City Hall café with autumn blend and ginkgo tree view: Lemangdoré

I went out on a date around Jongno, had lunch, and then stopped by Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun, a café near City Hall Station, for coffee.

It's located between Gwanghwamun Station, City Hall Station, and Euljiro 1-ga Station, so it's a convenient spot if you have plans or a date around Jongno or Gwanghwamun. Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun serves plenty of bakery desserts alongside coffee, so I'd recommend it if you like both coffee and pastries.

Where is Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun, and what are its hours?

Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun is at 17 Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, and is open 08:00–21:00. There's no parking, but it's within 3 minutes of City Hall Station Exit 4 and 5 minutes of Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5.

Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun sits on Mugyo-ro, close to City Hall Station, and is also easy to reach from Gwanghwamun and Euljiro 1-ga stations. It's a good add-on to a meal in Gwanghwamun or Jongno, and the location works well for a date that continues on to a walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Ordering on the first floor: how the bakery counter is laid out

You order first on the 1st floor at Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun, either at a kiosk or the counter.

Around the ordering counter, bakery items and desserts are displayed, and there's so much variety that even choosing was tricky haha. Croissants, financiers, egg tarts — all kinds of bakery desserts.

I went there just for coffee, but the smell and look of the bread got me picking out dessert too haha.

The Lemangdoré menu, from hand-drip coffee to tea

Lemangdoré's coffee menu is pretty varied too. From espresso and Americano to lattes and hand-drip coffee, there's something for every taste.

There's a good range of non-coffee drinks too, like the Norway Forest with matcha and strawberry, and lemon tea, plus teas like hadong pumpkin tea and early spring mugwort tea. If you're into coffee beans, the hand-drip is worth trying. The café also sells drip bags and beans, so if you find a coffee you like, you can enjoy it at home too.

The red accents in Lemangdoré's interior

Another thing I noticed walking in was how red is used almost like a signature color. Red accents pop up all over the place — even the straws are red, which was subtly eye-catching.

The space overall is clean and simple, but the red accents keep it from feeling plain and make the atmosphere memorable.

Floors 1 to 3 at Lemangdoré: which one is quietest?

Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun has seating spread across three floors. From what I saw, the 2nd floor is the largest space, with seating good for groups.

We wanted somewhere quieter to have coffee, so we took a 3rd-floor seat.

The 3rd floor is relatively calm, good for chatting on a date or just spending time at ease. I saw people with laptops open, working or studying, and there were blankets available too — a nice thoughtful touch.

The city ginkgo tree seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows

What I liked most about Lemangdoré was the window view.

The wall is basically one big window, so the interior doesn't feel closed in at all, and outside you can see huge gingko trees lined up. It's a café right in the middle of the city, but with trees outside the window, it felt far more relaxed than I expected.

Since the gingko trees will soon turn yellow, I think it'll be even prettier visiting in autumn. If you're looking for a café near City Hall or Gwanghwamun where you can drink coffee while looking at trees, a window seat here is worth aiming for.

What we ordered at Lemangdoré near City Hall Station

With so many menu options, we deliberated for a while and ended up ordering an ice cream float, the hand-drip autumn blend, and chausson aux pommes for dessert.

Ice cream float

First up, the ice cream float!

This is a latte with a scoop of ice cream on top, and we chose the nutty coffee bean flavor. The latte itself had a nutty coffee taste, and the ice cream on top was sweet and smooth, so the combination worked really well together.

With the ice cream in it, it's sweet of course, but the latte itself wasn't sweet so the overall sweetness never felt excessive. If anything, the nuttiness of the coffee and the sweetness of the ice cream blended nicely, so it worked well as a dessert on its own. If the latte itself had been sweeter, I think the whole thing would've felt too sweet, so the balance here was just right.

Hand-drip autumn blend

And the hand-drip autumn blend I'd been looking forward to.

This is the one my husband and I kept saying "this is good!" about while drinking it haha. It had a moderate acidity, but as you kept drinking, a subtle persimmon-like flavor came through, which suited the "autumn" name really well.

The acidity wasn't so strong that it felt overwhelming — more of a fresh, smooth finish. We kept talking about how good it was, and since we still had beans left at home we didn't buy any this time, but next time I visit I'd like to pick up a bag to take home.

Chausson aux pommes (French apple pastry)

Can't have coffee without dessert, right haha. This time we picked the chausson aux pommes.

It's a French apple pastry, with apple tucked inside viennoiserie dough, so the outside was crisp and the inside soft.

With apple chunks and sweet apple filling inside, it paired nicely with the buttery, crisp pastry. Above all, it was a great dessert to have with coffee — the sweet apple flavor matched well with the bitterness of the coffee, making it perfect to share alongside the hand-drip.

Good for dates, group meetups and solo work

Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun has seating split across multiple floors, from tables for two to spaces for larger groups, so it seemed like a good spot not just for dates but for meeting friends or casual get-togethers too.

It's a good place to relax and chat over coffee after lunch like we did, and I saw quite a few people there alone, working on laptops or studying. With so many floor-to-ceiling windows, the space never felt cramped, and the open sightlines were nice too.

Looking for a date café in Jongno or Gwanghwamun?

If you're on a date around Jongno and wondering where to grab coffee after lunch, I'd recommend Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun, a café near City Hall Station.

It's not just a coffee café — from hand-drip to signature drinks to a wide range of bakery items, there's something to pick based on your taste. The ice cream float and hand-drip autumn blend stuck with me most, and with the chausson aux pommes alongside, it made for a perfect relaxed afternoon.

Above all, I loved being able to sip coffee at the window while looking at a huge gingko tree. Once autumn comes and the gingko turns yellow, I think it'll be even prettier to visit again.

If you're looking for a café after a meal around Gwanghwamun or City Hall, or planning a date route that continues on to Cheonggyecheon, give it a try :)