Semi-basement Seoul coffee shop in Mangwon: brûlée French toast, PICT
In short
PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch is a roastery café in the semi-basement of a red-brick building tucked inside the beer alley of Mangwon Market in Mapo, Seoul. On a solo weekday lunch visit with a book, the French toast cost 11,900 won and an Americano with the fruity, acidic bean cost 4,900 won; the brûlée-coated toast was too much for one person, so one order between two is about right. With good natural light for a basement and coffee as good as the food, PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch works for both a Mangwon Market date and laptop work.
Good to know
- French toast
- 11,900 won
- Americano
- 4,900 won
- Takeout
- 1,000 won discount
- Bean choice
- Nutty or fruity/acidic
- Hours
- Wed–Fri 11:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00
- Closed
- Every Monday and Tuesday
- Parking
- Not available
- Getting there
- 5-minute walk from Mangwon Station
- Restroom
- Inside the café
- Price reference
- ₩1,000 ≈ $0.7 · ₩11,900 ≈ $8.8 · ₩4,900 ≈ $3.6 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 5, 2026
It had been a while since I had free time on a weekday afternoon, so I grabbed a book and headed to Mangwon-dong, one of my favorite neighborhoods. I hadn't eaten lunch yet, so I wanted somewhere with good bread — and there happened to be a new café with French toast that looked amazing, so I went without a second thought. Both the French toast and the bright, fruity coffee turned out to be perfect. : )
PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch hours and how to find it
PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch (픽트로스터리 망원점) is open Wednesday to Friday from 11:00 to 19:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 21:00, closed every Monday and Tuesday. No parking is available, and it's a 5-minute walk from Mangwon Station.
Head a little way into the market's beer alley and you'll find it in the semi-basement of a red-brick building. I got a bit lost looking for the entrance — it's on the right in the photo.
There's a convex mirror by the entrance that seemed like a photo spot, so I snapped one, but I look way too chubby in it so I can't post it here..? Oh well.
Inside the semi-basement: good light and a restroom in the café
The inside of this Mangwon dessert spot was bigger than I expected, and even though it's a semi-basement, the windows are large and let in enough light that it never felt cramped.
The white-and-wood interior gives it a warm yet relaxed feel.
I tend to need the restroom a lot after drinking coffee, so that matters a lot to me — and PICT Roastery has one inside, and it's clean.
PICT Roastery prices and bean choice — nutty or fruity?
Prices are pretty reasonable! And getting ₩1,000 off for takeout is such a nice touch~ The coffee's so good that if this were near my office, I'd probably grab it to go every single day.
You can choose between a nutty bean or a fruity/acidic one. I originally ordered a caffè latte with the fruity bean, but after smelling the beans and loving the aroma, I switched to an Americano instead — and I have zero regrets ❤️
If you like beans with bright acidity, you have to try this one. : )
French toast at 11,900 won: too much for one person
I ordered the French toast for ₩11,900 and an Americano for ₩4,900.
Ah... honestly the backlight was so strong I debated a hundred times whether to move seats, but by then the place had filled up quite a bit, so I just decided to shoot it and fix it up in editing.
That metal plate is so pretty. I totally forgot to check the bottom of it for a maker's mark.
The French toast is really thick and pretty sweet, so it was a bit much to finish alone. But I ate it all anyway...hehe, it's just that good. One order split between two people would be just right!
What the brûlée-coated French toast tastes like
I have French toast now and then, but this is the first time I've seen one with a brûlée top like this. +_+ Truly a Mangwon dessert standout!
₩11,900 for French toast might sound a bit pricey — but once you taste it, it really makes sense, and the portion is surprisingly generous.
The brûlée part is hard and crackly while the bread underneath is incredibly soft and pillowy.
The cross-section is genuinely gorgeous...❤️ I wanted to film the knife sinking softly through it, but... going alone has its sad moments.
The bread soaked up so much egg mixture that it was truly soft and moist.
On top of that, the syrup pooled underneath soaked in and gave just the right amount of pleasant sweetness ❤️
Cracking off each piece of the brûlée sends your blood sugar climbing fast. The portion is generous and it's quite sweet, so it seems best shared between two.
Americano with a peach aroma, plus power outlets for laptops
Since this is known as a Mangwon dessert spot, I didn't expect much from the coffee — so I was genuinely surprised at how good it was. I love beans with fruity notes, and this one had a peach aroma popping through, which made both the taste and the mood really great.
With such good light and plenty of outlets, I wanted to come back on a weekday afternoon just to work on my laptop.
Who PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch suits best
- A great place to relax and linger thanks to the clean yet warm interior and comfortable seating
- Stands out for its French toast, made even more delicious and sweet by the brûlée coating
- Lets you choose your beans, and the fruity/acidic option in particular is impressively flavorful
If you're looking for a Mangwon dessert spot or a date-course café near Mangwon Market, definitely give PICT Roastery a visit. : )
Where it is
45 World Cup-ro 23-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 마포구 월드컵로23길 45 1층
