Gwanghwamun café for decaf coffee and mugwort latte: Center Coffee

It had been a while since I’d seen my friend, so after a delicious dinner we were looking for a café. I heard there was a Blue Ribbon-listed spot with great coffee, so we went to Center Coffee Gwanghwamun. :)

It really must be a Gwanghwamun café known for its coffee!! There were as many as eight Blue Ribbons posted by the entrance 👍

Getting to Center Coffee Gwanghwamun from Gwanghwamun Station

Come out of Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station and walk for about two minutes; you’ll see the Seoul Finance Center (SFC). Head down to B1 and you’re there.

The building itself is easy to find! I went in from the other side, and it somehow felt like an upscale hotel in Macau—and it even smelled like a hotel! Hahaha. The friend I was with had travelled to Hong Kong and Macau with me, so we reminisced as we headed to the café haha. It was right there when we went down the stairs, and the space was bigger than I expected!

A subdued wood-toned interior

The interior has wood tones throughout, with a clean, modern atmosphere.

The dark wood furniture, brickwork, and softly diffused wall lighting came together beautifully. It was an impressive space that felt cozy yet classic.

Aren’t the chairs so cute too? Haha 🍀

And I thought this was part of the matching wood-toned décor, but it was a speaker!! It had such a lovely vibe haha.

Personally, I liked it even more because this subdued wood interior, rather than the bright white cafés you see so often these days, seems to create an atmosphere that makes you want to stay longer. 🤎 It feels like a great space both for quietly having coffee alone and for comfortably chatting with a friend. ☕️

On one side, they were selling coffee-bean drip bags—just what you’d expect from a Blue Ribbon coffee spot. They looked perfect to buy as gifts. 🎁

Coffee and cake menu

The menu is centered on coffee overall, but there are plenty of choices, from a basic Americano to lattes and coffee of the day, so it’s easy to choose according to your taste. More than sweet drinks, it felt like a café where you can really enjoy the beans and the coffee itself.

There wasn’t a huge variety of desserts, but they had cakes and other sweets that go well with coffee.

After some deliberation, we ordered a decaf iced Americano, iced mugwort latte, and Matilda chocolate cake haha.

Decaf Americano, mugwort latte, and chocolate cake

I don’t usually drink coffee, but since it was decaf, I took a sip of my friend’s Americano. And it was delicious! At first, there was a gentle acidity with a slightly tangy note, then a nutty flavor gradually came through. At the end, a subtle chocolate aroma lingered before it finished cleanly. It was so well balanced that I wanted another sip! 👍

The iced mugwort latte was soft with a slight sweetness at first. The more I drank, the more its gentle mugwort aroma and nutty flavor came through. It finished softly, with the mugwort fragrance lingering like an aftertaste. I think what stood out was that it had a satisfying weight without the mugwort flavor coming on too strong—it was wonderfully subtle.

The Matilda chocolate cake was so delicious—dense and wonderfully chewy. It was sweet enough to feel like an instant sugar boost. Recommended for anyone who loves rich chocolate cake! Haha 🍰

Center Coffee had such a great atmosphere, delicious coffee and drinks, and even perfect desserts. I’m planning to come back next time. I sincerely want to recommend it! 🫶