Yeonnam-dong coffee shop with greenhouse seats: Central Site Yeonnam

After a great meal with friends at Pastiar in Yeonnam-dong, I searched for a Yeonnam-dong café for round two — coffee and chatting — and Central Site kept popping up as a coffee spot everyone raved about, so we went. Everyone in the group loved the coffee here. Want to come along to this café full of coffee aroma?

Where is Central Site Yeonnam, and what are the hours?

Location: 29-1 Yeonhui-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea / Hours: Daily 08:00–22:00 / Parking: Not available

Central Site is spread across three floors. The floor-to-ceiling windows mean it's not a huge space, but it never felt cramped. The 1st floor has the ordering and prep area, plus a few tables on the opposite side, so people who can't use stairs can still enjoy the café.

Central Site Yeonnam menu and prices: what we ordered

The coffee lineup at Central Site Yeonnam ranges from pricier options down to a ₩5,000 americano, and there are also a few non-coffee drinks and teas, so non-coffee drinkers won't feel left out. We ordered Classic Wished Dark Rum, Ethiopia Nordic Approach Yirgacheffe Chelbesa, and an iced americano.

For dessert, they had two kinds of cookies, classic tiramisu, lotus tiramisu, brownie tiramisu, strawberry trifle, mango trifle, and blueberry lemon trifle. Around 12:30pm when we visited, a lot of the desserts were already sold out. We'd just eaten, but skipping dessert would've felt like a waste, so we ordered one classic tiramisu.

They also sell coffee beans and coffee concentrate on one side of the store, in case coffee lovers want to take some home.

How the drip coffee scent test works

At Central Site Yeonnam, they let you smell two drip coffees (excluding the iced americano) before ordering, so we did the scent test too. The two aromas were different, which made the smelling fun, and breathing in that fragrant coffee smell put us in a great mood.

Second- and third-floor seats: greenhouse feel upstairs

After the scent test, they told us they'd bring the drinks and desserts up to wherever we sat, so we headed up to the 2nd floor first.

The tightly arranged tables were cute, and the tree-lined street view through the window was lovely. There's also a unisex restroom on the 2nd floor, for reference.

My friends said they'd claim a good spot on the 2nd floor first, so I went up to the 3rd floor alone.

You also have to climb a steel staircase to reach the 3rd floor. Since stairs are inconvenient, it seemed like staff bring drinks and desserts up and collect them themselves. It was convenient for us, but watching the staff go up and down made me feel a bit bad for them — I wished there were at least a small food elevator.

The 3rd floor felt like a greenhouse or botanical garden. It was nice and quiet, but it seemed a bit warmer than the 2nd floor, probably from getting more sun. My friends refused to come up, so I just looked around and headed back down.

Cold water, paper cups, and napkins are set out on both the 2nd and 3rd floors, so feel free to use them.

Square ice iced americano and window-seat photos

Back on the 2nd floor, while we were chatting, a staff member brought over the drinks and dessert. Mine was the cup with the cute, huge square ice cube — the pale coffee color was perfect for me since I can't handle strong coffee!!!

Before drinking, we did a photo session first at the window seat with the tree-lined view we'd been eyeing. The green street trees meeting the soft lighting made for such a charming, moody atmosphere.

Funnily enough, the photo taken in natural light without any lamps came out looking mysteriously like it had a filter on it — isn't that interesting? Must've been the backlighting, haha.

I've seen huge round ice cubes before, but this was my first time seeing a huge square one. Even though it's coffee, it somehow feels like sipping whiskey, and it makes you want to strike a mood. Cheers to your eyes, haha.

How is the classic tiramisu at Central Site Yeonnam?

The coffee at Central Site Yeonnam was great, but the classic tiramisu was seriously delicious. All of us agreed this place is a tiramisu spot too. I used to think tiramisu just wasn't that good, having only ever had the VIPS version, but turns out tiramisu can actually be amazing. The thin sponge layer was soaked with coffee for a gentle coffee flavor, and the thick mascarpone cheese was soft with a pleasant sweetness — I really enjoyed it.

Drip coffee comes with a little info memo card, and one friend said she wanted to take hers home. Her sister and I teased her that she was only supposed to look at it, not take it — she got so flustered it was adorable. I ended up giving her mine too!!!

Who is this Yeonnam-dong coffee shop best for?

All three coffees had slightly different aromas, which made things fun. The coffee I ordered was delicious, of course, but my friend's iced americano was plenty good too — you don't need to splurge on the pricier coffee to have a good time with just a cup of americano. If you're looking for a quiet moment over coffee, or a stylish spot for a get-together or a date, I'd recommend Central Site Yeonnam!!!