Cafe Yeonnam 233-20 is probably the hottest cafe in Seoul right now. And that is no easy task considering there are about a billion coffee shops in the city. In fact it has become so popular it went viral. I had two people from the UK message me to ask if I had been yet, and my Instagram feed has been jam packed with people posting photos. So what’s so special about the cafe that shares a name with its address? The cafe is decorated to look as though you are in a cartoon or illustration and people cant get enough of it.
The cafe is located in the trendy neighbourhood of Yeonnam on the outskirts of Hongdae. It is a little off the beaten track as its located in the middle of a residential area with no other stores on the same street. Once you find the cafe you will see a list of rules pinned to the door. It’s pretty much buy a drink for each person in your group and be thoughtful to others as the cafe is very small. Before finding a seat you are asked to order a drink. There are quite a lot of drinks to choose from and there is a menu available in English if you ask for it. Once you have ordered you can them claim a table. There are two cartoon booth type tables inside the cafe, and four cartoon cafe style tables out in the covered terrace. As there was only one other group when we arrived we managed to snag one of the booth tables.
I had my heart set on drinking one of the coffees that come in the illustrated mugs so choose wisely as some of the drinks come served in regular glasses. We ordered a Chocolate Latte (5,000) and a Matcha Latte (5,000), both of which are available hot or iced and come served in the very pretty drip mug. I was firstly surprised at how low the prices were, considering the popularity of the joint I’m sure they could get away with charging more and people would still be happy to pay. My chocolate latte was delicious, it tasted just like a hot chocolate with some coffee in it. The Ice Matcha latte was also goood, it was very creamy and sweet.
Overall I though the cafe was very charming, and a great spot to take some pretty pictures for Instagram. The prices are cheap, and it’s a fab area to explore in general so well worth a stop if you are making a day of it. Be sure to choose your time wisely though as the cafe is quite small, so I imagine the queue gets very long at weekends.
Cafe Yeonnam 239-20 is located at 239-20 Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Hongdae Station (line 2) and come out of exit 3. Walk straight along this street with the ‘park’. Keep going along this road until you reach the seventh right turn. Walk along this street and then take the first left. You should see Cafe Yeonnam just ahead on the left hand side. For more information you can check out their facebook page. They are open from 11am-9pm Tue – Sun. However they often close early so check their Instagram page for updates.