Seoul’s buzzing Seongsu district is a neighborhood in flux. You usually hear it in contrast right here to Brooklyn, and that comaparison is smart. This is likely one of the most fascinating locations to stroll round in Seoul, with cafes, bakeries, studios, and small retailers filling outdated industrial areas. You’ll be able to nonetheless really feel the neighborhood’s lengthy industrial historical past, even because the neighborhood retains quickly evolving.
Seongsu has shortly change into a house for each excessive trend and classic type, espresso, meals, and absolutely anything else that captures the pursuits of youthful generations. It’s among the best locations within the metropolis to buy, and Seoul Forest makes an ideal pairing after just a few hours indoors, providing one of many largest inexperienced areas in all of Seoul to decelerate and reset.
Seongsu-dong can also be pretty massive, with a number of subway stations that may drop you into totally different elements of the neighborhood. The power shifts as you progress via it, from busier business streets close to Seongsu Station to quieter pockets nearer to Seoul Forest, the place cafes usually really feel somewhat extra hidden.
This district has change into one of many strongest hubs for specialty espresso within the metropolis. You’ll discover well-known roasters alongside small, centered cafes that do one or two issues rather well. Regardless of the place you enter the neighborhood or the way you select to discover it, I hope this listing helps you discover an incredible cup alongside the best way.
Restoration Espresso Bar
Restoration Espresso Bar struck me first with its hospitality, and CEO Luke Yeo (a adorned Korean latte artwork champion and barista competitors choose) welcomed me like an outdated pal. Yeo’s information of espresso is deep and lived-in. He walked me via the coffees he roasts on an Easyster, a Korean-made machine I don’t come throughout fairly often. He spoke about his strategy with this mixture of precision and creativity; experimenting with roast curves, extraction types, and brewing strategies to spotlight nuance.
What stunned me most was that he had two single-origin espressos out there on the identical time, one thing that’s much less widespread in Korea. And the cafe itself carries this acquainted heat of early-2010s third-wave retailers—the darkish, industrial aesthetic that by some means makes you’re feeling grounded. It’s a method that honors the immense quantity of labor that it takes to current scrumptious espresso to the buyer. The Faema E61 on the bar ties every thing collectively, matching the vibe of the area completely.
Yeo’s travels and experiences throughout espresso cultures, each right here in Seoul and internationally, shine via within the cafe and within the cup. Restoration looks like a spot constructed by somebody who loves espresso deeply and needs to share that love brazenly.
Camouflage Espresso
Camouflage Espresso sits on the seam between the neighborhood’s industrial edge and the close by entrance to Seoul Forest Park—a becoming location for a restaurant that values subtlety over spectacle. The area is a examine in stark-white minimalism: clear traces, smooth lighting, and an unmistakably calming presence that serves as a quiet counterpoint to the busyness simply exterior its doorways.
Nothing right here is completed maximally; as a substitute, Camouflage excels via precision and restraint. Each element feels intentional, and the menu displays that philosophy. The flat white is a standout—expertly textured, superbly balanced, and an ideal instance of how significantly they take the fundamentals. The proprietor spent years in Australia, and you may style that affect within the cup.
There are a number of single-origin choices out there for filter espresso, and that is the place Camouflage really rises above the handfuls of close by purveyors. It exemplifies the Seoul espresso scene at its greatest: an unassuming, nearly inconspicuous cafe serving a few of the most expressive filter espresso you’re prone to encounter anyplace. On my most up-to-date go to, I drank a cold-fermentation pure Ethiopian that was strikingly fruity and creamy—a stage of readability and expression that’s uncommon in Seoul and past.
That is very a lot a spot that flies below the radar, and that low-profile allure works in its favor. For many who need to take a bit of the expertise house, Camouflage’s house-roasted coffees can be found for buy, making for a considerate and well-chosen memento.
Brewing Ceremony
Brewing Ceremony has constructed a status for wonderful hospitality, however the cafe is hidden in plain sight, with no loud signage or flashy advertising to attract you in. It sits simply steps from Ttukseom Station, proper in the midst of the district. After I final visited in the midst of a weekday, the encompassing streets have been full of customers and native staff on their lunch breaks, which made the calm vibe inside really feel particularly intentional.
Inside, the area is thoughtfully designed, mixing brutalist concrete and glass with smooth, low lighting. As you strategy the counter, you’ll discover one of many smallest menus within the metropolis: scorching or iced pour-over, or scorching or iced milk drinks: “black” or “white”. That’s 4 complete choices. It’s an very simple menu, and it makes the purpose clear. Let the espresso converse for itself.
That focus is backed up by critical effort. Brewing Ceremony sources its espresso rigorously and brews it with the identical stage of precision. On my final go to, they have been providing eight totally different pour-over choices. With the roaster seen within the background and enormous luggage of inexperienced espresso unfold all through the area, you get an actual sense of how a lot work goes into doing issues this effectively.
