Seocho deli takeout for Seorichul Festival: Patata at Focaccia Cucina

Off we go ๑◕‿‿◕๑

Anyone else out enjoying the Seorichul Festival? Me! I went at 1pm with my 17-month-old and had a short but sweet time. We stopped by Seocho-dong and swung by Focaccia Cucina, a Seocho sandwich spot known for its authentic squid-ink focaccia sandwiches — that's how we rounded out our Seorichul Festival.

Where is Focaccia Cucina, and when is it open?

• 📍 51 Banpo-daero 21-gil, 1st floor, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Tue–Sun 07:00–16:00 (closed every Monday)
• 🚘 Free parking beside the shop
• ✨ Sandwiches made with authentic squid-ink focaccia, hand-kneaded and low-temperature aged 18 hours daily by an Italian chef with 30 years of experience
• 👼🏻 Kids welcome / no high chair / stroller accessible

The Seorichul Festival is Seocho-dong's big annual celebration, held just two days a year. It's large in scale — the ten-lane Banpo-daero gets shut down to traffic for it.

We stopped by around 1pm, and so many people had come out with their kids. We headed to Focaccia Cucina, a Seocho sandwich spot, for a late lunch. There were plenty of food trucks around the festival, but there's a great sandwich shop nearby, so we went there instead.

Focaccia Cucina is a 10-minute walk from Seocho Station, a 20-minute walk from the Seoul Arts Center, and an 8-minute walk from Sarang Community Church.

Hand-kneaded focaccia proofed for 18 hours

Focaccia Cucina sits down an alley — a sandwich shop run solo by a chef with 30 years of Italian cooking experience. The bread is hand-kneaded and aged 18 hours, coming out soft yet with an amazing texture.

There's also a range of healthy drinks, salads, and homemade sauces on offer. Their signature drink is the raw banana golden latte, and my 17-month-old absolutely loves it.

What really stands out is the chef's cheerful greeting. It reminded me of stopping by a sandwich shop on some outdoor alley in Europe, where the warm hello just makes the place feel welcoming — this spot has exactly that vibe. Since it opens at 7am, it gets a lot of inquiries both for morning commutes and for group lunch box orders.

Handmade spreads and Italian pantry goods sold in store

One big feature here: it's not just hand-kneaded focaccia sandwiches. They also make their own peanut butter, pomodoro sauce, basil pesto, tomato sauce, and peperone — all kinds of spreads. Since they're fresh products, the idea is to buy them and let them age in the fridge for two weeks before eating.

At this Seocho Station favorite, you can also buy pantry items ranging from homemade granola to extra virgin olive oil. It doesn't feel like a place that just sells sandwiches — it feels like they're warmly making and selling exactly the kind of ingredients you'd want at home.

The Patata sandwich: how do four cheeses taste together?

We picked up the Patata sandwich and the raw banana golden latte and ate them standing up while enjoying the Seorichul Festival.

The Patata sandwich has roasted potato plus four kinds of cheese — gorgonzola, cheddar, mozzarella, and grana padano — so it's got far more flavor and depth than your average sandwich. It's not the usual club sandwich style with veggies, ham, and cheese; it's Italian style, so you get to taste real, proper cheese flavor.

Fresh banana golden latte: a hit with a 17-month-old

The raw banana golden latte has zero added sugar — bananas themselves are sweet and delicious, right? My 17-month-old Hajun drank this the whole time we walked around the festival. Haha.

The Seorichul Festival runs for two days, with performances continuing into the evening. Try stopping by in the cooler afternoon and enjoy it. ♥

Opening the handmade peperone sauce at home

I also opened the homemade sauce I bought from Focaccia Cucina at home — it's a mayonnaise-based version made with Italian peperone chili. You can taste the cheongyang chili kick, which really wakes up the spice. Since it's a blend of several sauces, it's a flavor you genuinely can't get anywhere else.

If you want spicy + savory and creamy + layered flavor all at once, try the peperone sauce. It's also perfect as a dipping sauce for regular sandwiches, burgers, or fried foods.