We recently got back from an amazing 2-week trip to Korea, and I can’t stop looking back at the photos and the wonderful experiences we had while travelling. This was also our first major trip with a newborn 4-month-old baby and our 5-year-old pro traveller. As usual, I did hours of research before our trip. But, since we were travelling with a baby, we were slow and didn’t manage to cover everything. Now, I am tempted to write everything in one article, to make it easy for your research. Here is a list of 16 Instagram viral cafes you must visit while vacationing in Korea.
16 Instagram Viral Cafes to Visit in Korea
Korea’s cafe culture is immense. Just like we Irish like to do a pub hop, in Korea, it’s a culture to go cafe hopping. Every cafe offers a unique decor, fancy drinks, and various kinds of baked goods and desserts. We tried so many amazing cafes during our trip, but some of them were a bit out of our way, so we decided to skip them.
In this list of 16 Instagram and TikTok viral cafes to visit in Korea, I am breaking them down by cities to make it easier for you to plan your trip.
Instagram Viral Cafes to visit in Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, Seoul
Ikseon-dong Hanok Village is one of the top places to visit if you want to go cafe hopping without spending time travelling between cafes. There are some stunning cafes in this area, so we recommend spending at least half a day here.
1. Cheongsudang Bakery
Cheongsudang Bakery is probably one of the most popular cafes in Ikseondong Hanok Village. The decor is beautiful. It makes you feel as if you entered a tropical forest, all set inside a Hanok. The bakery is famous for its wobbly soufflé castella cake, fromage cake, montblanc and traditional Korean honey cookies – Yakgwa, along with some nice drinks. The cafe is huge, so you won’t find it difficult to find a seat even on a weekend. Try to go early, as they run out of cakes towards the end of the day.
Location: 31-9 Donhwamun-ro 11na-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 10.30 am to 8 pm every day.
What to try here: Highly recommend trying their soufflé castella cake, as we haven’t seen it elsewhere.
2. Soha Salt Pond Ikseon-dong
Salt breads are very famous in Korea, especially because almost all the bakery items there are sweet. Yes, even garlic bread in Korea is sweet. Soha Salt Pond is very famous for its well-decorated setting and location within a Hanok. Additionally, this is likely the only cafe we encountered in Korea that offers multiple variations of salt bread. But if I remember correctly, their plain salt bread was also on the sweeter side.
Location: 21-5 Supyo-ro 28-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 9 am to 8.30 pm, every day
What to try here: If you dine in, you will be asked to get one drink per person. We just got a takeaway here, and by the time we went, they had run out of most of the options. So, we only tried their signature Soha Salt bread.
3. Cafe Onion Anguk
Cafe Onion has multiple branches in Korea, but the Anguk branch is famous as it’s set in a Hanok, and the decor is amazing. They have traditional on-the-floor seating, with both indoor and outdoor options. You will need to take your shoes if you are seated indoors. The cafe has a huge selection of baked items and drinks. Cafe Onion Anguk is probably one of the top Instagram-famous cafes people visit in Seoul.
Location: 25 Gyedong-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 9 am to 10 pm, every day
What to try here: Try the famous Pandoro bread. It’s sweet, but tasted pretty good.
4. Ikseon Goro Purpleberry ice-cream
Ikseon Goro is not a cafe, but it’s worth mentioning as their ice cream was delicious. They have only 2 flavours on the menu, and by the time we went, the churro was over. The ice creams are priced very reasonably as well.
Location: 33-9 Supyo-ro 28-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: Varied, but generally from 12.30 pm to 9 pm, every day
What to try here: Try the signature blueberry ice cream.
5. Rain Report Rainbow
There are two rain report cafes in Seoul, and both are very famous. The one in Ikseondong is called the Rain Report Rainbow and is set in a Hanok. The concept is pretty cool, as it rains all the time here. They even have umbrellas, which you can use for photos.
Location:
Ikseondong branch: 33-7 Supyo-ro 28-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Yongsan District branch: 85 Sowol-ro 40-gil, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 10.30 am to 8.30 pm every day
What to try here: The cafe has a wide selection of pastries and drinks to choose from and enjoy in a cozy setting.
6. Nakwon
Nakwon is another Instagram-famous cafe in Ikseondong, which is based on a train theme. The cafe has train tracks and also a desert conveyor belt with loads of options to choose from. At this point, we were very full from cafe hopping, so we didn’t go inside.
Location: 33-5 Supyo-ro 28-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 11 am to 10 pm, every day
Other Instagram Viral Cafes to Visit in Seoul
I am listing a few other cafes in Seoul, which are very popular on Instagram and TikTok, but not specifically located in one area.
7. LEEDORIM Coffee & Vegan Bakery
We visited Leedorim after spending a busy morning at Gyeongbokgung Palace and were basically starving. The cafe is stunning, aesthetically pleasing, and huge. They even have an open rooftop seating, which will be very cool during the cherry blossom season or autumn. They have a good variety of baked goods and drinks.
Location: South Korea, Seoul, Jongno District, Jahamun-ro, 43
Opening Hours: 8 am to 9 pm, every day
What to try here: We tasted the best salt bread here. So buttery and delicious that we went for seconds.
