10 Best Cafés in Seoul

Fritz Coffee Company is housed inside a converted 2-storey traditional Korean mansion with a courtyard garden. As the brainchild of a baker, a coffee buyer, and a barista champion, it’s not surprising that the café has attracted a dedicated following of coffee connoisseurs and pastry lovers. On the day of the week, the café is packed with students prepping for exams, office workers socializing during their lunch break, and hipsters taking selfies with the cafe’s quirky decor.

Premium coffee beans are sourced directly from growers worldwide and then roasted and blended in-house. The beverages menu includes an extensive selection of single-origin pour-overs and classic coffee beverages. To reach the coffee shop, take subway Line 5 (the purple line) to Mapo and walk 500 meters.

Take a taxi cab to Sanmotunggi Coffee for stunning views, great coffee, and a peaceful atmosphere. The café is located in a quiet neighbourhood between Inwang and Bugak mountains. From the outdoor patio seating or any of the cozy rooms, you can enjoy a beautiful vista of Northern Seoul, including the ancient Seoul City Wall.

The café can get busy on weekends, and it can be hard to get a table. So plan your visit for a weekday if you want a more relaxed experience with fewer people around. To reach Sanmotunggi, take a subway to Gyeongbokgung Station and then a 10-minute taxi cab uphill to the café's entrance. You know you're at the right place when you see an old yellow VW beetle.

Anthracite Coffee is a top spot in Seoul dedicated to serving made-to-order specialty beverages prepared with top-quality beans (freshly roasted in-house) from around the world. If you’re unsure what to order, the friendly, helpful baristas can help you. The coffee shop also regularly hosts public cupping for patrons wanting to learn more about the art of coffee brewing.

There are 5 Anthracite branches in Seoul. But the flagship café in the Hapjeong neighbourhood stands out for its setting in a smartly renovated shoe factory. With moody, industrial-chic decor, complete with an old conveyor belt and a 1910 Probat roaster, this Insta-worthy coffee shop is a great place to hang out for a while and rub shoulders with highly cultured Seoulites.

Cafe by day, bar by night, Seoulism is a famous rooftop spot with an outdoor terrace offering spectacular views of Seoul and the Lotte World Tower. The café’s prices are elevated, but snapping Insta-worthy photos of one of the tallest buildings in the world makes it worth the extra cost.

The best time to visit is at sunset. Then, stay on to enjoy a night view of Seoul. However, it can get very crowded in the evening. If you want to avoid waiting in line, consider visiting in the early afternoon. To reach Seoulism, take line 9 to Songpanaru Station (exit 1) or Line 8 to Seokchon Station (exit 2), then walk a few blocks to the nondescript, industrial-looking building and take the elevator to the 6th floor.

At Greem Cafe, scores of visitors line up outside daily, waiting to experience and snap selfies at one of Seoul’s most unique cafés. The café was inspired by the hit Korean animated Web series W, where the main character is stuck between our world and an alternate cartoon reality.

As you enter the café, you find yourself transported into the pages of a cartoonist’s notebook. Everything inside this shop – the walls, furniture, decor, and coffee mugs – is crafted with black and white decorative elements. The result is a bizarre optical illusion. Every nook and cranny appears 2-dimensional, like an illustration come to life.

Jean Frigo is a unique café in Seoul. From the outside, it doesn't look like anything more than an unassuming fruit store with large refrigerators in the back. However, you won't find any food when you open those metallic doors. Instead, you'll enter a stunning 2-floor bar-café-cum-speakeasy with several differently-themed rooms.

Order one of the bar's signature fruity cocktails, and then cozy up in a room with moody rainbow lighting and sunken seating neighborhoods. When you need a re-fill, use the vintage telephone booth to call the staff.

For a healthy brunch, Thanks, Oat in Seoul serves a wide variety of delicious granola and yogurt lawn bowling. Toppings include kiwi, blueberry, banana, cacao nibs, roasted nuts, coconut chunks, and chia seeds. You can also order bagels and smoothie lawn bowling.

Note that the café doesn’t serve coffee. But one sip of the foamy hot chocolate, with chocolate shavings on top, and you won’t even think about caffeine. Take the Gyeongui–Jungang Line to Gajwa Station to get to the café. Thanks, Oat is a 10-minute walk from exit 1. Korean television drama fans will be happy to know this café was featured in the 2019 South Korean TV series Romance is a Bonus Book.

Coffee Nap Roasters is a tiny coffee shop in the charming Yeonnam-dong neighbourhood with an extraordinary interior design. Seoul has its fair share of eccentric cafés, but have you been to a glasshouse café with a hill of bricks inside? This café, with floor-to-ceiling windows on 2 sides, is built around a mound covered by 7,000 red bricks.

The undulating design creates an unusual and striking space where patrons can enjoy their coffee wherever they like. There are benches and stools on the side where you can relax after you’ve snapped photos sitting on this incredibly Instagrammable spot.

Cerulean is a quiet hideaway tucked away in a narrow alleyway that’s perfect for refueling when you’re exploring Seoul’s lively Insadong district. Coffee is prepared with premium, locally roasted beans. For the ultimate pick-me-up, order the signature Tarae In Spanner. This delicious mix of americano coffee, cream, and peanut flavoring is topped with traditional sil-tarae (Chinese cotton candy).

The café’s modern, sophisticated architecture has made it a superstar on social media. Half of the coffee shop, which includes the seating area, is set in a hanok – a traditional Korean house. And the other half consists of a sleek glass structure showcasing the barista’s workspace.

943 King's Cross is a Harry Potter-themed café spread across 4 floors in Seoul. It’s a must for fans wanting an immersive experience based on the magical wizard world. Every corner has been carefully decorated with Harry Potter-related decor and details. From the front door that resembles the fictional 9 ¾ train platform to Hog's Head, you'll be able to spot plenty of book and movie references.

Highlights include the Great Hall, Gryffindor Common Room, Ollivander's wand shop, and a wizard dormitory that feels like a Hogwarts dormitory during winter. There are also robes, wands and scarves that you can try on and take pictures of. The café is free to enter, but you'll have to order something before you start exploring.