Seoul-searching: Cafe-hopping in Seoul

Seoul really has a thing for cafes. There are so many cafes everywhere and there were always people in them, be it big cafe chains or small quaint cafes, and we cafe-hopped quite a bit while we were there. Sometimes it was to hide from the cold or rain, to rest for a bit, or sometimes just because it looked nice. Their cafes pretty much serve only sweets and drinks though, sometimes sandwiches. They don't seem to have the kind of cafes that serves all-day breakfast or mains on their menus. Other than the cat cafe, these are the cafes that we chanced upon as we went about the city.

A cute little cafe near our guesthouse in Namsan

Chanced upon this roadside cafe on our way to Namsan Park and decided we would try it for breakfast the next morning. We ended up having coffee and waffles with ice cream for breakfast because why not. Life is short, eat dessert for breakfast. That line should probably be printed on a tee or something.

Cosy interior

Being a crazy cat lady, I of course planned a visit to a Korean cat cafe, as though working in a cat cafe in Singapore weren't enough. We went to one in the Hongdae area, recommended by my friend. I believe they have various branches in different parts of Seoul, from what I can guess on the Korean website.

Cat Darakbang - if Google Translate does not fail me, 'darakbang' is translated as garret, which refers to an attic.

The cafe was located on the third level, up a flight of stairs so nondescript that you'd miss it if you just blinked. Or if you weren't looking for it. We were looking for it and we still managed to climb up the wrong flight of stairs. When we entered there was a porch area for us to remove our shoes and put on slippers and sanitise our hands before we entered the cafe area. Entry into the cafe costs KRW8,000 per person, which is roughly SGD10 and we get to choose a drink off the menu which is inclusive.

The crazy cat lady in me started mooning over all the cats the moment we entered. It was the afternoon so most of the cats were napping or lazing around. But when more customers came in, the cafe staff opened a can of tuna and started handing out a spoonful of it to every customer who wanted to feed the cats and most of the cats started waking up and coming up to us. J declined feeding them, so of course he had the important task of helping me take photos while I fed them.

The cafe didn't have any toys or brushes for us to play with or groom the cats unlike my workplace, but I got to feed the cats twice, after which they all went back to sleep or just wandered around. Other than a few groups of youngsters that came and went, the cafe was really peaceful, with cats napping near us or on my lap and we spent a quiet 1.5 hours there.

I shall just include the details here if anyone would like to visit:

Cat Darakbang (www.godabang.com)

Opening hours: 1pm - 10 pm on weekdays (not sure about the weekends!)

Entrance fee: KRW8,000 (one drink inclusive)

Directions: Hongik University Station (Hongdae) exit 9. Turn left as soon as you exit the station and turn right at the first intersection. Cat Darakbang will be on the right hand side down an alley. You will see a signboard indicating that there is a cat cafe on level 3. Go up the narrow flight of stairs.

Gahoe Hankyung-hun Cafe

This was the first cafe we saw and went into because it was so miserable and rainy and we were so tired from getting lost while trying to find Samcheong-dong. The exterior looks like a very traditional little house and after glancing briefly at the menu outside we left our umbrella in one of the vats and stepped in for a rest. The cosy interior was warmly lit, and there was even a raised platform in the corner for traditional seating.

The cafe owner is a lady who also happens to be an artist and there were several of her artworks on display inside the cafe. What I thought were paintings at first turned out to be embroidered artworks on closer inspection and with some clarification from the owner. The pictures were so finely embroidered I couldn't tell if they were painted or sewn, that's how amazing they were. The cafe owner gifted me with some pretty postcards of her artworks and passed me a book to browse through. The book turned out to be a collection of her artworks throughout the years, with accompanying explanations in three languages.

A published book of the cafe owner's artworks

The cafe has a wide selection of coffees and teas, but very limited snacks. J ordered Brazilian hand-drip coffee; the menu had a variety of exotic coffees to please the coffee connoisseurs. I just had my usual mocha. As we waited for the rain to stop, we used the free wifi in the cafe and decided on our itinerary for the rest of the day.

After visiting Gyeongbokgung we walked back to Insadong and decided we needed another break from the cold. I had pointed out the pretty exterior of the cafe when we walked through Insadong previously so we decided to walk back and hop in. The cafe has three storeys and you can choose where you want to sit, but the ordering counter is only on the first level. They have pantries and coffee machines on all three levels though and because we were seated on the second level the baristas came up to make our drinks on the second level. 

The cafe does not have an English name. The Korean name is "도도" which is read as "dodo". It's on the main touristy street of Insadong and the exterior would be hard to miss - it has a brick exterior complete with fake flowers at the windows. We ordered hot chocolate and it came in two huge cups on doilies and wooden coasters. The menu had quite a selection of yummy-looking sweets too, but we were too full from lunch. The place also serves different types of traditional Korean tea, apart from the usual coffee/tea selection in cafes. We sat there for quite some time, just people-watching and after a while I got kind of cold 'cause we were sitting near the window and you could practically feel the chill permeating through the glass windows.

This last cafe we went to was in Noryangjin and we stopped by right after we had lunch in Noryangjin Fish Market. We were stuffed, but the Russian toast on the menu looked too enticing. So we got our coffees and ordered this giant thick toast to share. It came with a generous heap of soft serve ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon and it was really yummy. Even the whipped cream on my coffee was so delish I licked it all up. The cafe itself was spacious with a variety of seats - we were seated on comfy low armchairs, while the others in the cafe were studying at higher tables and chairs. There was even a workshop to one side of the cafe where people could learn the art of grounding coffee, while others in the cafe looked on through a huge glass window.