# Gwanghwamun café open Sunday for grapefruit yogurt: Center Coffee

- By Suhyeon L. (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-extra-chair/)
- Written Sep 21, 2026
- Local places › Cafés › Jung-gu, Seoul
- Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business.
- English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-extra-chair/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/
- Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-extra-chair/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/index.md)

## In short

Center Coffee Gwanghwamun is a specialty coffee café on the basement level of SFC Mall in Jung-gu, Seoul, where guests smell the hand-drip beans before choosing one. On a Sunday at 5pm, this visit with a boyfriend brought an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Taratu washed hand drip for 6,500 won, an iced americano for 5,400 won and grapefruit Greek yogurt for 6,500 won. After a heavy meal, the grapefruit Greek yogurt at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun cleared the palate better than cake would have.

## Good to know

- **Location**: SFC Mall B1, Unit 105, 136 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul / 7-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
- **Hours**: Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-9pm
- **Parking**: 1 hour 30 minutes free when registered at the café, 1,000 won per additional 10 minutes (up to 30,000 won)
- **Iced americano**: 5,400 won (Icebreaker blend or decaf)
- **Hand drip, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Taratu washed**: 6,500 won
- **Grapefruit Greek yogurt (100g)**: 6,500 won

*as written by the visitor on Sep 21, 2026*

![Exterior view of Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-01-1x30r-966.webp)

> ⏰ Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm / Sat 10am-8pm / Sun 11am-9pm
> 🚇 7-min walk from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
> 🅿️ 1.5 hours free parking with registration at the café, ₩1,000 per additional 10 minutes, max ₩30,000

On a weekend date with my boyfriend in Gwanghwamun, we stopped by Center Coffee Gwanghwamun for a coffee break. There are surprisingly a lot of café options around Gwanghwamun after a meal, so it's hard to decide — but since I love hand drip, I searched and this place popped right up.

![Blue Ribbon marker at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-02-t435o-966.webp)

Oh, a Blue Ribbon award^^ I picked Center Coffee, famous for its coffee among Gwanghwamun cafés.

![Entrance to Center Coffee on SFC Mall's basement level](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-03-eierh-966.webp)

## Where is Center Coffee Gwanghwamun? SFC Mall basement level

Center Coffee Gwanghwamun is on the basement level of SFC Mall, so it's easy to reach not just from Gwanghwamun but also from City Hall Station, and it's a nice stop if you're walking around Cheonggyecheon.

There's a way down by elevator or stairs — don't take the stairs, keep going and the elevator shows up~

![Stairs leading down to Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-04-1n5yx-966.webp)

![Interior seating at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-05-mmhza-966.webp)

![Sunday afternoon atmosphere at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-06-19utb-966.webp)

We visited a little after 5pm on a Sunday, and it wasn't too crowded or too empty, so it was just right for my boyfriend and me to sit and chat.

![Order counter at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-07-5gvaz-966.webp)

## Smelling the beans before picking a hand drip

The most fun part of Center Coffee was that you can smell the beans yourself before picking a hand drip. There's a bean station set up across from the counter where you sniff each one and choose whatever you feel like drinking that day. Choosing after smelling first, rather than just going by bean name and description, was so much more fun — and I think anyone looking for specialty coffee at a Cheonggyecheon café would love this process too. I usually love Ethiopian beans, and even within Ethiopia the taste changes quite a bit depending on roasting or extraction, right?

![Hand-drip bean sniffing station at Center Coffee](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-08-vv0e4-966.webp)

![Bottles of hand-drip beans set out for smelling](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-09-117xm-966.webp)

![Description card for the Ethiopian beans](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-10-ql9ll-966.webp)

![Center Coffee's bean lineup](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-11-1c1cg-966.webp)

![Menu board at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-12-a3byc-966.webp)

## What we ordered at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun and what it cost

- Iced Americano ₩5,400
- Hand-drip Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Taratu washed ₩6,500
- Grapefruit Greek Yogurt (100g) ₩6,500

That day my boyfriend ordered an iced americano, and I got the hand drip and grapefruit Greek yogurt. For the americano, you could choose between Center Coffee's signature Icebreaker blend or decaf, and my boyfriend went with Icebreaker. I usually love hand-drip coffee, so I chose the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Taratu washed.

![Cup of Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Taratu washed hand drip](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-13-1uh3i-966.webp)

### How the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Taratu washed drip tastes

The Yirgacheffe I had that day had a body that wasn't too heavy, with an overall clear, bright feel. The acidity wasn't sharp but came through bright and refreshing, making it easy to drink without any heaviness. If you like a clean, crisp hand drip over one that leaves a heavy aftertaste, this would be a good match.

![Iced americano made with the Icebreaker blend](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-14-1p2ap-966.webp)

### Iced americano with the Icebreaker blend

My boyfriend took a sip of the americano and said, "Oh, the balance is good here~" and seemed pretty pleased haha. So I immediately said "me too, just one sip~" and stole a taste — and yeah, the balance between nuttiness and bitterness was solid without leaning too far either way. Not too burnt, not too acidic, an easy-drinking americano.

And then the thing that surprisingly won me over that day — the ~~*grapefruit Greek yogurt*~~

![Grapefruit Greek yogurt topped with grapefruit flesh](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-15-l62vl-966.webp)

## Grapefruit Greek yogurt instead of cake after a meal

We'd already eaten before coming, so we weren't exactly hungry — but you know that feeling, full but your mouth still feels a bit heavy, and you want to clear away the greasiness from what you just ate! That's when the grapefruit + Greek yogurt combo worked way better than expected.

There was a generous amount of grapefruit flesh, so you first got that bright, slightly bitter grapefruit flavor, followed by the thick, plain taste of the Greek yogurt. It's a good, clean option when overly sweet desserts feel like too much, and I think anyone looking for dessert at a City Hall Station café would enjoy it lightly with coffee too. Especially if you're visiting after a meal, ordering grapefruit Greek yogurt instead of cake seems like a pretty good call.

Sipping coffee and taking bites of the grapefruit yogurt back and forth, the heaviness left over from the meal cleared away and the finish felt refreshing.

![Table with hand-drip coffee and grapefruit Greek yogurt](https://img.superchart.com/images/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt/center-coffee-gwanghwamun-grapefruit-greek-yogurt-16-bsq4y-1200.webp)

## Who Center Coffee Gwanghwamun suits

Center Coffee Gwanghwamun isn't just a café you grab a coffee and leave — there's real fun in smelling the beans yourself and choosing whatever suits your mood that day. My boyfriend picked the well-balanced americano, I picked the bright, light hand drip, and swapping sips back and forth was a small but fun part of the date.

If you want to enjoy coffee at a relaxed pace near Gwanghwamun or City Hall Station, care about the coffee quality at a Gwanghwamun café, or you're after specialty coffee at a Cheonggyecheon café where you pick your own beans, this place is worth a visit. Next time I want to sniff a different bean and try a completely different hand drip :)

## Where it is

- Center Coffee Gwanghwamun (센터커피 광화문점)
- 136 Sejong-daero, B1 105, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- 서울특별시 중구 세종대로 136 B1층 105호
- 37.5684246, 126.9782701
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%84%BC%ED%84%B0%EC%BB%A4%ED%94%BC%20%EA%B4%91%ED%99%94%EB%AC%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.5684246,126.9782701,17z

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