Find out about the most interesting cafes to visit in Seoul. Take your pick: mountain view, city view or tranquility away from the bustling city of Seoul.
Seoul is a city with many different sights: it has mountains, skyscrapers, traditional houses, parks and many more. In every neighborhood in Seoul, you can find a great number of interesting cafes. But the most beautiful are those at the outskirts of the city (or a little bit beyond), offering a view of one of the many mountains within the borders of Seoul or of the city itself. Below you can find more about the most interesting cafes to visit in Seoul.
1) Pointvill Cafe (포인트빌)
The number one spot goes to Pointvill Cafe in Goyang, near Seoul. This cafe has it all:
- a view of Bukhan mountain
- a great indoor environment
- big grounds with plenty of tables outside offering a private spot to everyone
- a nice garden
- peaceful atmosphere
- interesting drinks and a good bakery (the drinks are a little on the expensive side, but well worth it considering you get to spend as much time in the garden as you want).
Technically, Pointvill Cafe is not within the borders of Seoul, but it is very close and can be reached within 50 minutes by car (ample parking spots available) or an hour and fifteen minutes by bus from City Hall. If you’re looking for a relaxing day, bring a book and hop on the bus to this cafe.
When I visited this cafe on a Thursday afternoon in October, almost all indoor tables were taken and many of the tables outside as well. Many people spend at least two hours there, meeting up with friends and taking a walk in the garden.
Opening hours: 11:00 – 21:00; closed on Sundays.
Address: 473-90, Bukhansan-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (Zip Code)10580. Or in Korean: 경기 고양시 덕양구 북한산로 473-90 (우)10580. You can find this cafe on KakaoMap, but not on Google Maps.
2) Yeonjiwon Traditional Tea House (연지원)
Yeonjiwon is the traditional tea house at Jingwansa temple on the northern side of Seoul; very close to Pointvill cafe actually. Jingwansan is one of the four major temples in Seoul. This temple is a nice getaway from the busy city of Seoul and a good place to spend the day. When visiting the temple and temple grounds nothing indicates there is a 17 million people major city nearby.
You can combine a visit to this cafe with a hike in Bukhansan, a visit to Eunpyeong Hanok Village or simply enjoy the mountain view from the cafe.
The traditional tea house is in the middle of the temple grounds and offers traditional Korean teas, but there is also Americano and a leaf tea on the menu. For snacks, they have rice crackers and honey bread (the cake type, not the white bread toasted with honey).
Jingwansa is open year-round.
Address: 서울 은평구 진관길 73 (우)03308. English address of Jingwansa: 73 Jingwan-gil, Jingwan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Zuid-Korea.
The temple is easy to reach by bus and for those with a car: there is a big parking lot just in front of the entrance. It takes about 40 minutes by car or in 55 minutes by bus from City Hall.
3) Sanmotoonge Cafe (산모퉁이)
Sanmotoonge is probably the best-known cafe to visit in Seoul on this list, as it was featured in the Korean TV drama Coffee Prince. The cafe is quite popular among Koreans as well. Even though it is a ‘tourist spot’ and therefore less of a quiet getaway from the city, the view makes up for the popularity.
Inside the cafe, you can find many spots to sit, some of them in a room away from the counter offering more privacy. On the terrace, you can see a mountain on the left side with a stone wall and border security houses climbing the slope. On the right, you have a nice view of the neighborhood Buam. Coffee Prince fans will also appreciate the two stone horses on the terrace.
You can take a bus to Buam-dong and get off at Changuimun Gate. From there, walk up the hill to reach the cafe. Along the way, you pass many museums and other cafes. If you come by car: parking near the cafe may seem like quite a challenge but is rather easy if you take a hint from other cars parked on the side of the road. Just make sure it is not a numbered parking spot. It takes about half an hour by bus or twenty minutes by car.