Milk drinks are made on a single La Marzocco GS3, whereas filter espresso is brewed utilizing Melitta-style drippers. In the event you’re within the space to buy, which most guests can be, I extremely suggest taking your espresso break right here. It’s a spot that rewards slowing down.
Lowkey Espresso
Lowkey Espresso is an early pillar within the Seoul espresso scene. They’ve been roasting espresso for over 15 years and now function six cafes throughout town. I particularly love their Seongsu location for its spacious, inventive inside. As you stroll in, you’re greeted by a powerful retail wall full of espresso in lots of codecs: pods, drip luggage, gentle roasts, darkish roasts, blends, and single origins. Their entire bean espresso is available in creative packaging that resembles a stamped envelope, as if every bag have been a letter despatched straight from origin.
The menu is simply as imaginative as their retail choices. Drinks usually pair espresso with sudden however considerate components. One instance is a single origin espresso served in a champagne flute with a tangerine on the facet, a nod to Korea’s custom of gifting fruit as an indication of care and respect. One other is a watermelon sorbet paired with a extremely enjoyable co-fermented espresso poured excessive. Each really feel playful with out being gimmicky and spotlight the creativity that runs via the menu.
All espresso drinks are pulled on a three-group La Marzocco Strada EP, a critical machine effectively suited to this high-volume surroundings. Pour overs are brewed with care and confidence utilizing rustic instruments that recall Japan’s hand-drip custom. I really like spending time at Lowkey not just for the espresso, however for its lengthy historical past as a trusted title in Seoul and as a catalyst for the expansion of specialty espresso in Korea.
Lowkey makes use of its years of expertise and international connections to attach individuals to distinctive coffees, hands-on studying via public cuppings and residential brewing lessons, and group occasions that foster an actual sense of belonging. They’re precisely the sort of individuals you need serving to form a metropolis’s espresso tradition.
Mesh Espresso
Mesh Espresso is one other cafe that seems unassuming and humble at first look, however is the truth is it’s a significant level of affect on the specialty espresso wave that has swept Korea. Situated conveniently alongside the stroll from Seongsu Station towards Seoul Forest, it’s a perfect place to cease for a superbly brewed espresso to take with you, whether or not you’re headed out to buy or to spend time in one in all Seoul’s largest inexperienced areas. Seoul Forest itself is a large park, mixing quiet nature paths with trendy artwork and academic areas for each adults and youngsters.
Espresso is brewed on a MOAI Bar System modular machine, which integrates seamlessly into the counter and permits for an unobstructed connection between barista and visitor. It fits the area completely, reinforcing the cafe’s uncooked, minimal, warehouse-like really feel.
I really like visiting Mesh as a result of it feels as if you’ve been graciously invited into their workspace and supplied one of the best cup of espresso you’ll have all week. I’d extremely suggest ordering a pour-over right here, although every thing on the menu is executed with care, together with their sweeter milk drinks. Their washed coffees, specifically, are exceptionally clear and tea-like, and constantly brewed to perfection.
In the event you’re visiting Seoul and hoping to deliver espresso house with you, Mesh could be one in all my prime suggestions for entire bean espresso.
BroBellCoffee
BroBell Espresso (normally simply known as BBC) is a reasonably new cafe within the space, however it’s quietly change into a standout. The area is small, however in a approach that feels cozy and welcoming. There are nearly all the time vinyl information taking part in, and when the solar is out, pure gentle pours in via the entrance home windows.
What began as a one-person roasting venture has grown into a restaurant that’s now identified for being regular and dependable, particularly relating to their roasting. The setup inside displays that. Espresso drinks and teas are made on the again counter, whereas pour overs are brewed proper out within the open the place you may watch. It’s an intentional alternative that makes it clear the espresso is the main target.
On the identical time, the menu doesn’t really feel slim or intimidating. Whether or not you desire a rigorously brewed filter espresso or one thing sweeter, there’s one thing right here for nearly everybody. The BBC latte, which makes use of black sesame for a delicate sweetness, is a superb instance of how they add curiosity with out going too far. In addition they provide loads of matcha drinks and different non-coffee choices.
BBC actually shines relating to desserts. The sweets really feel rooted in French affect, however with a contemporary Korean twist. Issues like a matcha mousse layered with calmly salted candy cream or a easy, well-made home cheesecake are usually out there. They’re considerate, not flashy, and so they pair naturally with the espresso.
Greater than something, BroBell looks like a restaurant that understands Seoul. It clearly pays consideration to tendencies, however it doesn’t chase them. As an alternative, it settles into its personal lane, which makes it really feel grounded and acquainted in the easiest way. If you’d like a restaurant that feels really Seoul with out attempting too laborious, that is a simple suggestion.
Holden Jannusch is a contract journalist based mostly in Seoul. Learn extra Holden Jannusch for Sprudge.
