Get caffeinated and take pictures at these 5 beautiful cafés in Seoul

Seoul is an exciting city, packed with shopping, ancient heritage, contemporary architecture, K-drama locations and a vibrant K-pop culture. To keep up with it all, visitors will need plenty of fuel. Luckily, the Korean capital has a great café scene to boot.

In fact, over the past 20 years, Seoul has gone from barely a café scene to having some of the most beautiful coffee shops in the region. Now, there are cafés on every block, house-roasted beans are the norm and drink options range from your classic flat whites to the more obscure Einspänners.

The usual coffee global players have moved in, but to experience Korean creativity at its best, visit the local independent shops and small chains, where the décor is as striking as the drinks. Here are 5 specialty cafés to try on your next trip to Seoul.

Anthracite Coffee

Taking old buildings and refurbishing them into trendy, Instagrammable cafés is all the rage in coffee capitals around the world. In Seoul, the trend was started by pioneers such as Anthracite Coffee. Located in the trendy Hapjeong area, just one station away from the famous Hongdae, the building that houses this busy café was once used as a shoe factory – that raw, industrial look has been well-preserved, and there are still winches outside and a conveyor belt inside. Looks aside, the team here pays great attention to quality, roasting its own beans daily – which you can also take home by the bag. Three other Anthracite branches have sprung up in the Seoul area.

Savage Garden

As the same suggests, the Savage Garden space is wrapped in forest foliage. It’s located just below the forested slopes of Namsan Mountain and the outdoor space features old train tracks and is festooned with hanging lamps that make for a pretty sight in the evening. The café’s remarkable nature-inspired theme continues into the wood-panelled interiors, with a seed collection on one wall and an indoor pond. Its menu is completely vegan, with such drinks as sesame cream oat latte and lots of beautiful treats like mugwort brownies, fruit tarts, madeleines and cakes (yes, all dairy-free!). Be sure to have a stroll – and a selfie shoot – in the vibrant garden outside.

Coffee Hanyakbang

A charming collection of old narrow alleys and old factories, the Euljiro area has become a creative haven for Seoul’s indie hipsters. In this ideal location, near Cheonggye Stream, Coffee Hanyakbang is a delight for both coffee and vintage lovers. The building’s history as a traditional Korean apothecary is well-preserved, with all sorts of interesting nooks to sit in and design elements to admire, including a tank of long-tailed white carp. The coffee is hand-dripped. For desserts such as lemon tarts and financiers, step right across the alley to the partner shop Hyemindang.

Osulloc Tea House Bukchon

Fear not, Seoul’s design-forward café scene has something even for those who don’t drink coffee. Nestled among the traditional Korean houses of Seoul’s Bukchon area, Osulloc is a sleek landmark that specializes in green tea drinks. Within the sleek and soothing beige-and-white interiors, drinks are meticulously made with tea leaves harvested from Osulloc’s own farm on Jeju Island. Head to the Tea Atelier for a personalised tea blend service – or try some non-alcoholic tea cocktails at Bar Sulloc, on the second level.

Bean Brothers

Serious coffee lovers will love this independent café chain. Bean Brothers brings in different single-origin coffee beans each month, and features a row of pourover setups to delicately prepare and serve each kind. Extensive tasting notes are provided, too, of course. The classic baked goods, such as croissants, pains au chocolat and cheesecakes, are also hard to resist. Bean Brothers has seven branches in Seoul and nearby cities, including one in the mall D-Cube City and another in the elegant food court linked to Express Bus Terminal. The industrial-chic branch at Hapjeong is especially popular among Instagrammers.

Ready for a cup of joe in Korea? Fly to Seoul with Thai Airways – and download our Seoul Pocket Guide to take on your trip!