Mangwon dessert café with Midnight Cacao americano: PICT Roastery

If you're on the hunt for a good café in Mangwon-dong, PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch might be worth a visit. It's close to Mangwon Market, so it's a nice stop after wandering the market, and I'd heard they roast their own beans in-house, which made me curious enough to go check it out. Hopefully this helps anyone looking for a Mangwon-dong dessert café where you can enjoy coffee and dessert together.

Where is PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch, and what are the hours?

• 📍 Location: 45 World Cup-ro 23-gil, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• ⛔️ Regular closed days: every Monday and Tuesday
• 📆 Hours: Wed–Fri 11:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00
• 🚗 Parking: not available
• 🐾 Pets not allowed

The exterior had a red facade with the shop name written simply on it. The large floor-to-ceiling windows let you see straight inside as you pass by, and the bright atmosphere was the first thing I noticed.

It's tucked into an alley near Mangwon Market, so it wasn't hard to walk over from the market at all.

I could see promotional posters here and there suggesting the fig toast is one of their signature items.

Inside PICT Roastery Mangwon: atmosphere and seating

Stepping inside PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch, the smell of coffee filled the air right away, immediately giving away its identity as a roastery café.

There was a variety of seating, from single seats by the window to larger tables for groups,

and the wood tones running throughout gave the whole space a calm, clean impression.

PICT Roastery Mangwon menu and prices

The menu is fairly simple. There's a range of coffee, dessert, tea and other drinks.

• Americano ₩4,900 (choice of Indian/Ethiopian/Guatemalan chocolate-nutty blend or Ethiopian 4-origin floral blend)
• Matcha Basque cheesecake (signature menu) ₩7,500 – made with stone-ground matcha from Uji, Japan
• Kyoto matcha latte ₩7,000

This time I ordered three things: an americano, a matcha Basque cheesecake, and a Kyoto matcha latte.

Americano with the Midnight Cacao blend

I picked the Midnight Cacao blend for my americano. True to a chocolate-nutty blend of Indian, Ethiopian and Guatemalan beans, the cup smelled savory and heavy rather than acidic as soon as it arrived.

The first sip had a bittersweet flavor like cacao nibs, followed by a nutty note similar to chewing nuts. There was almost no sourness, and the body was heavy, so it went down thick and smooth.

The cacao aroma felt more intense, and a slight bitterness lingering at the end actually seemed to bring out the coffee's own character well. Anyone who prefers a rich, heavy style over an acidic coffee would likely enjoy this one.

How does the matcha Basque cheesecake taste?

The matcha Basque cheesecake had a deep brown, slightly scorched top, and the moment I cut into it with a fork, the inside collapsed softly like it was flowing. The first bite brought a strong wave of the deep green-tea aroma unique to Uji matcha, with almost no astringency or bitterness — mostly deep, savory flavor.

The cheese base was thick yet creamy, melting in the mouth, so the matcha's bitterness and the cheese's savoriness held each other in balance nicely. The sweetness was mild rather than sharp, so I didn't get sick of it even after finishing the whole slice, and the lingering aftertaste kept the matcha aroma going for a while. The texture was soft enough to be almost mousse-like, which made it fun to eat with a spoon too.

Kyoto matcha latte at PICT Roastery

The Kyoto matcha latte had a well-balanced ratio of milk to matcha, so the first sip went down smoothly.

The savory milk flavor came first, followed by a gentle, bitter matcha note — for a latte, the matcha's own flavor stayed present rather than getting buried.

It wasn't too sweet, so it didn't feel heavy, and even as the ice melted, the flavor stayed even and rich rather than watering down.

Stirring it at the end mixed the settled matcha powder back in, which made for an even richer flavor — a nice touch.

Who should visit PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch?

Overall, PICT Roastery Mangwon Branch left me with the impression of a place that pays real attention to the coffee itself. The americano had lively acidity and aroma, and I liked how the matcha Basque cheesecake and Kyoto matcha latte both delivered a strong matcha flavor without feeling overwhelming. I'd recommend it as a good Mangwon-dong café to stop by when you want to quietly enjoy a cup of coffee and dessert near Mangwon Market. If you're looking for a good café in Mangwon-dong, it's worth a visit at least once.