Yeonnam-dong café with Levain & Dubai chewy cookies: Butter & Shelter

Butter & Shelter Yeonnam is a dessert paradise I found down a Yeonnam-dong side street!

What does Butter & Shelter Yeonnam look and feel like?

Butter & Shelter Yeonnam is a Yeonnam-dong alley café styled in beige tones and soft wood, like a little European bakery. From the outside it already gives off that warm, small-bakery feeling. The beige and gentle wood interior make for a cute exterior that's easy to spot at a glance. At the entrance, a warm-looking sign and little decorative props double as a pretty photo zone, so you want to take pictures before you even step in. The whole place blends in that tidy, quiet Yeonnam-dong alley charm, and it feels easy and comfortable to walk into.

Step inside and the nutty scent of butter and the rich aroma of coffee beans greet you. The interior is cozy and snug, with warm lighting that fills the space and puts you at ease. The tables and chairs are warm wood too, so it's great for a calm chat or a relaxed dessert break. The space is used efficiently so it never feels cramped, and little decorative touches here and there give you something to look at. It also felt clean and hygienic, which added to my trust in the place.

What desserts does Butter & Shelter Yeonnam sell?

Butter & Shelter Yeonnam puts cookies, scones and cakes on the room-temperature counter in the middle of the shop, and butter sands and cheesecake in a refrigerated showcase on one side. The central counter starts with Matilda cake, rich with chocolate, then the classic original Levain cookie, the nutty red velvet cream cheese cookie, the sweet and chewy chocolate s'mores cookie, the aged-cheddar-yellow-cheese cream cookie with its strong cheese aroma, the Earl Grey lemon cookie with its soft black tea scent, the wonderfully crisp glacé scone, and the uniquely chewy butter tteok (rice cake), all neatly lined up.

The refrigerated showcase on one side is packed with jewel-like desserts too. There's the Dubai chewy cookie that's so popular right now, plus a raspberry cream cheese sand, glacé butter sand, crème brûlée butter sand, chocolate butter sand, signature butter sand, a dense Basque cheesecake, and a plain butter bar, so there's a wide choice.

Gift packaging and set discounts at Butter & Shelter Yeonnam

Desserts at Butter & Shelter Yeonnam come with discounts when you buy them as gifts or sets, which is nice for saving a little. For takeaway, packaging options such as shopping bags, gift boxes and cooler bags are available by price tier, so it also works well as a heartfelt gift for someone special.

What I ordered at Butter & Shelter Yeonnam

This time at Butter & Shelter Yeonnam I ordered one Dubai chewy cookie, one butter sand, one original Levain cookie, and to drink, one iced americano and one mild iced café latte. Overall it was a lovely spread, with the sweet, nutty flavors of the desserts matching the cool drinks. None of the desserts was overly sweet, and they brought out the natural taste of the ingredients, so I never got tired of them while eating alongside the drinks.

Is the Dubai chewy cookie too sweet?

Butter & Shelter's Dubai chewy cookie isn't overly sweet, has a chewy texture, and is just the right size for one person. It was the one I was most curious about, so I tried it first. Cookies at some dessert cafés are so sweet you tire of them fast, but this Dubai chewy cookie wasn't too sweet, so it was easy to enjoy. The signature chewiness clings to your mouth, and the size is neither too big nor too small, so finishing one by myself was very satisfying. The nutty and sweet notes are well balanced, so I enjoyed it down to the last bite.

How does the signature butter sand taste?

Butter & Shelter's signature butter sand is filled with butter and a caramel-like sauce between crisp cookies, and its flavor was as intense and memorable as I'd hoped. The outer cookies were baked nice and crisp, and inside was packed with rich butter and a sweet, chewy caramel-like sauce. One bite and you first feel the crunch of the cookie, then the deep, rich nuttiness of the melting butter wraps your whole mouth. The buttery richness and the gentle sweetness of the caramel come together in a wonderfully savory depth.

Is the original Levain cookie crisp outside and soft inside?

Butter & Shelter's original Levain cookie is a New York-style cookie packed with nuts and crisp outside, moist inside, a textbook example of what makes New York-style cookies appealing. This one also had no artificial sweetness, just a plain, nutty flavor that was excellent. The dough is generously loaded with crunchy nuts, and the nutty flavor that spreads with every bite was lovely. The outside is slightly crisp and the inside moist, exactly the texture you want, so it's a perfect dessert to have with a cup of coffee.

Does Butter & Shelter's coffee go well with the cookies?

The iced americano at Butter & Shelter Yeonnam isn't overly acidic, with a nutty, clean body that did a perfect job of cutting through the rich buttery desserts. It tidies up your mouth so well that the desserts tasted even better.

The mild iced café latte came out soft and gentle, just as I requested, and I was happy with it. The nutty milk and the slight bitterness of the light espresso blended harmoniously, going down very smoothly, and it was just right for an easy, comfortable drink.