Center Coffee | Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Center Coffee in Seoul Forest

Center Coffee’s History

Center Coffee is the first specialty coffee shop in Seoul to be founded by world renowned barista, Sang-ho Park. Sang-ho Park is a specialty coffee consultant, entrepreneur, and is the 2013 United Kingdom Brewers Cup Champion and the 2015 UK In Good Spirits Champion. Center Coffee was Sang-ho Park’s first business venture outside of his home of London, England. Since Center Coffee’s opening at its first Seoul Forest location, Park has opened two other branches in Myeongdong and Samseong. 

Inside Center Coffee

What was once an old residential building at the edge of Seoul Forest, has since been renovated and now stands as a bright, two-story building home to Center Coffee. A welcoming retreat for coffee aficionados and cafe explorers alike, Center Coffee serves to brew greatness in each cup of coffee they serve. Head Barista and business owner, Sang-ho Park, will ensure that you are tasting what is truly some of the world’s finest coffee.

The first floor of Center Coffee is dedicated to a large counter space where you can watch the baristas work and is where all of the roasting and brewing action takes place. The first floor is also where you can buy cafe merchandise, view Sang-ho Park’s barista trophies, and make your own coffee order. Center Coffee offers a wide array of specialty blends and brewing techniques to achieve your perfect cup of coffee. Each cup of coffee served is accompanied by a small sheet of paper that informs you of the bean’s origin, grinding size, flavors and more. 

The second floor of Center Coffee offers more seating than the first, and gives customers a quiet room to relax and take in the beauty of the coffee and forest. The second floor boasts a popular bar seating area with large glass windows. This bar seating area is famous on instagram’s cafe side and is arguably the best seat in the shop to enjoy your coffee. If you go up the stairs one more level, you will also discover the rooftop seating area. This area is a bit smaller than the other floors, but still offers a nice view of the forest and is good for taking pictures. 

The prices at Center Coffee may seem a little higher than the average chain coffee shop, but are very reasonable for world-renowned coffee with specialty beans costing far more than what the shop charges you for. If you are looking for a new cafe to enjoy and happen to be in the Seoul Forest area, do yourself a favor and visit this cafe brewing some of Seoul’s, and the world’s, finest coffee. 

Center Coffee’s Menu

Coffee

• Espresso
• Americano
• Cold Brew Decaf
• Cold Brew Geisha
• Latte
• Cappuccino
• Mocha

Drip Coffee

• Costa Rica “Don Cayito”
• Columbia “Cerro Azul”
• Columbia “Las Margaritas

Coffee Cocktail

• Geisha Gin Tonic

Non Coffee

• Watermelon Juice
• Chocolate
• Tea

Signature

• Souk Latte

Soft Milk (Ice Cream)

• Plain
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Affogato

How to Get to Center Coffee Seoul Forest

To get to Center Coffee you should take the green line 2 to Tteuksom station and leave through exit 8. Once you have left from the exit, you will walk straight to the first intersection you see, cross the road, and continue straight. Continue straight on the Seoul Forest Road street for a few minutes and then turn left and go down the second road you see, right before you pass a cafe/tea shop.

Go straight for one minute and then turn right at the first road you see and go all the way to the end of the road. At the end of the road, turn right one more time, then left at the next road opening and you will see the entrance to Seoul Forest. Right before you enter the forest, you will see the cafe on your left.

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