Local places · 381 stories
Cafés in Korea, told firsthand by local bloggers — with photos and Google Maps.
Gyeongju Tokyo Pie is a handmade pie shop in an alley of Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju. I bought a six-piece gift set with apple pies and Tokyo anko pies to share with my family. I liked the subtle apple sweetness and nutty red bean filling, but the chocolat pie was sold out.
Benetto (베네또) is a sandwich café across from Ulsan City Hall in Nam-gu, Ulsan. I tried the jambon (ham) sandwich on hearth-baked bread, the Mexican beef grilled sandwich, and peach iced tea. The jambon was relatively mild, but I preferred the warm Mexican beef with its cheese and sauce.
Chamsae Bori Sikppang’s Bucheon main branch (참새보리식빵 부천본점) is a sandwich bread bakery about a 10-minute walk from Exit 2 of Bucheon Station. I arrived at 10 a.m. on Sunday, waited about 10 minutes, and bought three varieties of barley bread. The moist, chewy Daesang loaf was my family’s favorite, but arriving late can mean missing out on the bread you want.
MUG (카페 먹) is a large bakery café in Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, with a charred-wood interior and outdoor mountain views. I shared a blueberry cinnamon roll with my parents and liked its generous jam filling and moderate sweetness. Weekends tend to be busy, and some popular breads were unavailable when I visited around 3 p.m.
The Nillai is a large brunch café in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, where guests can enjoy coffee, bakery items, and nature views. Four of us—my mom, daughter, and niece included—shared truffle mushroom pizza, seafood oil pasta, and pastries before hotel check-in, then shopped downstairs. Verdict: a relaxed first stop for a family trip with kids.
Anma Jogyok Cafe Jeonmang is a café in Jeonju Hanok Village, Jeonbuk, where visitors can enjoy a foot soak and shoulder massage while looking over the hanok roofs. After walking around the village, I relaxed for 30–40 minutes with a peppermint foot soak and an iced Americano. A wonderfully restorative stop for a Jeonju trip.
Mellows is a café in Seongdong, Seoul, serving coffee, Sangha Farm soft-serve ice cream, and evening drinks. A ₩3,200 café latte and ₩4,000 matcha and affogato soft serve delivered rich coffee and crisp toppings at a great price. Verdict: Mellows is an easy stop from coffee in the morning to cocktails at night.
Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters Starfield Suwon Branch is a café beside the second-floor food court at Starfield Suwon in Gyeonggi. Its ₩7,000 coconut coffee was sweet, nutty, and remarkably like the coconut coffee I had in China, with decaf available too. Verdict: a café I’d happily revisit whenever a coconut-coffee craving hits.
Baedagol Bakery House is a bakery café with a large garden and rooftop in Wondang, Goyang. I enjoyed specialty-bean coffee, six-clove garlic bread, fruit Basque cheesecake, and fresh melon bingsu while looking out at the greenery through full-height windows. Verdict: a lovely place to unwind in the garden on a cool day.
Fluffy Bake Shop is a café near Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul, serving house-baked pastries, salt bread, and coffee. On a repeat visit after getting a child’s bike brake repaired next door, I picked financiers and canelés for a gift, plus vanilla canelés and salt bread for my family. Verdict: Fluffy Bake Shop is my go-to for buttery baked treats and thoughtful dessert gifts in Gongdeok.
Munhwa Bakery is a small takeout bakery in Jongno, Seoul, near Jongno 3-ga Station and Ikseon-dong. After visiting the Korean Traditional Music Museum, I picked up garlic bread, white bean paste bread, and milk cream bread for my family. Verdict: A convenient stop for taking home snacks after a Jongno stroll.
Boulangerie Tan, Hyundai Department Store KINTEX is a bakery in Goyang, Gyeonggi. I packed up several breads with a vanilla latte, and the milk cream salt bread and chocolate baguette were especially memorable. A great spot for choosing a variety of breads to take away at KINTEX.
