Wedged between the World Cup Stadium and Han River, Mangwon is the inconspicuous little cousin of the over-populated, monstrous Hongdae area.
As rent prices soar and push independent cafes and out of the neighborhood, Mangwon has become a hotspot for specialty bakeries, single-origin coffee roasters, and European-style dessert cafes alike. Below we’ve rounded up ten of these best-kept secrets, all a short walk from Hapjeong Station! {Exit 2)
Hungo Ringo
Gaining Instagram fame for their crazily delicious and aesthetically pleasing pound cake. This bakery redefines your mother’s most basic dessert into a nutty and delectable green tea infused-treat.
Everything is baked in-house daily, preservative-free with a large orange tabby cat keeping the two bakers company (IG @hungoringobread).
If you’d like to venture off the food-bloggers path, we recommend the zingy orange-citrus pound cake paired with a cuppa tea or a glass of organic milk (3,000W). The Canelés and Madeleines are also excellent and do not hurt the wallet at a mere 1,500W.
On a healthier note, house-made granola served with yogurt and seasonal fruits from the nearby Mangwon market is also available. Choose from black tea or maple flavors
This cafe sports and airy and clean vibe with large windows, minimalist future, and spare vintage decorations, but also limited table space. If you’re lucky enough you can snag seats for two, or pack your baked goods and eat at the Hangang river park.
Deep Blue Lake (딥블루레이크)
Don’t be fooled by this cafe’s solid cerulean blue exterior, dive into this gorgeous cafe and you’ll find a pure white-walled interior filled with private little nooks of greenery , fresh and dried flowers, and rare copies of Korean-edition KINFOLK magazine.
Each private table is decorated in its own fashion, so be sure to see all three floors while waiting for your drinks. This cafe has their own roasting equipment on the first floor and serves the most deliciously creamy Oat Milk Latte I’ve ever had in my life (the thick cream and taste of the grain soften the robust and bitter coffee flavor).
Non-coffee lovers rejoice as well, this cafe also offers fresh fruit drinks like Plum and Green Grape juices as well as a sweet orange blossom latte which pairs well with their pound cakes.
Idle Moments
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A smaller, second-floor cafe, Idle Moments is known by the sophisticated, Europe-trekking Koreans who come here for the authentic Viennese Coffee. The whipped-cream topping impressive to taste, with the lemon juice hand-squeezed each day and the heavy cream whipped by hand rather than machine.fluttering
Fluttering , translucent white curtains, fresh flowers, and an open plan kitchen make for a lovely environment. The only way to add to your experience here would be to order a custard pudding, creamy with that perfect burnt caramel-fudgey flavor on the top, these sell out quickly as they cafe makes a limited amount each day.
If the pudding is done for the day, we recommend the French-style peach tart, a generous amount of butter and love go into the layers of fille pastry and thinly-sliced Korean white peach.
Coffee Conhas
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An industrial cafe concept with hipster homey vibes, this shipping container and cafe hybrid will surely impress you with its bittersweet, on-site extracted coffee and wide selection of European baked goods.
Scones, tarts , whipped cream rolls, chocolate pound cake, fondant and cheesecake are all made at the on-site patisserie. Within its four floors there are plenty of tables, sofas, and chairs for lounging, so long as you enjoy classic rock music and a dimmer lighting situation.
The resident yellow labrador “Love” is also frequently spotted lounging around the carpeted rooms and greeting coffee-lovers, making your cafe experience all the more friendly!
Egg Meringue
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Go to feel every bit of a fairy princess at this Mangwon lifestyle shop and patisserie. With all of their desserts are served on gold-rimmed plates and Vienna coffee poured into delicate china cups, Egg Meringue is a tea partier’s dream come true.
From profiteroles and éclairs to their signature meringue& ice cream parfait with berry reduction pour-over, you’ll definitely leave this cafe on a sugar high.
If you’re on a cafe-hopping path instead of here-to-stay, we recommend the buttery madeleines and egg meringue crisps as a light snack before you venture further into the Mangwon’s cafe neighborhood.
Cafe Tweed
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I bet you can further a guess on this cafe’s theme. Cafe Tweed will have you convinced you aren’t in the backstreets of a Korean market town, but in the most popular of souvenir shops in Westminster.
Every inch of the walls is covered in English paraphernalia including 2m Union Jacks, vintage bicycles, and the world’s most photographic staircase. “Hey Jude” and other Beetle’s classics will serenade you as you pore over their selection of coffee, teas, and juices
Tweed Cafe has adapted to its Korean audience to serve coffee ice drinks, sweet fruity smoothies, and waffles, but you can still find a mean lemon tea and fresh-made chips and cheese (cheese fries) to feel like a true Briton.
Coffee Shop Dongkyeong (커피가게 동경)
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An uninviting black door, a steep and narrow staircase, and a low-ceilinged one-room coffee shop for only the most serious of coffee lovers. Coffee Gage Dongkyeong prides itself on its an incredible selection of beans and blends, along with hand drip and cold brew.
Most popular are the Almond Mocha Java and Viennese Coffee where the flavor infusions and generous whipped cream clouds take the bite away from the espresso shots, but coffee puritans are kept happy with the hand-drip sourced from Brazil, Ethiopia, etc.
Do not expect the most frilled of cafe experiences here, but come to be blown away by the coffee.
Le Glacier De Etoiles
Opened in 2013, this small restaurant has received international acclaim for its casual French lunch sets, soft ice cream (4,000W), and sorbet-adorned Balon de Glaciers (8,500W). While not an actual cafe, you can reserve a lunch set, take your ice cream to go, or beg the staff to let you sit at the bar (like I did).
A taste of the seasonal fruit sorbets in the Balon de Glaciers will set fire to any notion of sorbet or icy fruit concoctions that you have previously had. Each ice flake bursts with flavor, and the sparkling infused water below helps balance the sweetness. Summer flavors include basil watermelon, strawberry ginger, and cherry.
The original ice creams are made using Seoul Milk, giving it an incredibly creamy texture. The owner previously opened the store in Busan, perfecting his recipe there before trying out the big city.
Atmosphere Cafe
with 더 예뻐진 지오맘 @mj.kang_1118 #카페타임 #망원동카페 #엣모스피어 #무민 #마카롱
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Voted Cutest Macaron by the International Macaron-Maker’s Association…
Okay, that organization or award really don’t exist,but this bakery/brunchery really takes the cake for their technicolor character macaroons! It has only opened this past January and there’s already a regular crowd here and sparse seating during weekends.
Expect soft music and mixed crowd of students and artists studying diligently aside their americanos and trios of Seoul socialites taking quirky photos and little bites of their almond meringue treats.
Hosijeol
또 생각날 것 같은 맛 . #망원동#호시절#카페투어#죠리퐁당스무디
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A personal favorite cafe, Hosijeol’s concept is a student-friendly ,contemporary Korean environment. Small potted plants and Korean scripts line the walls and incredibly cheap and healthy snacks (sliced watermelon, hard-boiled eggs, almond cookies) are a refreshing change t0 7,000W cake slices and milk ice creams.
A must-try here is the Jolly-pong smoothie, a Koreanized version of cereal milk. Jolly Pong, a sweet Korean wheat-puff snack, is soaked and blending with local milk and then topped off with crunchy Pong and an adorable little bear spoon (4,500W).