I’ve visited international cafes like Starbucks for years, however, I much prefer independently owned dessert cafes. I’m a huge cappuccino fan, and regularly visit local coffee shops like Café Grano and Hola Café in Seoul Korea for their tasty cappuccinos. After watching a café hopping tour by dearnessie, I felt inspired to explore the Seoul café culture and begin a hunt for the best desserts Seoul could offer. So after identifying five dessert cafes, I set off to sample their dessert options, and lucky for me, three friends joined the delightful adventure. These are our results.
First Cafe Stop
NATA O BICA (Korean-Portuguese)
935-3 Daechi 4(sa)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Nearest station: Hanti
As I entered Nata O Bica, I felt like I had stepped into an older, colonial cafe. Décor featured darker, cool colours on ceramic tiles. Black-and-white photos displayed on the back wall showed off a Portuguese heritage. I liked the Jazz music playing overhead, and after putting in my order, I stepped outside to sit on a small terrace with a street view.
MY MENU PICKS
Drink: Cappuccino
Dessert: 1 classic egg tart, 1 apple-cinnamon tart
Total cost: 10,000 won
MY IMPRESSIONS
My cappuccino was good enough (7/10). The classic egg tart was fluffy, crispy and scrumptious, however, the apple-cinnamon was possibly even better! I confess that I’m a HUGE FAN of egg tarts, and these did not disappoint. In fact, they are among the best I’ve ever eaten.
Dessert rating (for both tarts): 10/10
Second Cafe Stop
CAFÉ MULA (Korean-Italian)
13-12 Apgujeong-ro 4-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Nearest station: Sinsa
Café Mula was located in a quieter neighbourhood and tucked behind the central Sinsa high street. As I stepped inside, Café Mula opened into a bright, white room with high ceilings and several nooks to explore. At the back was a veranda which was separated from the central room by a huge glass pane. I took the winding staircase upstairs to a large rooftop patio. But before I could step outside of the air-conditioning and onto the roof, I passed through a cute, semi private nook just big enough for a couple. Luckily, I managed to snag the nook which was perfect to record clips for my reaction video.
MY MENU PICKS
Drink: Cappuccino
Dessert: Classic Tiramisu
Total cost: 14,000 won
MY IMPRESSIONS
Although the cappuccino was large, the coffee beans blend was sub-par (6/10). Mula offered only two desserts, the classic or the green tea tiramisu with seasonal fruits. I opted for the classic, but later realized that I could have asked to have the seasonal fruits added. The tiramisu was the size of a brick! Definitely made to share. Cream was piled on top of a coffee mousse base, and topped with a generous sprinkling of chocolate dust that kept floating onto my skirt. Although the cream was delightful and I definitely would return to enjoy this tiramisu again, I recommend that Café Mula consider using mascarpone cheese instead of cream to retain a more authentic Italian recipe.
Dessert rating: 8/10
Third Cafe Stop
LAYERED (Korean-British)
84-14 Jae-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Nearest station: Anguk
When I stepped into Layered dessert café, it was super busy despite Bukchon area being exceptionally quiet. There was a display in the middle of the café where piles of assorted scones and cakes seduced visitors wandering through. Upbeat jazz played overhead to a room full of cheerful couples admiring the delicacies on their tables. In this jovial setting, I settled down to people-watch while recording my video.
MY MENU PICKS
Drink: Cappuccino
Dessert: Cheese and cranberry scone
Total cost: 10,000 won
MY IMPRESSIONS
Although the cappuccino was small, it was DELICIOUS (9/10)! Finally, a really good cappuccino to savor! I’d return just for the coffee. But of course, it’s impossible to escape Layered without trying their scones. After staring at the piles of delightful options for ages, I settled on a cheese-cranberry scone. It was fresh, crumbly, and messy (as expected). I gobbled it up, and was only slowed down by attempts to use a knife and fork to eat it. The Korean bakers did a brilliant job as the scones tasted authentically British, and as a Brit myself, I know a good scone when I taste one. My only regret was that I only ate one! I guess I’ll have to return.
Dessert rating: 10/10
Forth Cafe Stop
URBAN PLANT (Mixed European)
3 Dongmak-ro 4-gil, Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Nearest station: Hapjeong
Urban Plant was difficult to locate because the orientation on the map is misleading (I hope that by the time you read this, the issue has been fixed). But despite the confusion, finding the cafe was well worth it.
As I walked toward the front door, terraces dripping with plants flanked the entrance. One terrace was open air, and the other looked like a greenhouse picnic area. A staff member greeted me at the entrance before I wandered through a maze of green, observing guests tucked away in pockets of privacy surrounded by plants. As I wandered up the stairs to meet a friend, I felt like I was in a jungle, and as I sat down to peruse the menu, I couldn’t help but get distracted by the varieties of charming flora and fauna.
MY MENU PICKS
Drink: Cappuccino
Dessert: Crème Brulee
Total cost: 12,000 won (approximately)
MY IMPRESSIONS
My cappuccino was good (8/10), but the crème brulee was better. My dessert and coffee came presented on a wooden tray accompanied by a pretty stalk with leaves. Two chocolate sponge fingers sat on top of the crème bulee. The fingers were ordinary chocolate sponge cake baked into strips, but the crème brulee was anything but ordinary. I eagerly cracked the crystalized sugar canopy with my teaspoon to savor the mousse-like eggy scrumptiousness inside. What a delightful experience! I’d definitely bring a date here.
Dessert rating: 8/10
Fifth Cafe Stop
CRE8COOKIES (Korean-American)
36 Teheran-ro 25-gil, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Nearest station: Yeoksam
I first heard about Cre8cookies through a youtuber review, and imagined that a coffee shop specializing in cookie desserts must create something pretty special, so I headed over with a friend to see what the fuss was about. I hoped that I would encounter the massive, soft, chocolate chip cookies that I used to get in Canada years ago.
As I stepped into the café, the room reminded me of an American diner. The furniture was an assortment of garden patio chairs and random wooden furniture. Doodling paper, color crayons and games sat on some of the tables, and jazz music played loudly overhead. A wonderful smell of baking cookies floated around the room, and a cute cookie display presenting cookie options caught my eye.
MY MENU PICKS
Drink: Cappuccino
Dessert: Peanut butter, almond white, cookies-and-cream, and coco chocolate cookies (2,000 each)
Total cost: 12,000 won
MY IMPRESSIONS
The cappuccino was okay (7/10). The cookies were enclosed in paper envelopes placed neatly on a tray. They seemed smaller than those on the display cookies, and turned out cruncher that I had hoped for. They reminded me of the cookies I baked at home as a teenager. Three of the cookies tasted similar, and as anticipated, the peanut butter was distinct, and possibly the best of all. But overall, the similarity in taste between several cookies left me and my friend unimpressed. The cookies lacked that wow factor that would convince us to return.
Dessert rating: 5/10
Thank you so much for reading my review.
If you want to know which was my favourite café and why, check out the video!
Which criteria is important to you when you visit a café, and are there any cafes in Seoul you would recommend? I’d love to hear from you.
Thx for the love.
Tasha~
Tasha is author of Keto Brunches and Attract and Retain a Fulfilling Relationship.
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