11 Best Coffee Shops in Seoul for Caffeine Lovers
Looking for the best cafes in Seoul, South Korea? This Seoul coffee shop guide details my favourite spots in the city that I’ve personally visited and can recommend for your caffeine fix.
Seoul’s café culture is absolutely electric. Every block flaunts trendy, Insta-worthy interiors with the latest pastry craze, and people line up around the block. But too many options lead to analysis paralysis, especially in a city this size with limited holiday time.
I don’t want you wasting your mornings on mediocre Americanos, so I’ve put together this list of my favourite cafes in Seoul that I’ve personally visited and experienced.
After two extended visits to the South Korean capital, I’ve downed cortados, flat whites, and oddball yuzu-espressos at all of the cafes in this guide. From Affair Coffee’s K-minimalist pours, Danil’s iced Geisha coffee, BETTER Roasting Lab’s science-lab siphons, to Small Good’s flat whites.
Stick with me as I lay out what to order and the opening times at these top Seoul coffee shops. By the last sip, you’ll have absolutely no caffeine FOMO, just perfect pours and pastry crumbs on your sweater.
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My Favourite Coffee Shops in Seoul
1. Café Onion Anguk
Neighbourhood | Jongno
Cafe Onion, a trendy cafe located in a renovated 1920s hanok, is one of the most popular spots in Seoul. The open courtyard floods with morning light and crowds (expect a line!), so I always arrive right at 7 AM on weekdays (weekend doors don’t slide open until 9 AM) to snag a low table facing the tiled roofs. Line up even earlier if you only have 24 hours in Seoul.
Skip the basic Americano and order the Vanilla Bean Latte, a silky double shot layered with real vanilla bean and micro-foamed milk that somehow tastes like iced sikhye met a Parisian café.
Pair it with their powdered-sugar-snowed pandoro if you’re feeling indulgent, or the salty-butter bread for balance. After two visits a year apart, I can confirm the flavour, and the inevitable pastry dust on your jeans, remains gloriously consistent.
All in all, it definitely deserves its hype, especially for its pastries, but it does give off a hustling ambience, as the staff try to get people in and out the door as fast as possible.
Location: Cafe Onion Anguk
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 7 AM – 10 PM
Weekends: 9 AM – 10 PM
2. Affair Coffee
Neighbourhood | Seongsu-dong
My absolute favourite cafe to visit in Seoul. I fell in love with the interior first (an ex-interior designer right here!) and then went crazy over my flat white. Tasty interiors and tasty coffee? I’m in heaven.
My sister opted for the cinnamon latte, and oh boy, after one sip, I was a bit jealous. So, needless to say, I think everything on their coffee menu is a winner. Affair Coffee also offers up an extensive pour-over menu with beans from around the world and even a decaf option.
For non-coffee drinkers, they have the usual matcha latte (both hot and iced), iced Raspberry Affair, hot or cold chocolate and tea.
Plan some extra time to just sit and enjoy the ambience. I like that Affair Coffee was a Seoul cafe, a little off the beaten path in Seongsu district.
Location: Affair Coffee
Opening Hours:
Daily: 10 AM – 7 PM
Closed Mondays
3. BETTER Roasting Lab & Showroom
Neighbourhood | Seongsu-dong
A few blocks east of Ttukseom Station, BETTER Roasting Lab looks more like a micro-factory than a café. The single-storey space is finished in matte white with slate-grey accents; high ceilings and a Giessen W6 roaster tucked behind glass give you an unobstructed view of each batch cooling on the tray.
The menu at this Seoul coffee shop keeps things focused. Try the espresso basics like double ristretto, Americano and flat white. Four rotating single-origin pour-overs, often Central American naturals or washed East Africans, change weekly, and non-coffee drinkers can grab a ginger-ade or matcha latte.
Location: BETTER Roasting Lab & Showroom
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 8:30 AM – 7 PM
Saturdays: 12 PM – 6 PM
Sundays: Closed
4. Small Good Coffee
Neighbourhood | Myeong-dong
Small Good Coffee is one of the best cafes that is open early in Myeong-dong.
My sister and I frequented this cafe in Seoul for our before-8 AM caffeine cravings. Grab a seat at one of the two stops that line the small interior space with cool stone-grey walls, mirrors and warm wood accents. Order from the inside self-order kiosk or grab and go from the window outside.
Doors lift early, 7 AM – 7 PM daily, catering to the neighbourhood’s office rush. Prices are refreshingly gentle, with the bestseller “Small Good Coffee” that is layered with creamy foam and espresso over milk, while the nutty-sweet Nutty Milk, double-espresso Double Black, and fluffy Vienna Coffee headline the espresso list.
Non-coffee drinkers can grab fruit-ades, matcha cold brew or royal milk tea, and a rotating tray of budget-friendly pastries sits by the register.
Location: Small Good Coffee
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 7 AM – 7 PM
Weekends: 11 AM – 7 PM
5. Downt Espresso
Neighbourhood | Jung
We visited Downt Espresso twice on our way up from the Myeong-dong neighbourhood to the Namsan Tower Cable Car. Once in spring, on our first 5 days in Seoul, and once in Fall.