Opening hours: 11:00 – 22:00
Address: 153 Baekseokdong-gil, Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Zuid-Korea. Korean: 서울 종로구 백석동길 153 (우)03020.
4) The Piano (더피아노)
There are many reasons this cafe in Seoul’s Pyeongchang neighborhood is an interesting place to visit:
- it is built against the mountain and has a rock garden
- big garden with many tables offering a private spot for everyone
- Seoul city view
- peaceful atmosphere
- see how the other half lives
To start with the last point: if you have ever watched a K-Drama then you’ll recognize Pyeongchang immediately as the place where the rich families live. It has big houses with huge gates in front of it. A walk through the neighborhood is worth a visit on its own. Simply a must-see for Korean drama lovers. If you have seen the Liar and his Lover, then you’ll recognize The Piano as the dorm the boyband Crude Play was living in.
This is also evident in the clientele of The Piano: the cafe seems to be a good place to meet friends for a chat in the middle of the day. When I ordered my drinks at the counter, the waitress gave me a very surprised look and asked me how the hell I found this cafe (in very polite English of course, I’m simply expressing the surprise).
The cafe is built directly against the mountain and from the counter you follow a path along the rocks to reach the garden and enjoy a nice view of the surrounding area.
Unfortunately, the price for drinks is rather high (14k Korean won-ish) as they include a fee for entering the property. If you can see your visit to this cafe built against one of Seoul’s most famous mountains as visiting a tourist attraction, then the price becomes less of an issue. For snacks, they have home-made cookies.
Opening hours: 10:00 – 19:00; closed on Wednesdays.
Address: 서울 종로구 평창6길 71 (우)03003.
You can reach the cafe by bus from City Hall in 45 minutes (including a 15-minute walk uphill) or in half an hour by car. If you come by car you can use one of the ~5 parking spots available. Fortunately for me, a parking spot was available for me when I got there as I didn’t see any other parking spots along the way.
5) Myeonggeumtang (명금탕)
The last cafe to visit in Seoul is located very near Jingwansa temple cafe and Pointvill Cafe. You can find it in the newly constructed Eunpyeong Hanok Village, with a Twosome Place and CU right next to it. From the terrace, but also from some of the tables inside this tea house you have a nice view of Seoul’s Bukhansan National Park.
I put this one last because I favor the bigger outside areas of the other four cafes when spending a day away from the busier neighborhoods of Seoul. When it comes to the menu though, this one comes first for me. Besides the more common traditional Korean teas, it also offers Pu’er, Oolong, White Tea and many other teas from leaves and flowers. So for those wanting a less fruit-tea like drinking experience, this is the cafe to visit in Seoul.
As a side menu, it has a variety of rice cake snacks like the ones in the picture above: 기정떡 (rice cake) and 치즈가래떡 (rice cake bars with cheese and honey).
Opening hours: 10:00 – 21:30.
Address: 서울 은평구 진관길 5 1층 (우)03308.
Eungpyeong Hanok Village and this traditional tea house can be reached in 40 minutes by car or 55 minutes by bus from City Hall. You can park at the Jingwansa temple parking lot or in the village itself if it is not too busy.
Looking for a place to stay in Seoul?
I can recommend two of the hotels I stayed at during my trips to Seoul: Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall (best for first time travellers) and Best Western Premier Hotel Gangnam (if you want to spend more time in the Gangnam area and other neighbourhoods south of the river).
Read more about Seoul
- 11 Ways to Spend a Day in Seoul
- Top things to do in Seoul
- Daelim Museum is “Serious Fun”
- Experience technology at Samsung d’light in Gangnam
- Alternatives for a touristy Korean DMZ
- Christmas in Seoul (and how to buy concert tickets)
- 13 Funny and Iconic Situations to Experience in South Korea
- Experience technology at Samsung d’light in Gangnam
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Love this. I just added all these to my moodboards. The day I visit Korea, I am going to be visiting these places.
Thanks for your comment, I hope you’ll be able to visit all of them someday!