Yeonnam-dong matcha café: mango latte and Basque cheesecake, Noknok

The weather has been so nice lately, perfect for getting out and about. I went to Hongik Univ. with a friend, and for a café we picked Noknok (녹녹) on the Yeonnam-dong café street.

Yeonnam-dong café Noknok: whose taste does it suit?

Noknok ticked every box of my café taste: signature drinks, generously spaced tables, tasty desserts and tasty matcha. Let me introduce my café taste first.

• A place with signature drink menus
• A place where the tables are far enough apart
• A place with tasty desserts

4. I love places with great matcha menus!!!!! And as a bonus, 5. I also like places where the owner is good-looking hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I found Yeonnam-dong café Noknok, which meets all of these conditions, and rushed over to write a review.

Noknok location, hours and budget per person

Noknok is a Yeonnam-dong bakery café that uses the 1st and 2nd floors of the building at 139 Seongmisan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's open 08:30–23:30, and your budget per person is roughly from ₩7,900 for cake and from ₩4,400 for a matcha latte.

First, I have to point out how insane it is to stay open until 23:30 in Yeonnam-dong.. And it even opens at 08:30 in the morning... (T_T) wow.

It would be great for an early caffeine fix, too. Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong get lots of tourists, and this is the best spot for an early-morning coffee.

Forest-themed interior: what's the atmosphere like?

True to the name Noknok, the café is decorated with a forest theme. I really liked this part too. There are trees and plants all around and the lighting is on the dim side, so it feels so relaxing!!

My friend and I went in while debating whether the tree in front of the café was real or not hahahahahahaha

How do Noknok's 1st and 2nd floors differ?

The whole building is the café. The 1st floor is a little dimmer and cozy, while the 2nd floor has the feel of a study café where people work together.

The 1st floor is a little dimmer and cozy, while the 2nd floor has the feel of a study café where people work together.

Note that the 2nd floor's hours differ from the 1st floor's. It's open 08:30–21:00 Sunday to Thursday and 08:30–23:30 Friday to Saturday. There are signs asking you not to move the tables and chairs, out of consideration for other customers! (Let's all mind our manners)

It's a bright space, and lots of people were quietly studying on the 2nd floor!!

There were comfy sofas too! My friend and I decided to come back and sit on this sofa someday hahahahahahahahaha

Noknok bakery menu and bread prices

Yeonnam-dong café Noknok is also known for its tasty bakery, and the prices are great: bread is generally from ₩5,500 and financiers are in the ₩3,000 range. We visited a bit late, so a lot had already sold out (T_T)

If you buy a sandwich and an americano together at Noknok, you get 10% off, so it's also good for breakfast or a light lunch.

They also sell several kinds of salt bread (buttery rolls with a salty crust)! I was curious about the potato bacon salt bread.. And overall I liked that the bread prices were cheap.

The owner told us the sliced bread is really good too, so I'm planning to come back for a loaf.

The egg tarts and scones were all sold out~ (T_T) waaah! The egg tarts looked so good though..

They also have mocha buns and croissants, generally from around ₩5,500, so you can enjoy bread at a low price! Financiers are in the ₩3,000 range. Very competitive, great-value pricing for a café near Hongdae!!!

Crème brûlée Basque cheesecake: how does it taste?

At Noknok we ordered a matcha latte, a mango latte and a crème brûlée Basque cheesecake. The crème brûlée part is torched in front of you, and to cut to the chase, it was delicious.

The owner here is seriously good-looking. I'm being serious, so I'm making the font big. The staff member is really good-looking too. I thought they were both from some dating show like Heart Signal hehehe. At first I ordered the Basque cheesecake.

When the good-looking owner says with those pleading eyes, "Our crème brûlée is good too...", how could I not order the crème brûlée cheesecake?!!!!!

So I ordered it. And the review? Delicious... He torches the crème brûlée part himself with those mighty forearms...

It's absolutely not because of the owner, the Basque cheesecake was just good. Really.

And the plating was so pretty too... I'm definitely coming back, owner. My home is super far, but I'll go again.

Noknok matcha latte: does it satisfy a matcha geek?

Noknok's matcha latte was delicious even to a matcha geek like me. Living up to its name, it seems every matcha menu item is good. Every single table was drinking matcha.

I love matcha lattes so much I'd accept a marriage proposal made with one. Those who read my blog know I like matcha so much that I even order Tsujiri directly from overseas. The matcha here is good!!!!!! Next time I'll try the coconut matcha..

A Yeonnam-dong café for chatting with friends

I'm so, so happy there's a new café worth visiting in Yeonnam-dong. Maybe because the air conditioning was set just right, or because the tables aren't packed together, the temperature inside Noknok was perfect.

Fun chatting time with my friend~ We promised to meet again, bye bye~

Thanks to café Noknok, my friend and I had a great time!!! I'll visit again.