Daeheung-dong alley café with jazz and bar seats, Seoul: Ieo Coffee

Today I'm introducing a truly quiet, atmospheric alley café haha ☕️ It's Ieo Coffee Roasters, tucked in an alley in Daeheung-dong, Mapo-gu.

What kind of café is Ieo Coffee Roasters in the Daeheung-dong alley?

Ieo Coffee Roasters Gongdeok Branch sits in an alley in Daeheung-dong, Mapo-gu. The sign isn't big and the alley is modest, so I found myself thinking 'is there really a café here...?' — but the white wood-tone interior catches your eye right away. The owner roasts the beans himself, so it's a roastery café I'd totally recommend to anyone who genuinely loves coffee 🌿

There are bar seats outside, and inside there's a mix of bar seats plus 2-, 3-, and 4-person tables, so it works whether you're working alone on a laptop, chatting with friends, or on a date! Each painting on the wall is pretty, and with jazz-style music playing the whole time, I felt good just sitting there. It has the feel of a place locals come to comfortably — not noisy, quiet enough to focus ✨

House-roasted beans: Winsome and Valmy Breeze blends

They also sell their own blends like Winsome Blend and Valmy Breeze Blend, so if you love coffee, you can buy beans too 🫘

There's also a bean roasting machine tucked in one corner of the shop, so you can actually watch the roasting happen 🖤

Ieo Coffee Roasters Gongdeok Branch menu and prices

Considering the quality of house-roasted beans, the prices feel pretty reasonable, right? They also have choco chip cookies, Basque cheesecake, and egg tarts!

• Americano ₩4,300 / Espresso ₩4,300 / Cold Brew ₩4,500
• Café Latte ₩4,800 / Flat White ₩4,800 / Einspänner ₩4,800
• Spanish Latte ₩5,000 / Vanilla Latte ₩5,500
• Signature: Almond Latte ₩6,000 / Cream Almond ₩5,800 / Basil Milk Tea ₩5,500
• Non-coffee: Matcha Latte, Earl Grey Milk, Lemonade ₩5,500 / Chocolate Latte ₩6,000 / Tea ₩4,000

Honest review of the cream almond and egg tart

I had a bit of laptop work to do, so I ordered the cream almond and an egg tart! They bring it right to your table 🫧

The cream almond is Ieo Coffee Roasters' signature menu item — the cream on top of the latte is genuinely so smooth, and a gentle coffee aroma rises up, so my mood lifted right after the first sip!! The latte itself smelled so good I kept sipping it over and over 😋

The egg tart is slightly charred on the outside but moist and soft inside, and eating it together with the cream latte was such a great combo. I'd totally recommend it to anyone who likes moist, soft egg tarts 🤎 It's a dessert that's so good paired with coffee haha. The Basque cheesecake looks like it'd definitely be delicious too!!

Why Ieo Coffee Roasters suits laptop work and reading

I spent a relaxed stretch of time working on my laptop and reading, and the owner was kind too, so I felt comfortable staying. It's a place that really feels like a quiet, cozy neighborhood café, so if you're looking for a café near Daeheung or Gongdeok Station, I highly recommend it! I think I'll be back haha 🤍