Having a cuppa at the Coffee Prince Cafe

The Coffee Prince cafe established in 2007.
Yes we were there!

It was totally unplanned and we did not do research on the Internet before visiting the Coffee Prince cafe. But we had seen all of Namsan Park earlier that day, and on the spur of the moment, decided to visit The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. Just in case you don't know, Coffee Prince was a hit Korean drama in 2007 and they filmed it at the cafe.

People say the cafe is located at Hongdae in Seoul, where three major Korean universities are located. All i knew was that you get off at the Hongik University subway stop.

Okay, since it is such a famous drama, i am sure people around Hongdae would know where it is. When we came out from the Hongik University subway exit, we were pleasantly surprised by how European-like the area was. The streets are narrow, lined with trees and there were many eateries and small shops along the streets. It reminded me a lot of Wudaokou in Beijing. You will also see many students around the vicinity.

Cosy university town - this is what you see when
you exit from the subway station.

Streets are lined with eateries
and shops. Nice!

After walking rather aimlessly because we did not have a map nor instructions on how to get to the Coffee Prince cafe, we decided to ask for directions. The first two people we approached didn't seem to know what we were talking about. The third person we asked was a Korean girl in her mid-twenties. She knew where we wanted to go, and made a gesture that it was difficult to explain to us. She told us she would walk us there! Oh wow, that's really nice of her.

We thought it was just around the block, but she walked and walked and it turned out to be around four blocks! I didn't speak much to her because of our limited Korean and really regretted not exchanging emails or taking a proper photo with her.

A really kind Korean girl showing us
where the Coffee Prince cafe is.
감사합니다 아가씨!

After walking for around 15 minutes,
were we glad to finally see this sign!

We arrived at the cafe when it was about to turn dark and it was around 5:30pm. From the outside, the cafe looks rather run down and deserted ~ not as new and happening as what you saw in the drama. Nor would you see Yoon Eun-hye or Gong Yoo and the Coffee Princes when you get there. ;-)

Liz and Orchid arriving at the cafe

Inside, a single barrista was behind the counter and he was a Korean dude with reddish blonde dyed hair. They only served drinks - no waffle, no food. What? No waffles? We ordered Coffee Mocha (7,000KRW) and iced tea (6,000KRW).

Liz buying drinks at the Coffee Prince cafe

Our drinks Coffee Mocha & iced tea

Coffee Prince drama memorabilia displayed on the walls of the cafe

Leave your mark!

We spent about half an hour at the cafe, taking a much needed rest and doing some research and updating our itinerary for the next few days. There were about two other tables at the cafe occupied and later on, a group of ajummas from Japan came to the shop. They ordered coffee with beautiful artwork on the top. Hmmm...how come their drinks had those and ours did not? Anyway, they were clearly Coffee Prince drama fans too and took photos at the "sunflower wall".

Sunflower wall

Maybe Yoon Eun Hye isn't there,
but you can still see her artwork
on the glass windows

From the inside looking out

There are many small shops selling clothes and shoes around Hongik. It's a nice place to spend a leisurely afternoon shopping and hanging out with friends.

Liz and Rooster and some other Korean girls
checking out clothes at one of the shops in Hongik

For those who want to visit the cafe, here's the directions (courtesy of www.travbuddy.com).

HOW TO GET THERE:
Take Subway Line 2 to Hongik University, take Exit 4 -> turn right on Seven Springs corner -> walk 2 blocks -> at the end of the street, turn left -> turn right on the first right - > walk until you almost reach the end of the street where the street goes slightly uphill (about 500 meters) -> find the coffee shop on the right side

More stories of K-popped! Trio in Seoul:
K-popped! Trio tries Korean Street Food
Watching a movie in Seoul
Staying at Doulos Hotel
Beautiful Autumn sights in Seoul
Nanta cooks up a storm for the K-popped! Trio
Watching Rain on TV everynight in Seoul
Pepero Day is celebrated on 11.11
Happy Pepero Day!