I just adore the neighbourhood of Mangwon, it’s like my own charming area of Gyeongridan / HBC without all the hills. It is also very close to Hongdae which makes it super convenient if you want to make a day of it. Seeing how much I love Mangwon, I was shocked when I realised it has actually been almost a year since my last visit. So I thought it was about time I went to check it out what was new with one of my visiting friends. Earlier in the year the lovely Arielle from Soju 4 Two, recommended the Avocado Cafe to me, and since anything with a boat full of avocado is aces in my book, I couldn’t resist heading there for lunch.
The cafe is located on the same street as the adorable Viva Toy Salon that I visited last year. The cafe itself is cute and simple in design, much like the humble avocado itself. The menu is a mix of sandwiches, salads, and drinks all containing the precious avocado. The Avocado Toast (5,500) is probably one of their most famed items, so I couldn’t resist getting it with a poached egg on top (extra 1,000). This was absolutely heavenly, the yolk was perfection, the avocado creamy, and the chili flakes on top gave it just a little kick. For the price it was pretty awesome too, most brunch places would add a slice of bacon to this and charge three times the price, so it was quite the bargain.
My bestie Ian ordered the Avocado & Wasabi Crab Stick Sandwich (7,500), after his first choice of Avocado Chicken Wrap wasn’t available. I’m not usually one for crab sticks, but this was light and delicate, with a note of wasabi without being overpowering. We also got the French Fries with Wasabi Dip (6,000). Topped with wasabi mayo and flakes of crispy dried seaweed. Again the wasabi dip wasn’t too strong and the fries were crisp. Personally I could have done without the seaweed but I didn’t find it really bothered me too much.
There are plenty of drinks on the menu at Avocado Cafe, such as teas, coffees, shakes, beer and wine. As I wasn’t drinking that day (unusual I know), I went for the Avocado Banana Smoothie (6,500). It was thick and creamy with a mild taste of banana, and an even milder taste of avocado.
Overall we had a really nice lunch at Cafe Avocado and I was really impressed by their low prices. As well as what we ordered, I thought the salads looked really great too, the three girls at the next table had them and I got total FOMO, at least until my own avocado toast arrived. If you are looking for a neighbourhood which is super instagrammy where you can get loads of great pics, then Mangwon is the hood for you. tthere are dozens of great spots that we came across on our walk including Zapangi which has a hidden vending machine door, and the Audrey Hepburn Cafe which is where we ended up for coffee and dessert.
Audrey Hepburn Cafe - Mangwon
Audrey Hepburn Cafe - Mangwon
Mr Wow - Mangwon
LaMa - Mangwon
Seoul Ice cream - Mangwon
Berlin - Mangwon
Cafe Avocado is located at 51 Poeun-ro, mapo-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Mangwon Station and come out of exit 2 and take the road next to you directly to your left. walk down this road, past all the fruit and vegie market stalls. Until you reach the next main street (8th on the left). Take a left, and keep walking down this street. You will see Avocado Cafe about 200 meters down on the right hand side of the street. For more information you can call them on 02-6080-8338 or check out their Instagram account.