Yeonnam-dong coffee shop for macadamia financiers: Pip Espresso Bar

What we ordered at Pip Espresso Bar in Yeonnam-dong

While looking for a café in Yeonnam-dong, the place I stopped by after walking Yeontral Park was Pip Espresso Bar.

I visited around 6pm on a Sunday and ordered a classic financier, a macadamia financier, an iced Americano, and a stracciatella. There were both indoor and outdoor tables, and the outdoor tables were especially popular.

I could choose between a familiar Americano and menu items more fitting for an espresso bar, and it was a nice place to rest with coffee and dessert before a dinner appointment.

A coffee stop after walking Yeontral Park

Yeonnam-dong has so many cafés down every alley that it's hard to decide where to go. This time, walking along Yeontral Park, I stopped at Pip Espresso Bar. The weather had turned cool, and there wasn't an empty outdoor table left.

Since it was around 6pm on a Sunday, I could drink coffee while feeling the slightly calmer mood of the Yeonnam-dong alleys compared to daytime.

It was also a convenient stop for resting after a walk or before a dinner appointment. A cute dog sitting so quietly caught my eye, haha. The foreign woman with it was so nice too — when she saw me staring at the dog because it was too cute to look away from, she gave me a warm smile.

Inside Pip Espresso Bar: a converted house

True to its name, Pip Espresso Bar felt like a place centered on enjoying coffee through espresso. The shop was set up in a converted house.

Unlike a large-scale café, it felt good for spending time with a cup of coffee and a small dessert. It's almost maze-like, with seats and tables continuing to appear as you go further in.

Rather than a flashy space, it was the kind of place to look for on a day you want to rest a while, focused on the coffee and financiers.

How the classic financier tasted

Pip Espresso Bar's classic financier had a taste that stuck to the basics. The outside had a golden-baked texture while the inside was moist, making it easy to eat bite by bite.

You could taste the savory flavor of butter without leaving too much lingering sweetness, which made it good to pair with the iced Americano. After a sip of coffee, the financier's characteristic savoriness came through even more clearly.

The macadamia financier

The macadamia financier had a stronger savory taste than the classic one. The financier's buttery flavor combined with macadamia, and the savoriness came alive more the more you chewed, with the nuts also giving it a different texture.

Ordering one of each and eating them alternately made each one's characteristics stand out clearly, and I felt glad I'd ordered both kinds of financier. It wasn't just decent — it was really delicious. A dessert I'd want to order again if I went back.

The iced Americano

The iced Americano was the menu item that went most comfortably with both financiers. Iced Americano is always my favorite drink, so it's never optional.

After eating a dessert, a sip of coffee made my mouth feel lighter and made it easy to alternate between tasting the classic and macadamia. Eating the buttery financiers alongside the clean coffee made it feel less heavy.

Stracciatella: the espresso bar pick

The slightly different item I picked this time was the stracciatella.

I usually drink iced Americano often, but since I was at an espresso bar, I decided to order something different from my usual as well.

Alternating between it and the Americano was fun, since it let me experience two different styles of coffee.

Picking one familiar coffee and one new item was also a good way to enjoy Pip Espresso Bar.

Coffee and financiers together

The classic financier had a clear, basic buttery flavor while the macadamia financier added nutty savoriness, so the difference between the two was distinct.

Pairing them with the iced Americano kept the dessert's sweetness and buttery flavor from feeling heavy, and ordering the stracciatella too meant I got to try a variety of coffee menu items.

I was satisfied with the menu choices I made this time, when I wanted to enjoy coffee and financiers together.

Yeonnam-dong at 6pm on a Sunday

My visit to Pip Espresso Bar was at 6pm on a Sunday. It was a good time for a coffee after walking Yeontral Park, and I could also feel Yeonnam-dong's slightly calmer mood compared to daytime.

It was also convenient as a rest stop after spending the day exploring Yeonnam-dong, or as a place to drop by before a dinner appointment. If you're planning a Yeontral Park walk together with a café visit, it's an easy, natural stop.

Hours and address for Pip Espresso Bar

• Name: Pip Espresso Bar (피프에스프레소바)
• Address: 1F, 5 Seongmisan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–23:00, Sat 10:00–23:00, Sun 10:00–22:00

Worth a stop for coffee and financiers in Yeonnam-dong?

At Pip Espresso Bar, I got to taste the different charms of the classic financier and the macadamia financier, along with the iced Americano and the stracciatella. It was a good café to stop by when you want to rest during a Yeontral Park walk, or when you're craving coffee and financiers together in Yeonnam-dong.