Café Culture in South Korea

Kira Hermansen editor (Denmark)

 

f you go to the capital of South Korea you will see a lot of cafés, they’re all around Seoul and you don’t have to go far to find one. It has become very popular over the last few years for young people to go to cafés and meet up with their friends or use it as a place to study. The café culture seems to have begun because of the fascination of European and western culture. Some countries in Europe are more known for their cafés where you sit and enjoys a cup of coffee and relax. Cafés are also used as a place to go because it’s very common in Korea that people move out from their parents house when they’re in their mid 20’s, and also when they move out it’s mostly in small apartments. Therefor they go to cafés to meet up with friends or their partner to have some personal space away from their family. You can find both Independent café and also Café chains, 

A well-known Independent café in Seoul is 9 4/3 Kings Cross Harry Potter Café. This café is the fantasy of a Harry Potter fan. You step into another universe, where you can live out you dream of being in Hogwarts. There are multiple floors where you can go explore, on one of the floors you can even find a corner set up for the perfect photoshoot where you can try on the coat of your Hogwarts house. The only thing you have to do for you to enter is buy a drink to enjoy on one of the many floors. 

A very popular café type is animal cafés, you can find them with many different kinds of animals like dogs, cats, sheeps and even meercats. Your entry ticket to animal cafés are often just a drink, the drink will be a little overpriced because it’s your entry ticket. One of the many good things about animal cafés is that you can stay there for as long as you like. It’s a place you can spend time around an animal you like while you get to pet them and it’s a good alternative if you don’t have the time to manage an animal on your own. At these cafés you get to experience a good time with an animal without having to care for them and look after them afterwards. 

Stylenanda Pink Pool Café is a place to enjoy for the beautiful scenery, it’s so pretty and a perfect place to take some great pictures. It’s inspired by the ideal pool vibe and designed with beautiful pastel colors which compliments it perfectly. The unique theme of the café makes it a place a lot of people want to visit and get a delicious drink or a bit to eat. 

Peach Grey is a café where you have the chance to paint while you enjoy a good beverage. It’s a café for the creative minded but of course everyone can come and try out the amazing café. When you order your drink or food you get a palette of colors with you on the tray which you can then use to create some amazing artworks. 

 Starbucks is a well-known American coffee shop and is the world’s biggest coffee chain, it has a lot of shops in Korea and is very popular among Koreans. It’s a place for them to relax and have a drink and something to eat. Many Koreans use cafés to study and get out of their normal living space. 

Chain cafés are the ones you will see everywhere, they’re placed not far from each other and are around every corner. One of the many chain cafés in Seoul is called A Twosome Place, which is a European-style dessert café where you can order amazing beverages, sandwiches and cakes. The name refers to the slogan: “A cup of coffee, TWO of us, SOME dessert, PLACE”. 

Tom N Toms Coffee is also a popular café in Korea which is often visited by many people. Tom N Toms Coffee is in the top 3 of most popular cafés in Korea it’s up there with Starbucks and A Twosome Place. At this café you can also get a large variate of drinks and desserts you can enjoy with a nice atmosphere. 

Hollys Coffee is another very famous Korean coffee shop, which you will see a lot of places around Korea. Hollys Coffee is a café with a lot of amazing drinks and food choices such as a large variety of pastries and other snacks. You will find Hollys Coffee many places around Korea as well, it’s also a quite popular café to visit.

 

 There’s of course a lot more cafés then the mentioned above and many different kinds of themes you have to try out for yourself. Cafés are a big thing in Korea therefor you will find a big variety of them especially in Seoul both independent cafés and café chains. A café is always a perfect place to meet up with your friends and hang out.

 

Kira Hermansen editor (Denmark) 

acopia.news@gmail.com