3F Lobby Seoul

Walking into 3F Lobby is like walking into the reception area of a small independent architect’s studio. The only difference is the said reception area has been transformed into a cafe where people can walk in, get a cup of coffee (or milk tea in my case) and hang around the space for a bit, even if you’re not a client of the architect.

Located on the third floor of an unassuming walk-up in Yongsan neighborhood (용산구), the cafe’s concept is clearly stated by the tagline printed under the logo on their signage—‘hand drip coffee brewed by architects’. The idea is simple, straightforward and a very good use of the space that they have considering that the architects only use one corner of the room for their private working studio. The rest of the modest space is furnished with minimal modern unique furnitures that give visitors both a collaborative atmosphere where you can discuss your ideas with your table mates as well as a private intimate mood if you want to be left alone with your thoughts. 

Earl Grey Milk Tea (얼그레이 밀크티) ₩6,800 | 8.5/10

I ordered their Earl Grey Milk Tea and was surprised that it was served with an ice ball. I thought that was a nice touch to the presentation of the drink. The milk tea was good and not too sweet. The ratio of the milk and tea was just how I like it. They also give a cube of brownie on the side with the drink which was a nice surprise. 

Other than coffee, non-coffee drinks, tea, and desserts, they also serve Whiskey and Highball on the menu. Since the place is a bit small, it can get a tad noisy when all the tables are fully occupied. I also have an inkling that this place might be busy on the weekends seeing that there are chairs lined up in front of the cafe for people who are waiting for a table (I went on a weekday so it wasn’t a full house. But considering it’s a weekday, the place was pretty packed). But all and all, this was a cool space to check out if you’re looking for a cafe to hang out at around Yongsan area.

 

3F Lobby

Address: 서울 용산구 한강대로15길 19-19 3층
Telephone: 070-8865-1919
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 12:00-22:20 | Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays

Instagram: @3f_lobby

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Lick Sip • 릭십

Lick Sip (릭십) is a small cafe bar in Hannam-dong that just opened last spring in April 2024. Their menu consist of coffee, non-coffee, alcoholic drinks as well limited options of baked goods and desserts. Although cafe serving booze is not uncommon in Seoul, their Tipsy Treats selections are definitely one of the more unique menu I’ve seen that made me want to visit this place.

Their Tipsy Treats includes Boozy Ice Cream with flavors such as:
🍨 Milk + Bourbon (밀크 + 버번)
🍨 Milk + Amaretto + Rum (밀크 + 아마레토 + 럼)
🍨 Chocolate + Single Malt (초콜릿 + 싱글몰트)
🍨 Yogurt + Makgeolli (요거트 + 막걸리)

They also have Boozy Drinks like Baileys Latte (베일리 라떼), Baileys Chocolate Latte (베일리 초코 라떼), Wine Smoothie (와인 스무디), Whiskey Affogato (위스키 아포가토), and Coconut Smoothie with Rum (코코넛 스무디 + 럼).

There are about 15 seatings inside the cafe, six of them are shared on a communal table and the rest are split into paired seatings around the space. There are also about 12 outdoor seatings that are available if you choose to sit outside. 

I visited this cafe during my last trip to Seoul in spring, a month after their grand opening. It was a Sunday afternoon so the place was pretty packed. But me and my friend managed to get a seat on one of the small outdoor table. The weather was really nice so sitting outside was actually perfect to enjoy the afternoon breeze and to people watch a little bit. 

Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea (얼그레이 밀크티) ₩6,500 | 8/10

I ordered the Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea and it was solid. Not too sweet and the tea is pretty fragrant. 

Einspänner (아인슈페너) ₩6,500 | 8/10

My friend ordered the Einspänner and she said it was good. The coffee is bitter and the cream is sweet creating a good balance when you sipped the drink.

Noise level inside the cafe when I was visiting was pretty high. The music was playing pretty loud inside the cafe but since we sat outside, it was actually still pretty enjoyable for me. Since I didn’t end up trying their Tipsy Treats, definitely want to go back again to this place to try one of their Boozy Ice Cream or Boozy Drinks. 

