Hapjeong café, clear latte & corn bread pudding: Naemyeonui Balgyeon

What kind of café is Naemyeonui Balgyeon?

Naemyeonui Balgyeon (내면의 발견) is a large café between Hongdae and Hapjeong, at 53 Woldeukeopbuk-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Hours are listed as 11:00–22:00, with last order at 19:30.

I visited Naemyeonui Balgyeon, which sits between Hongdae and Hapjeong.

Naemyeonui Balgyeon means "discovering your inner self," and the café has spaces where you can find different sides of yourself, like Emptying and Pausing. It's not easy to find a café this big in Hongdae and Hapjeong! Let's head right in.

The interior has spaces with different concepts: Filling, Emptying, Pausing and Immersion.

What did I order at Naemyeonui Balgyeon?

I ordered the Clarity (₩8,900) and the corn bread pudding (₩5,800). The owner explained the menu to us one item at a time.

The café concept was fun, and the drinks included lots of things you can't easily find elsewhere, so choosing was half the fun.

What is the Clarity drink?

Clarity is a clear latte made from milk and espresso, and the name is said to mean clarity and sharpness. It looks like a black tea, but the main ingredients are, amazingly, milk and espresso!

I was told it's made by using citric acid to separate the whey, which gives a clear latte. An orange drink that's really milk and espresso? Isn't that amazing?

The fruit on top of the Clarity is dried pineapple, they told us. Chewy, sweet pineapple flavor! It was fun to chew, and above all it went so well with the Clarity that it became a dessert I really enjoyed 💛

How was the corn bread pudding?

The corn bread pudding at Naemyeonui Balgyeon has a rich corn flavor with soft, sweet cream, and you can chew whole corn kernels in it. One bite and your mouth is full of rich corn and soft, sweet cream!

The corn flavor was stronger than I expected, and with corn kernels to chew on, it was so good! Like this, haha, you scoop it up little by little. It's soft, and it's a pudding that fully recharges your sugar!

Eating it together with the Clarity made it twice as good. What a pairing!

Does the café latte have acidity?

The café latte (₩5,500) at Naemyeonui Balgyeon has a slight acidity. Partway through I called a friend over and we had a little healing time together~ My friend's pick was the café latte. They debated between that and filter coffee for ages before choosing the latte 😉

My friend usually likes a nutty, toasty profile, but said it was good anyway, haha

First-floor interior and outdoor area atmosphere

The interior is decorated with a different mood in every corner, so it felt like looking at a single work of art. The outdoor area was tidy too, and perfect for enjoying the cool autumn air!

Right in the middle of the city~ a space like this! There are lots of quirky designs too, so I think it would be nice to come with kids.

The 2nd floor: big windows and a group table

The 2nd floor has big floor-to-ceiling windows. The weather was nice, so they opened them up, and with the cool breeze~ and gentle music.

One side has a big table, so it looked good for coming in a group ✨

Dried persimmons already tasting good means winter has grown deep.

There are sentimental lines like this all around the café, so reading them was surprisingly fun too 💗

A seat that's pretty at sunset

The prettiest seat at Naemyeonui Balgyeon was the one where the setting sun comes in around 5 p.m. Isn't this seat especially pretty? Such a pretty spot! ☀️

Can you use the 3rd-floor rooftop?

The 3rd floor is a rooftop with cute little tables and chairs, a nice spot for coffee. It's an open rooftop that clears your chest, just right for a good cup of coffee.

When I went, other people were already using it, so I only took photos, but it looks like a great place to enjoy in cool weather like this!

Is Naemyeonui Balgyeon a good Hongdae date café?

Naemyeonui Balgyeon is a calm café to enjoy on a clear day in the middle of the city. A big café between Hongdae and Hapjeong that feels like an exhibition, wow~! With many menu items unlike a regular café, it's a great spot for a different kind of date, and a lovely place to unwind in Hongdae.