Seongsu café in Seoul for gelato caffè latte and truffle parma: Frolla

Walking around Seongsu-dong checking out pop-up stores with my sister, my legs started aching and I badly needed a caffeine transfusion. Luckily there was a Seongsu café with an Italian local vibe nearby — a coffee espresso bar — so I stopped in for brunch too.

This is Frolla, a Seongsu-dong brunch café.

Where is Frolla and what are its hours?

• Address: 5 Yeonmujang 17-gil, 1st floor, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–19:00

It's 679m from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station, in an alley not far from Yeonmujang-gil, where all kinds of Seongsu pop-ups are held. From the vivid pink parasols and colorful chairs on the outdoor terrace to the interior visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the whole look gets you excited before you even walk in.

What is the atmosphere like inside Frolla?

Stepping inside, the smell of coffee filling the space and the quiet jazz music seemed to melt away the fatigue. What struck me most was that the tables were split about half foreign visitors, half Korean, giving it an exotic feeling like I'd traveled to Italy.

There's a reason this place is word-of-mouth famous among the countless Seongsu-dong cafés for serious coffee. The sleek interior naturally blends an Italian classic mood with Seongsu's modern edge, and it's genuinely fun just to look around the space.

What's on the menu at Frolla?

The menu at Frolla, this Seongsu-dong coffee and brunch café, carries the barista experience and know-how of an owner who ran a café in Sydney, Australia for over 10 years. You can feel the philosophy behind the lineup — a genuine effort to properly introduce authentic Italian coffee culture and flavor to Korea.

Alongside the basics like cappuccino and macchiato, there's a solid signature lineup too, including an espresso tiramisu inspired by local recipes, which adds to the fun of choosing. I already love Frolla's particular style of espresso and have tried a variety of drinks on past visits, but this time there was a new menu item that easily became my new personal number one.

What we ordered at Frolla

For coffee, we ordered the classic Americano along with the new gelato caffè latte. I'd had a regular caffè latte here before, so I was curious how this one would be different.

Since it involves gelato, I was half worried, half excited — I don't usually go for sweet coffee. But those worries turned out to be unfounded: the new gelato caffè latte was good enough that I already want to order it again next time. It comes in a clear vintage glass, generously filled with rich milk and milk gelato studded with chocolate chips. The espresso shot is poured in separately, which adds a fun visual element too.

Frolla's new gelato caffè latte

If you pour the espresso in all at once it might overflow, so I ate a bit of the gelato first, then poured once it looked safe. The gelato itself exceeded expectations too — the chocolate chips added texture and a fun bite, and it wasn't overly sweet.

Watching the hot espresso trickle down the cold gelato's surface and swirl into the milk created a marbling effect that was a pleasure just to look at.

A deep sip filled my mouth with the nuttiness of the milk, and the chocolate chips added a crunchy bite that kept things from getting monotonous. The deep, rich flavor of the espresso meeting the gelato and milk meant even my palate, which doesn't favor sweet drinks, felt completely comfortable with it. The bitterness of the beans firmly balanced out the gelato's sweetness. The harmony of milk, chewy gelato, and bitter espresso was genuinely good enough that I'd strongly recommend it.

Truffle parma panini, Frolla's bestseller

For brunch at this Seongsu-dong coffee café, I chose the bestselling truffle parma. It's a labor of love — packed generously with fresh cheese and ham and high-quality ingredients, then baked in a hot oven. Looking at the cross-section, the outside is crisp and the inside chewy Italian ciabatta bread, with rich mozzarella melting pleasantly from the heat and showing itself off.

On top, salty parma prosciutto and bitter wild arugula form dense layers. The moment you take a bite, the fragrant aroma of truffle paste hits your nose and lifts the whole flavor.

The combination of cheese and prosciutto could easily get heavy, but the tangy marinated tomato confit anchors the flavor and keeps everything well balanced.

I added marinated artichoke and mushroom for ₩1,000 each, stuffing them generously into the bread. The soft texture of the artichoke and the chewy bite of the marinated mushroom together upgraded both the flavor and texture — one bite of the sandwich felt like eating a proper full meal.

Americano with low-acidity beans

Lastly, to go with the panini, I ordered an Americano. This Seongsu-dong coffee café is known for great espresso, but sometimes an Americano is exactly what you want alongside it. Since I prefer a nutty, heavy-bodied style, I specifically asked for beans without acidity. The dark chocolate nuance and the beans' natural nuttiness paired perfectly with the panini sandwich.

If you're looking for proper espresso and quality brunch in Seongsu-dong, stop by Frolla, a little slice of Italy in Seongsu.