 

Lick Sip • 릭십

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로54길 16-5 1층
Telephone: 0507-1390-7841
Hours:
Closed on Mondays
Tue & Wed 18:00-24:00
Thursday 12:00-24:00
Friday & Sat 12:00-01:00
Sunday 13:00-19:00

Instagram: @licksip_official
Naver Map

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Seoul Angmusae Yongsan • 서울앵무새 용산점

Seoul Angmusae Yongsan (서울앵무새 용산점) is a bakery cafe that’s well-known for their wide selections of colorful sweet and savory baked goods and desserts. They had their grand opening in May 26, 2023 two years after their first Seongsu flagship location that was opened in March 21, 2021. The Yongsan location is definitely bigger than their flagship location, seeing how it occupies the first three floors of a five-story building in the middle of Yongnidangil (용리단길), one of the more recent up and coming areas in Seoul that is filled with new cafes and restaurants. The orange facade with colorful illustrations of their parrot mascot (Angmusae means parrots in Korean) definitely attract attention and make passerby’s heads turn. One of the reason contributing to their popularity (I believe) is because their visually pleasing desserts Instagram Reels went viral and were shared over and over on social media (as I’m writing this post one of their Reels has an impressive 91.5 million views).

The first floor of the cafe is where the bakery is. You walk in, get a tray and a tongs and start walking towards the display area to pick your choice. It’s hard to make one I tell you since the choices are pretty overwhelming. From savory buns to sweet desserts, you have plenty of things to choose from. This is also where you place your drinks order where you can pick it up on the second floor. 

The second and third floor are where all the seatings are. The place is pretty big with plenty of tables and chairs available. The interior is filled with eclectic modern furnitures and colorful, vibrant decorations, giving a trendy contemporary energy to the space. One side of the room is covered with folding windows that were fully opened since it was a cloudy summer day and the weather wasn’t too hot when I was visiting. The tables next to the opened windows are a perfect for people watching since you got the view of the street below. 

Black Sesame Latte 흑임자 라떼 ₩7,000 | 6.5/10

I ordered this not knowing they put coffee with the latte. Since I’m not a coffee drinker and the coffee in this drink was pretty strong, it tasted just okay to me. The black sesame was (I believe) in the cream/froth part on top which was served with cacao powder sprinkled in shape of Seoul Angmusae’s mascot. I asked if they could make the Black Sesame Latte without coffee and they said they can’t. Too bad. 

Chicken Basil Soft Bun 치킨바질소프트번 ₩8,500 | 8/10

Chicken, Cranberries, Basil Pesto, and Sweet Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
치킨과 크랜베리, 바질페스토와 쫄깃하고 달콤한 썬드라이 토마토의 상큼함이 조화를 이루는 맛.

The Chicken Basil Soft Bun was pretty good. There’s a good balance between the savoriness from the basil pesto and the sweetness form the cranberries and sun-dried tomatoes. It was a pretty satisfying flavorful bite. 

Smoke Duck White Bun 훈제오리화이트번 ₩7,500 | 7/10

Smoked Duck, Pickled Onions, Lettuce and Honey Mustard.
훈제 오리와 절인 양파의 상큼함과, 허니 머스타드의 달달함이 조화를 이루는 맛.

The Smoke Duck White Bun was more on the savory side. They nailed the smokiness of the duck meat, the texture is not tough but it’s a bit dry for my personal preference. So did the bun for that matter. It was a bit dry on the outside but fortunately the inside is pretty soft. The honey mustard sauce was pretty good and it paired well with the duck. It was an okay dish for me.

Also, I do wish all the buns were warmer (since they put everything out on display, everything was lukewarm).

Angmusae Egg Madeleine Vanilla & Lemon ₩4,800 each | 7/10

Bought the Vanilla and Lemon Angmusae Egg Madeleine to go and the packaging is pretty cute. Taste wise, they’re a little bit on the dry side for me, but flavors were pretty good and not too sweet.

I went to the third floor to see what the place looks like and it’s pretty much giving similar vibes to the second floor. The difference is probably there’s only one sofa (instead of three) on this floor but there are more chairs and tables available.

