Guui Station café for strollers: Icebreaker Americano at Center Coffee

Where is Center Coffee Guui East Pole?

Center Coffee Guui East Pole is on B1 of NC East Pole Guui, which is connected to Guui Station, right in front of the up escalator at the entrance of the food court The Place. NC East Pole Guui is a complex with cultural facilities like Megabox Guui East Pole, plus lots of restaurants and cafés all in one place, so I visit often.

Today I came for coffee because I heard that Center Coffee, famous for good coffee in Seongsu, had opened a branch at Guui East Pole. It sits at the food court entrance on B1, in front of the up escalator, so it's easy to find.

Is it OK to bring a child and a stroller?

The café is very spacious and the tables are spaced far apart, so I think it works well if you come with a child and a stroller. The mood is modern and stylish. There's a good mix of tables too, from seats for two to four and larger group tables.

What kind of café is Center Coffee?

Center Coffee is a well-known specialty coffee shop run by an owner who was a national-team barista and won the UK Brewers Cup and a world championship, earning recognition for world-class roasting. Besides coffee, they also sell simple desserts and seasonal drinks.

Kiosk ordering and blended menu

You order easily at a kiosk. The menu features Center Coffee's own blended coffees, and there were lots of items I hadn't seen elsewhere, so I ended up deliberating over my order.

Two bean grinders were running the whole time, so they seem to mainly use two kinds of beans. The drippers and servers for hand drip were neatly lined up too, and my hopes for a true coffee master shot up.

I ordered an Americano made with the Icebreaker as its base, the seasonal plum schisandra tea (maesil omija-cha), and a cheesecake.

How do the plum schisandra tea and Icebreaker Americano taste?

The Icebreaker-based Americano had a rich crema that got me excited before the first sip. The plum schisandra tea in its clear glass had a lovely, jewel-like clear red color that felt cooling just to look at.

Seasonal plum schisandra tea, not sweet

The plum schisandra tea balanced the freshness of plum with the tangy, slightly bitter taste of schisandra (omija, a five-flavor berry). Dried schisandra floats on top like red petals settling on the drink, as if a little garden had been moved into the glass. It isn't sweet, so it felt like a really healthy drink, something good for my body.

Americano with fruity acidity and a nutty finish

The Americano went beyond simply being strong, and I could taste the coffee's many layers in harmony. A pleasant acidity spreads softly with the first sip. It isn't sharp or harsh sourness but the bright, lively acidity of ripe fruit, which makes the coffee taste more vivid.

The finish is nutty, with a gentle brown-sugar sweetness and the aroma of toasted nuts lingering. The body and acidity are balanced without leaning either way, and it goes down clean, so it was easy to enjoy.

How was the cheesecake?

I had the cheesecake as dessert at Center Coffee Guui East Pole too. When I took a big forkful, the inside was very moist and densely packed. It wasn't overly sweet, and the savory, soft flavor of the cheese filled my mouth. It was a perfect dessert to go with coffee.

Can you buy beans and drip bags as gifts?

On one side of the café, beans and drip bags are neatly packaged so you can recreate the taste you had in the shop at home.

The packaging is so elegant and stylish that it would make a fine gift for a coffee-loving friend or someone special. They even have capsule coffee. Seeing the display neatly arranged so you can pick beans to your taste, I could feel the brand's sincerity about coffee.

Parking and opening hours at Center Coffee Guui East Pole

You can use the car park in the East Pole building: ₩10,000 covers 1 hour and ₩30,000 covers 2 hours. Hours are 10:00-22:00, open every day. The car park is roomy enough even for a beginner driver, and there's plenty of space on weekdays, which is nice.

If you're looking for a café with good coffee near Guui, don't hesitate: head to Center Coffee at NC East Pole!! I think it'll be a choice you won't regret!