I visited Gray Gristmill (그레이 그리스트밀) last year a month after it just opened in June. The shots of Gray Gristmill’s exterior made a frequent appearances on my Instagram explore feed at the time, mainly of people taking OOTD shots in front of it. I mean, I can totally see why it became popular real fast because the exterior of the cafe is quite unique. After seeing the images of the place quite often on Instagram, I decided to check this new addition to the trendy cafes in Garosugil (가로수길).

To be honest, I was worried as soon as I stepped in front of the counter to order. Their menu only listed coffee options and I didn’t see any non-coffee options available. Before I had the chance to ask the barista behind the counter who was waiting for me to tell him my order if they have non-coffee menu, he asked if it’s my first time here. Clearly I looked like I don’t know what I’m doing so I nodded and said yes. He then proceeded to explain how the ordering process goes at this cafe. First, you pick your beans—single origin or blended—and then you choose the beverage type—Americano, Brewing, Latte, or Affogato. The price of the single portion vacuum sealed beans and the beverage type will then be added as the total price of your drink. So it’s almost like you customized your own coffee order kinda thing.

For coffee drinkers who know their coffee beans, this might be a great thing. I totally get it. But for me who are not a coffee drinker, all this was just a little bit too complicated. So I quickly asked him if they have non-coffee options. He pointed me to the other side of the counter where non-coffee options were displayed on different bottles buried between ice cubes. To my relief, I instantly recognized all the labels displayed on top of each bottles indicating what they are. Avoiding the complicated ordering process, I quickly picked up one of the bottle and paid.

A year later, the coffee shop is still there and seemed to have become a popular destination for cafe goers in Garosugil. I assume their coffee must be pretty good, which is not at all surprising since the baristas who work there have won numbers of barista championships in the past. If you want to read more about this place, I found this article that might interest you. I have a feeling this cafe is probably going to be around for a while, so if you are in Garosugil area and looking for a good coffee spot, you might wanna try this place.