Nowon café for fragrant Americano: Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters

Where should you go if you are looking for a café where you can take a quick break while shopping or meeting someone around Nowon Station? The place I discovered while stopping by Lotte Department Store Nowon today was Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, Lotte Department Store Nowon. Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters is known as a local coffee brand that originally began in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, and it has recently expanded into Seoul, so you can now find it near Nowon Station too. I heard that the Nowon branch is especially meaningful as Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters' first store in Seoul.

A café in Lotte Department Store Nowon's basement food hall

It is located in the basement food hall at Lotte Department Store Nowon. Lotte Department Store Nowon was recently renovated, and wow, it has completely changed. It had felt a little too dated for a while, but when I went this time, lots of high-end brands had moved in and the renovation had made the atmosphere feel truly polished and clean. Being inside Lotte Department Store Nowon makes it easy to get to 👍

There is also a 20% discount for food court customers. It is in a great spot when you want a cup of coffee while shopping around Nowon Station or when you are looking for a Nowon café to meet a friend and chat. I thought a café inside a department store might simply be somewhere to rest while shopping, but Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters has such a clear identity when it comes to coffee itself that I became even more curious. I was so curious about the taste!!

A roastery that began in Haenggung-dong, Suwon

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters began in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, in 2017. It operates every store directly and reportedly manages bean roasting, extraction recipes, staff training, and more itself. Maybe that is why it felt less like simply a famous café brand and more like a roastery café that values coffee's fundamental flavor and quality.

Signature coconut coffee and the story behind the beans

When you search for Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, the menu item that stands out most is its coconut coffee. It is a patented signature drink and has reportedly sold more than 1.1 million cups cumulatively, so it really does seem fair to call it the signature menu item. A regular café latte or Americano is great too, but on a first visit, choosing something that lets you experience Jeong Ji-young Coffee's own character seems like a good idea. Especially if you usually enjoy coffee that is sweet and nutty, coconut coffee seems like quite a good choice.

As you would expect from a roastery brand, Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters also puts a lot of care into its beans. Looking at the official website, the medium-roast blend is described as having fruity notes, a sweet impression, and a clean, balanced taste, while the dark-roast blend is characterized by dark chocolate, walnut, and a rich body. I usually enjoy nutty coffee, so I had high expectations for Jeong Ji-young Coffee too.

This is what the main branch looks like^^ It is amazing that it was popular and delicious enough to expand all the way to Seoul 👍

A latte and Americano during a shopping break

These days, more people are looking beyond pretty interiors for a Nowon café with good coffee or a great coffee spot near Nowon Station that uses proper beans, and I think that is another reason Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters catches the eye. It is a good place to visit when you want a quick break while shopping, meet a friend for a casual coffee, or are looking for a café with good coffee near Nowon Station.

Ta-da~~ The coffee is here. It is so nice that Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, which began in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, can now be found in Nowon, Seoul. If you are looking for a Nowon café, I recommend stopping by Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, Lotte Department Store Nowon.

The latte was nutty, and the iced Americano had just the slightest acidity and a really lovely aroma.