8. Nuldam Space
Nuldam Space is super popular on Instagram and TikTok. It’s a cafe where you can write a letter to your future self, while enjoying some desserts and drinks. The cafe posts these letters next year, and they also do international shipping. It’s such a cool idea to receive a letter from your past self in the future. We skipped this cafe, as currently, life with two littles is too chaotic to sit and write a letter. 😉
Location: They have multiple branches, but the Gyeongbok Palace branch would be the most convenient. 24 Samcheong-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 10 am to 9.30 pm, every day
9. NUDAKE
Nudake is famous for its super creative cakes – think cakes in the shape of tomatoes, cauliflower, and other crazy forms. Created by the brand Gentle Monster, the cafe is more like an art gallery with a very unique ambience, design, and aesthetics. Considering the design and uniqueness, the cafe is priced on the higher side, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
We would suggest you go early, as the pastries do sell out quickly.
Location: Nudake has two branches in Seoul, one in Gangnam and the other in Seongsu-dong. We never made it here as I had planned this cafe while exploring Seongsu-dong, but the branch didn’t have good reviews. So, we decided to skip it. We recommend visiting the Gangnam branch.
50 Apgujeong-ro 46-gil, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 11 am to 9 pm, every day
10. Cafe Pokpo
Another super viral cafe that is currently trending on Social Media. It’s the famous cafe with its own waterfall! It’s an artificial waterfall, but the location is fantastic. We never made it here as well, so we can’t vouch for the food. But if you have time or if the cafe is on the way, it would be worth stopping to grab some coffee.
Location: 262-29 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 9 am to 9 pm, every day.
11. Coffee Nap Roasters
While in Seongdong-gu, Raga was in search of a nice, strong coffee, and we came across this cafe. I had to include Coffee Nap Roasters in the list as the coffee was brilliant, and so was the bakery treat. It’s a tiny place, so we got a fig tart for takeaway and absolutely devoured it.
Location: South Korea, Seoul, Seongdong-gu, Seongsuil-ro 4-gil, 35-12
Opening Hours: 10 am to 9 pm, every day.
What to try here: Their fig tarts were delicious, and of course, coffee.
Instagram Viral Cafes to Visit in Busan
While in Korea, we only visited Seoul and Busan. I wanted to include the Instagram and TikTok viral cafes in Busan as well, under the same article for convenience, as almost everyone who visits Korea visits both Seoul and Busan.
12. Blue house on the stairs
This is the most popular cafe on social media. I am sure everyone has seen reels with people getting their drinks being dropped by a small air balloon. Yes, it’s the same cafe. The cafe also has terrace seating and some really good views of the Gamcheon cultural village. If you order a drink, you can enjoy it with a nice view and get some photos of the village.
We ordered the blue house smoothie, but the drink was super ordinary and very sweet. It was a fun experience for my 5-year-old, though.
Location: 3 Gamnae 1-ro 243beon-gil, Saha-gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening Hours: 11 am to 7 pm, every day
13. Dongbaek Dessert Cafe
Dongbaek Dessert Cafe is another very popular Instagram viral cafe in Busan, Korea. Rightly so, it’s located right at the Haeundae Blueline Park. The cafe is conveniently located near the Sky Capsule rail line. It is especially popular amongst folks who were not able to secure a ticket for the sky capsule, as you can watch them go by up close.
As far as the drinks, we ordered a couple of Ade, and they were ordinary. You would want to go here only for the view.
Location: The location is also very convenient, as this cafe is right at the Mipo station.
18-19 Dalmaji-gil 104beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening Hours: 10 am to 6 pm, every day
14. Liberta
Liberta was one of my favorite cafes in Busan. The decor and the view are both amazing. The cafe also serves a few savory options, which are not very common in Korea. The best part, they serve coffee in an ice cream cone. 😉
Our original plan was to go to Old Mug, but that was closed for renovations. We decided to walk all the way to the Liberta Cheongsapo branch, which is a nice 20-minute walk. On the way, we also walked over the Cheongsapo bridge, which has a glass bottom. Our 5-year-old absolutely had a blast.
Location: 137 Cheongsapo-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening Hours: 9 am to 7.30 pm, every day
What to try here: Coffee in a cone!
15. Old Mug
Old Mug was on my list, but sadly, as I mentioned, they were closed to renovations. I had specifically pinned this cafe for my daughter as they serve ice chocolate mousse bear cake. Looks super cool.
Location: 122 Songjeonggudeokpo-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening Hours: 6.30 am to 12 am, every day
16. Thrill on the Mug!
The last one on the list is Thrill on the Mug! It’s super popular on Instagram and TikTok, but it was a bit out of our way. So, we never made it here. The cafe has a zipline on the rooftop, and you can zip down to the beach. Moreover, the cafe’s aesthetic is incredibly cool, overlooking the water.
Location: South Korea, Busan, Yeongdo-gu, 55
Opening Hours: 10 am to 9.30 pm, every day
Also, Read:
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