Heuk Hwa Dang Hongdae (흑화당 홍대점) is a Korean premium tea and dessert house that first became popular because of their Taiwan-inspired drinks such as Brown Sugar Milk Tea (흑당 버블밀크티) and Boba Milk Tea (버블 밀크티). On top of that, the South Korean franchise also sells coffee, tea fruit drinks, and ice cream that are made with high quality ingredients and local Taiwanese recipes. After gaining popularity in the local market, Heuk Hwa Dang began their international expansion in 2019 and has now opened additional outlets in Japan, Malaysia, and the US.

I first found Heuk Hwa Dang a couple years ago when I was craving for some boba milk tea when I was visiting Seoul. Although milk tea options are usually present in majority of cafe menus in Seoul, finding boba milk tea spots is actually pretty hard back then (there’s more options now in Seoul, but still nothing compared to the options we have in South East Asia or China in my opinion). And so when I found this spot, I was super happy because their milk tea is good AND their boba is also good (if you know, not all places can have both). Since their menu is based on Taiwanese recipes, their milk teas actually taste like the ones you’d find in Taiwan. Their signature ‘Brown Sugar Bubble’ (boba)—which is boiled fresh every 4 hours—also has the right taste and chewiness that I like.

Greysuitcase Seoul Cafe Series: Heuk Hwa Dang Hongdae (흑화당 홍대점) Menu, Hongdae (홍대), Seoul, South Korea.

🧋 Jasmine Bubble Milk Tea 쟈스민 버블 밀크티 ₩5,700 • 9.5/10

The tea is fragrant, the ratio of milk and tea is great, the boba is delicious and it tastes like Taiwanese style bubble milk tea. Overall, a solid Jasmine Bubble Milk Tea. Other menus I usually get from this place are the Green Bubble Milk Tea (녹차 버블 밀크티) and the Black Bubble Milk Tea (홍차 버블 밀크티). Both are also solid options in my opinion.

Greysuitcase Seoul Cafe Series: Heuk Hwa Dang Hongdae (흑화당 홍대점), Jasmine Bubble Milk Tea (쟈스민 버블 밀크티), Hongdae (홍대), Seoul, South Korea.

The cafe itself is not very big in this location. Seatings are limited to about 12 seats inside so most people usually do takeouts if they’re buying just drinks. Also, in case you didn’t know, some cafes in Korea don’t allow you to use takeout cups to sit inside the cafe (they’ll serve your drink in regular cups/mugs if you do dine-in). So if you order for takeout, you really need to leave the cafe and enjoy your drinks outside. This place is one of those places.

What I like about this location is that it’s actually located in the middle of Hongdae (only 132m from Hongdae Station exit 9 홍대입구역9번출구) so it’s pretty easy to get to. And it closes pretty late (11:30 pm) compared to other cafes in general so I can usually get my boba fix after dinner.

If you’re looking for a good boba or milk tea spot in Seoul, would definitely recommend you to try this one.