Korea is known for its aesthetic and themed cafes, so I frequented them over my semester abroad. A lot I visited for birthday events, which is when fans come together for their favorite idol, or celebrity’s, birthday and provide banners, stickers, and cup sleeves at certain cafes to celebrate. Many also have exclusive drink menus. Still, there were many others I visited after finding them online or just seeing them while out. Here is a list of some of the best cafes I visited while in Korea with photos for reference.
Line Friends Store
One of the first cafes I visited was the BT21 cafe. They had themed drinks for every BT21 character, and small food items. It was perfect for a shop and dine experience. I went a couple times just because I could shop and then taste more!
Innisfree Cafe
I wanted to go here for the souffle pancakes and greenery. The whole atmosphere is very clean and healthy looking. Also, the pancakes were huge and very filling.
Andy’s Coffee
My friends and I went to Andy’s for a cup sleeve event. Kim Namjoon, the leader of BTS, had just had a birthday, so we went to the cafe to see decorations and get cup sleeves.
Cafe 223-14
This one is probably my favorite. The whole cafe is 2d and the drinks were so delicious! It was like walking into a black and white cartoon. Like many of the cafes, the majority of people visit for the atmosphere and aesthetics more so than the food, but both were great in my book!
&gather
This cafe is famous for being in an episode of Run BTS, so I was eager to go and see what it was like in person. I went to recreate a photo, but the drinks were reasonably priced and it was easy to sit there and talk for a while.
Cafe Onion
This last one has the coolest collection of pastries I’ve seen. On top of that, everything is super industrial looking. We ate on the rooftop, which had an awesome view. 10/10 would recommend.
