Yeonnam-dong filter coffee café with 1–2 person seats: Central Site

I suddenly missed a great coffee place, so I went to Central Site (센트럴사이트) in Yeonnam-dong. It's a Hongdae-area café that's good at both coffee and desserts, and I'd been once already, so this was a revisit ...!

What kind of café is Central Site Yeonnam?

This Central Site café near Hongdae is a big one, spanning the 1st to the 3rd floor!

Step into the 1st floor and you'll find a spot where filter coffee is brewed, a corner where you can smell the coffee beans, and a coffee bar with high stools.

Central Site Yeonnam coffee menu and prices

This Hongdae café has a whopping 8 kinds of filter coffee. Of course there's also a basic americano and various cream coffees. And there's even the Central Site Public Blend, a seasonal blend that changes every time!

It's a Yeonnam-dong café that specializes in filter coffee, so you can visit trusting the coffee will be good.

Desserts: tiramisu and strawberry trifle

The desserts are just tiramisu and strawberry trifle. The dessert range at Central Site is limited, but those few desserts are incredibly good.

• Classic tiramisu 8.5 (₩8,500)
• Lotus tiramisu 9.0 (₩9,000)
• Brownie tiramisu 10.5 (₩10,500)
• Strawberry trifle cake 9.0 (₩9,000)
• Chocolate cookie 2.0 (₩2,000)

Smell the beans after ordering, and they bring it to your seat

I ordered two filter coffees and a classic tiramisu at Central Site Yeonnam. Before you go find a seat, do the bean smelling. After you've smelled the freshly ground beans at the 1st-floor coffee bar, the finished coffee and dessert get brought to your seat for you!

Seating by floor: how many people should come?

On the 1st floor of Central Site Yeonnam, tables run along the windows and walls. A good spot for a solo café session in Hongdae.

The 2nd floor also has quite a lot of tables and seats. A big tree grows by the windows, so even though you're in the middle of the city, you can relax in peace and quiet.

Most are tables for 1–2 people! It's a large café for Yeonnam-dong, but for groups of 4 or more it may be a little cramped.

For 3 or more, head up to the 3rd floor~~ I think it used to be a rooftop, but with the weather so hot these days it was air-conditioned.

Two cups: Guatemala ₩8,000 and Colombia ₩12,000

• Guatemala filter coffee 8.0 (₩8,000)
• Colombia filter coffee 12.0 (₩12,000)
• Classic tiramisu 8.5 (₩8,500)

I picked filter coffees to suit my taste. The menu also lists the aroma and flavor of each coffee, so choosing was no trouble at all. It comes with big whiskey on-the-rocks ice. When ice melts, coffee gets watery, but this kind of ice takes a long time to melt, which is nice.

You can see the color difference between the beans' brews at a glance! The Guatemala bean, with its nutty richness, feels a bit stronger.

Guatemala Entre Volcanes Washed 8.0 (₩8,000)

Antigua, San Miguel Dueñas region. When you order filter coffee at Central Site, they give you a card with info on the coffee you're about to drink: the growing region, producer, variety and processing method, even the story of the smallholder farmer. It's so detailed that you can enjoy the coffee itself even more.

With notes of hazelnut, butterscotch and milk chocolate, even a sip tastes heavy and nutty. Being filter coffee it has some acidity, but it was very nutty overall! I think it's the flavor that goes best with the tiramisu dessert.

Colombia Cauca Paraiso 92 Geisha P06 Anaerobic Fermentation 12.0 (₩12,000)

I hear the Paraiso 92 farm is famous for its science-based coffee growing and processing techniques!

A floral aroma reminiscent of elderflower, the dense sweetness of peach syrup, and the lively fruitiness of cherry! It finished with the aroma and acidity of mangosteen, a tropical fruit, so I could taste the complexity. That deep flavor typical of Geisha coffee >_<

I usually like acidic coffee, so I really enjoyed this Colombian coffee at the Yeonnam-dong café. Reading the notes and knowing what you're drinking makes it easier to taste. With filter coffee, it's fun to look for the flavors written in the notes as you drink.

Classic tiramisu ₩8,500: great quality for the price

Central Site in Yeonnam-dong doesn't just specialize in filter coffee, it's serious about desserts too. It's the classic tiramisu, but the quality for the price is crazy..! It's ₩8,500 and the portion is generously big.

A thick layer of cream, coffee-soaked sponge between the layers, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate to finish: perfect.

It comes out slightly chilled, so it's like softly eating an ice cream cake. It's moderately sweet, the kind of sweetness that makes you happy. The cocoa powder and chocolate are dark, so it finishes bittersweet, which feels really high-end!

Wrap-up

It was my first relaxing time in a while, and the luxurious tiramisu and filter coffee left me so satisfied! I recommend this Yeonnam-dong café with its spacious interior and properly done filter coffee :-)

Recommended large café in Hongdae's Yeonnam-dong, with great desserts and filter coffee. Open 08:00-22:00.