I ran straight to the terrace! To enjoy it with the same feeling as eating gelato on the streets of Rome, the terrace is simply the rule!

Feeling the season and the street, imagining that I was in Italy, I was ready to properly enjoy this gelato. Damgeum Gelato has such wonderful, understated classic style.

They say it can melt a little quickly because the fat and sugar have been kept to a minimum! First, the colors and four flavors looked so pretty. The Seongju melon had a fresh melon fragrance, while the Chodang sweet corn combined a savory flavor with the refined texture of gelato—so delicious. Even the cone was a premium, sturdy biscuit. I usually throw cones away halfway through, but I finished this one completely!

The pistachio was subtle and refined, while the dark chocolate was very dark and intense. The soft texture, somewhere between sherbet and gelato, was so lovely too. A spoonful of gelato happiness.

Is this really not Italy, but Hanam Misa? I enjoyed Italian handmade gelato while soaking up the relaxed street and the season.

How to drink espresso con panna

Damgeum Gelato takes not only gelato but also espresso knowledge and pride seriously. Feeling extra happy after the gelato, I decided to try the espresso con panna that the owner strongly recommended.

I heard it is hugely popular with those in the know; some regulars even make sure to have two cups a day whenever they come and go.

Espresso con panna is espresso topped with cream. You can think of it as cream coffee.

It is espresso con panna, made softer and sweeter by adding cream to espresso that can be quite strong and bitter.

First, take two sips on their own; then scoop up some of the cream in the middle; finally, enjoy everything together.

This one little cup of coffee was seriously powerful. The taste and aroma felt different with the first, second, and third sips, and above all, the deep coffee aroma was wonderful. I still think about that flavor. Damgeum coffee is presented Italian-style using fresh specialty beans roasted in Korea rather than imported Italian beans. Maybe that is what made it even more special.

Italy enjoyed in Hanam Misa: the leisure of a terrace, delicious gelato, and espresso con panna. This Misa dessert spot leaves a long afterglow. Great for a date, some solo healing time, or a relaxing cup of coffee on the way home from work—I recommend it.