Eunpyeong café with Dubai chocolate waffles: Ward Coffee

It was such a leisurely Friday. Even though it was a rare day off, I had my own little productive-day(?) moment alone. I got up at 9 a.m., washed up, had a home-cooked breakfast, went to the gym for a morning PT session, did 30 minutes of solo exercise—and then headed to a neighborhood café to rest and recharge on sugar.

Ward Coffee near Gusan Station Exit 2

Ward Coffee Gusan Station Branch (와드커피 구산역점). Just walk straight a little from Gusan Station Exit 2 and you’ll arrive. It’s a chain café, apparently, but it was my first time seeing one.

I think the mascot is a little bear? So cute.

• A Gusan Station café where you can enjoy good-value 1L Magnum and bottled coffees and drinks
• A variety of desserts, including waffles, bagels, and cream-filled rice cakes
• An Eunpyeong café offering dine-in, takeaway, and delivery

It is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last order 8:30 p.m.), and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (last order 7 p.m.).

Looking at character decor and the receipt photo machine

Maybe the owner likes cute characters, because there were lots of dolls and figures besides Ward Coffee merchandise. It was really fun to look around. And then I found—

Always... a music box! (It is a music box, right?)

As a Harry Potter fan, I felt an instant inner connection. I wasn’t a huge Snape fan, but that famous line and his character arc alone have made me fond of himㅠㅜ. The one beside it looks like a Ghibli music box, but I’m not sure which Ghibli film it is. I think it’s one I haven’t seen.

There was also a receipt photo machine. You can take one photo per person.

I looked a little rough after the gym, but I snapped one too. It was nice that you could switch between all sorts of filters.

Ordering a 1L Jeju matcha latte and Dubai chocolate waffle

I ordered at the kiosk beside the receipt photo machine.

• 1L Magnum Jeju matcha latte ₩5,200
• Dubai chocolate waffle ₩7,500
• Cream cheese pretzel ₩4,000
• Lotus Rocher cream rice cake ₩1,800
• Churros ₩1,500

I said I would eat the Jeju matcha latte and Dubai chocolate waffle in the café, and picked up the other desserts as takeaway when I left.

There were about four two-person tables inside. I sat at the table farthest in~ They said the Dubai chocolate waffle would take around 10 minutes to prepare, so I looked around the shop while waiting, and it felt like it came out in no time.

A 1-liter Magnum Jeju matcha latte (iced) and a Dubai chocolate waffle. The latte was enormously big. It seemed cheaper than matcha lattes at other cafés, yet about twice the volume ㄷㄷ

A waffle loaded with pistachio and kataifi

First, about the Dubai chocolate waffle—it was an impossible-to-dislike waffle piled high with rich pistachio spread, crispy kataifi (shredded pastry), whipped cream, and a chocolate drizzle. b

At first I thought the whipped cream was ice cream and wondered if I should eat it quickly before it melted, but it was actually nice that it was whipped cream, since I could eat slowly with no problem. And I think whipped cream suits Dubai chocolate flavors better than ice cream.

+) Some people say Dubai chocolate is one of those forced trends... But in my opinion, Dubai chocolate really did become popular super quickly because it is genuinely delicious. The problem was that it was ridiculously expensive at the height of the trend.. haha. Now it’s nice that you can enjoy all kinds of Dubai chocolate-flavored desserts at reasonable prices ^&^ Of course, anything labeled Dubai chocolate is still pricier than other desserts, but it’s delicious, so it’s fine.

The truly huge 1L matcha latte

The 1-liter Magnum Jeju matcha latte surprised me with its massive size, and I drank it after mixing it well. Other than the fact that it was hard to mix because there was so much of it, it was very good. It was a delicious matcha latte with just the right amount of sweetness.

Sugar recharge complete while doing my own thing alone~ Happy Friday. But although I finished the waffle, the 1L matcha latte was seriously so large that I couldn’t finish it before my next plan. So, along with the three desserts I had asked to take away, I asked them to pour the remaining matcha latte into a takeaway cup too.

And after transferring the leftover matcha latte into a regular takeaway cup—it felt like I had ordered a brand-new matcha latte haha. I had definitely drunk a little more than half, but it really hit me again just how much 1 liter is ㄷㄷ The Ward Coffee bear the owner drew on the takeaway lid was cute too. They draw so well!

Takeaway desserts shared with my family

When I got home, I ate the takeaway snacks with my family—and what are these Crayon Shin-chan and cat stickersㅇ0ㅇ So cute.

From left to right: cream cheese pretzel, churros, and Lotus Rocher cream rice cake.

Everything was tasty, but the Lotus Rocher cream rice cake was especially JMT—seriously delicious. It was filled with Lotus-flavored cream, and it was very sweet and yummy. Next time I’ll probably buy mostly the cream rice cakes again.