Gwanghwamun café for choosing beans by smell over lunch: Center Coffee

I was looking for somewhere to grab coffee after lunch in Gwanghwamun and ended up at Center Coffee Gwanghwamun. It's famous for its coffee, so I was curious, but once I got there, I found the fun wasn't just the coffee — browsing the beans themselves was a treat too. This time I ordered an iced americano, a hot americano, and an Earl Grey lemon tart. Let me show you one by one.

Location and hours of Center Coffee Gwanghwamun

• Center Coffee Gwanghwamun
• B1 105, 136 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Weekdays 07:30 - 21:00
• Weekends 11:00 - 21:00

It's on the basement floor of SFC Mall! There are other well-known coffee spots down there too, but this one will catch your eye first.

What's the vibe like inside?

The whole store had a clean, calm feel. Since it's in the Gwanghwamun office district, there were plenty of office workers around, and it seemed like a good place to grab a coffee after lunch or just take a short break.

You can smell the beans yourself before choosing

This was the surprisingly fun part about Center Coffee — you can actually smell the beans in person. With so many different bean types, instead of just picking from the menu, you get to sniff them and choose the one that suits your taste. I'm no coffee expert, but smelling the beans like this made me want to compare them one by one. If you love coffee, browsing the beans here is genuinely fun.

Beans and drip bags for gifting too

On one side, there was also a nice selection of beans and drip bags perfect for gifting. The packaging was clean and simple, so it would make a nice light gift for a coffee-loving friend or coworker. If you're in Gwanghwamun and looking for a coffee gift, it's worth checking out the beans or drip bags. Honestly, while browsing, I almost bought one for myself.

The menu lineup

There was coffee, a range of other drinks, and desserts, and you can choose your coffee by bean, so anyone who loves coffee can pick according to their preference.

I thought only the coffee menu was extensive, but the dessert selection was bigger than expected too. There were tarts and cakes that go well with coffee, perfect for office workers who feel like coffee alone isn't quite enough after lunch. Everything looked clean and pretty, which made choosing surprisingly hard. In the end, we went with the Earl Grey lemon tart.

Self-serve water station

There was also a separate spot inside the store where you can pour your own water. You often need water while drinking coffee, so it was nice to have this self-serve option. Little details like this made it feel like a comfortable spot for office workers to stop by for a quick coffee.

How did the order taste?

We ordered an iced americano, a hot americano, and the Earl Grey lemon tart this time. Iced and hot americanos arriving together — no problem at all!

Earl Grey lemon tart

We ordered the Earl Grey lemon tart because coffee alone felt like it wasn't enough. The subtle Earl Grey aroma combined with the fresh tang of lemon made it cleaner-tasting than expected. It wasn't just sweet — it paired nicely with the americano, and it's a combo I'd recommend if you want a coffee and dessert together.

Hot americano

The hot americano let the bean aroma come through a bit more than the iced one. It was nice to sip slowly and enjoy the coffee's own flavor, so if you're someone who likes how the taste changes with different beans, the hot version is worth trying.

Iced americano

Lastly, the iced americano. It was clean and easy to drink without feeling heavy. Not too bitter or thick, with a subtle coffee aroma — perfect for a post-lunch coffee. Exactly the kind of coffee you'd want during lunch hour in Gwanghwamun as an office worker!

To sum up

Center Coffee turned out to be a place where you come for a coffee and end up browsing the beans too. What I especially liked was being able to smell the beans in person, and there's a good range of gift-friendly items like beans and drip bags, so coffee lovers will enjoy browsing here. If you're looking for a place to get coffee after lunch in Gwanghwamun, I'd recommend this café to office workers. Next time, I want to try coffee made with a different bean.

• A good café for Gwanghwamun office workers to stop by during lunch hour
• You can smell the beans in person and choose one that suits your taste
• A good range of gift items like beans and drip bags
• Recommended combo: iced americano + Earl Grey lemon tart