Seoul Forest café with black sugar boba soufflé on the terrace: 5to7

Where is 5to7 Seongsu Main Branch, and what does it look like?

5to7 Seongsu Main Branch is a café located five minutes' walk from Seoul Forest Exit 5. The address is 44-13 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea — head up to the 2nd floor.

Seating at 5to7: don't stop at the second floor

Walking into 5to7 Seongsu Main Branch, you're greeted by a wood-toned interior. What surprised me most was how many international visitors there were! It felt like about half Korean customers, half foreign customers — seemed like a café that's famous abroad. We visited after lunchtime and staff mentioned there could be a bit of a wait for food since it was busy.

Besides the indoor space on the 2nd floor, there's also outdoor seating, and one more floor up there's yet another space. Don't leave thinking there's no seating just because the 2nd floor indoor area looks full! There are actually quite a lot of seats. The weather was nice that day, so we sat on the outdoor terrace.

The restroom is unisex and located inside the café.

The interior kept catching my eye — it feels a bit like a regular home but with a stylish sensibility... there seem to be quite a few photo spots throughout. It looks great for coming with friends, and 5to7 seems like a nice spot for all kinds of get-togethers too.

It seems this is the café that appeared on the channel Toyoire Babi Joha (토요일은 밥이 좋아). 5to7 is known for its soufflé! I'd guess it's also been featured on TV as a Seongsu café soufflé spot.

How does the black sugar boba soufflé taste with an iced Americano?

What we ordered at 5to7 Seongsu Main Branch was two clean iced Americanos and an eye-catching black sugar boba soufflé. The moment I took a sip of the iced Americano that arrived first, I felt an unexpected specialness. Rather than the heaviness of espresso you'd typically get at a regular café, there was a subtle flavor reminiscent of Dutch coffee. Thanks to its distinctly clean, crisp finish and the appealing coffee aroma that lightly filled my mouth, I really enjoyed drinking it the whole way through without getting tired of it.

But the real star was something else entirely. The black sugar boba soufflé stole everyone's attention the moment it landed on the table with its overwhelming visual presence. It had such a strong presence that the phrase 'you eat with your eyes first' fit perfectly. With excitement, I picked up my fork and took a bite — it was so soft that there's no word for it other than 'pillowy soft.' The texture melted away the instant it hit my mouth, before I even had a chance to chew — pure art. The sweet, crisp crème brûlée top combined with the chewy black sugar boba beyond expectations for a perfect harmony. The sweetness, softness, and chewiness all came together to deliver a delightful flavor that filled my mouth.

Honestly, this was only the second time I've tried soufflé as a dessert, and every time I eat it, I think it's such a fascinating and appealing food. It's not dense like regular bread, but it's also not as heavy as cake — soufflé has its own distinct identity. Thanks to its light, cloud-like texture, it gives a different kind of enjoyment every time I eat it.

The combination of the subtle, clean Dutch-flavored Americano with the sweet, soft black sugar boba soufflé — thanks to this perfectly matched menu pairing, we had a memorable, feel-good dessert time.

Portion size, time limits and tips before you go

5to7 Seongsu Main Branch seems to have a time limit on seating when it's busy. As you can see from the cross-section, the soufflé is made packed full... The foreign customers next to us each ordered one for themselves and finished it completely — a different level of appetite, I guess. In general, one soufflé is plenty even if two people order just one.

If you're looking for a Seoul Forest café soufflé spot, I highly recommend 5to7 Seongsu!!