I fell in love with the interior right away, with its mix of vintage finds and hole-in-the-wall chic (literal hole in the wall). We opted for flat whites, and if I were to return again, I’d try a filter coffee and take a seat on the interior bench.
Location: Downt Espresso
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 9 AM – 6 PM
Saturdays: 10 AM – 6:30 PM
Sundays: Closed
6. danil seoul
Neighbourhood | Seongsu-dong
A sleek (slightly pretentious) showroom with a large wood central plank and stool seating features upscale beans from around the world. Grab an order form (as seen in the image) and select your favourite coffee beverage.
I went with an Iced Americano at this coffee shop in Seoul, but you can choose from filter, espresso, café latte and flat white options. With the addition of vanilla syrup or cream, if you prefer.
They also serve the swanky Geisha bean here, considered the best coffee bean in the world if you’d like to spend your vacation money on your next caffeine fix.
danil seoul cafe was perfect to visit right before a walk through Seoul Forest Park and a day of shopping in the trendy neighbourhood of Seoungsu-dong.
Location: danil seoul
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 9 AM – 9 PM
Weekends: 10 AM – 8 PM
7. Koffee Sniffer
Neighbourhood | Myeong-dong
Koffee Sniffer occupies a revamped 40-year-old coffee house hidden in a Myeong-dong alley. We happened to be staying a night in the hotel across the street and were looking for an upgrade from the hotel buffet coffee. Koffee Sniffer delivered!
The vintage brick façade is complete with a collage of old newspaper clippings nodding to 18th-century “coffee sniffers.” Check out the namesake bags of coffee beans for sale while you wait for your manual drip coffee.
Location: Koffee Sniffer
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 8 AM – 8 PM
Weekends: 10 AM – 8 PM
8. Vetiver
Neighbourhood | Seongsu-dong
Housed in a low-slung brick building on Seongdeokjeong 11-gil, Vetiver dresses minimalist industrial in a silver-and-black palette.
The short menu revolves around two stars: coffee and croffles.
Baristas pull double espressos for straight shots, Americanos and lattes, but some visitors upgrade to the Ice-Cream Latte, a tall glass layered with silky vanilla gelato, cold milk and a fresh espresso shot sunk through the centre.
On the pastry deck, the Black-Sesame or Strawberry Croffle arrives hot, glazed and piled high with house ice cream; a classic butter croffle or a rotating baked cheesecake round out the sweets list. Arrive at opening to get your hands on croffles that are still warm.
Location: Vetiver Coffee
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 10 AM – 9 PM
Weekends: 10 AM – 10 PM
9. Cafe Archivist
Located in the Seochon district just west of the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace, it makes a great rest stop after trudging through the historical landmarks of central Seoul.
We happened upon this cozy library cafe located in a restored Seochon townhouse, on a snowy day in late November when our feet were soaked through and fingers chilly, and it was the perfect respite from the outdoor weather.
A compact bar houses a La Marzocco paired with small-batch beans, and glass domes showcase daily pastries: financiers, pound cakes, scones, until they sell out. The drinks board is concise: classic espresso, flat white, and the house-favourite Archivist Einspanner crowned with a thick, stable cream cap; hand-drip options rotate with the roaster’s seasonal single origins.
Location: Cafe Archivist
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11 AM – 9 PM
10. Coffee Libre
Neighbourhood: Myeong-dong
Coffee Libre’s Myeong-dong outpost sits inside 1898 Plaza, the subterranean arcade beneath Myeong-dong Cathedral. Brick vaults, exposed stone pillars and warm pendant lighting give the compact room a cloister-meets-roastery feel with its signature lucha-libre-mask logo.
Baristas pull shots from Coffee Libre’s house blend and rotate single-origin espressos; a separate brew station handles hand-drip orders with Kalita Waves. The concise board lists straight espresso, Americanos and flat whites, plus a lightly spiced Ginger Latte and floral Samba Hibiscus Tea for non-coffee drinkers.
You’ll find the entrance by descending the cathedral’s right-side staircase into the plaza.
Location: Coffee Libre
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 10 AM – 7 PM
Weekends: 9 AM – 6 PM
11. LowKey Seongsu
Neighbourhood | Seongsu
Set on a calm back alley off the high-vibe Seongsu shopping street, my sister and I stopped for an afternoon pick-me-up after non-stop vintage shopping. I really enjoyed the communal plush couch seating and music while I rested.
The menu is laser-focused on specialty coffee. Three to four single-origin beans rotate daily for both V60 hand-pours and espresso; a balanced house blend powers milk drinks.
Highlights include a silky signature Latte, reliable decaf, and a “coffee flight” that lines up three 60 ml pours for side-by-side tasting. There is a modest pastry case of scones or canelés if you need a bit of sustenance.
Location: LowKey Seongsu
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 10 AM – 8 PM
Saturdays: 12 PM – 9 PM
Sundays: 12 PM – 8 PM
Best Cafes to Visit in Seoul Wrap Up
As a fellow cafe lover, I hope you get some inspiration for your upcoming Seoul adventure. It’s one of my favourite cities for coffee culture in Asia and is absolutely chock-full of Seoul cafes to experience.
If you happen to be at the planning phase of your trip to South Korea, I recommend checking out this 5 day Seoul itinerary where I’ve instilled all my knowledge and advice into one comprehensive guide.