The music playing in this cafe when I was there was the Top 100 Pop Hits playlist and almost all the English pop songs that were playing I actually recognized or familiar with. Noise level was medium to high I’d say, depending on how busy the place is. With how big the cafe is and the wide variety of menu that they have, I think this is a good place to hang out at.

 

Seoul Angmusae Yongsan • 서울앵무새 용산점

Address: 서울 용산구 한강대로62길 55 1, 2, 3층
Telephone: 0507-1350-4710
Hours: Everyday 08:00-23:00

Instagram: @seoul_angmusae

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Teddy Beurre House • 테디뵈르하우스 용산점

Teddy Beurre House (테디뵈르하우스) is a European-style bakery that offers a wide variety of delicious baked goods from the classic French pastries to more unique ones like their pistachio kouign-amann and krungji (a croissant nurungji—Korean scorched rice).

The cafe is located at Yongnidan-gil (용리단길), an up-and-coming neighborhood near Yongsan Station and was one of the first cafe that opened around that area before it gotten more crowded with newer cafes these days. 

The interior of the cafe is based on the cafe’s name itself, Teddy Beurre—or Teddy Bear—where you can find a number of teddy bear stuffed animals, paintings and other teddy bear related decorations inside the cafe. There are about 30 to 35 seatings inside and the place was pretty packed when I went to visit during midday on a Tuesday with my friend. But luckily, there was no line (there usually is, especially during the weekends) and we got a table right away.

After browsing their extensive pastry selections, I ended up picking up their number 1 best seller, the Beurre Croissant (₩5,000), the Corn & Egg (₩5,800) and another one of their best seller, the Pistachio Kouign-Amann (₩6,300). For the drink I ordered their Ice Pistachio Cream Milk (₩7,500).

Also, this cafe has the one drink per person rule, so even if you’re buying pastries, you’d still have to order one drink per person if you’re dining in.

Beurre Croissant (₩5,000) | 8.5/10

Crispy, flaky, buttery croissant. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. They did the basic right. 

Corn & Egg (₩5,800) | 8.5/10

Crispy, flaky, buttery croissant and then add over hard egg and corn in the middle. This is the perfect breakfast option for me. I liked it. 

Pistachio Kouign-Amann (₩6,300) | 8/10

First off, the shape is pretty interesting for a kouign-amann. Definitely not the shape that I’m used to. The pistachio tasted wonderful. It’s nutty and not too sweet. The texture of the kouign-amann was not as crunchy as I thought it’d be (especially after eating the croissant). Probably because I didn’t heat it up before eating it (they do provide small ovens to heat up the pastries). But overall, I still think this was pretty good.

Ice Pistachio Cream Milk (₩7,500) | 9.5/10

This is one of their signature menu (at least the latte is) and the drink is basically consisted of milk topped with thick pistachio cream and crushed pistachio. The cream is nutty, sweet with a hint of saltiness to it. And the texture is just right, making it easy to sip the cream along with the milk. It’s also good to have it with their croissant. I really enjoyed this drink and would definitely order this again when I go back.

Also, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see this under the non-coffee menu because if you’re not a coffee drinker like me, you know how challenging it is to find a good non-coffee option other than the basic tea, milk tea and hot chocolate (although Seoul cafes definitely has more good non-coffee option alternative than other countries in my opinion).

If you’re looking for a good pastries or a unique good non-coffee option, Teddy Beurre House is definitely worth checking out. From the time I spent there during my visit, seeing the amount of people that came to dine-in and did take-away, it’s obvious that the place is pretty popular amongst the locals. The bakery has also gained popularity amongst the tourists too lately so expect the place to be busy when you want to come to visit.

 

Teddy Beurre House • 테디뵈르하우스 용산점

Address: 서울 용산구 한강대로40가길 42 1층
Telephone: 0507-1379-8667
Hours: Monday - Friday 11:00-22:00 | Saturday & Sunday 10:00-22:00

Instagram: @teddy.beurre.house

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Rain Report • 레인리포트

If you love rainy days, you’re probably going to love one of the newest addition to Seoul’s unique cafe line-up this year, the Rain Report (레인리포트). Offering a perpetual once every 15-minutes rain all day long, this rain-themed cafe gives patrons an immersive experience of sipping coffee during a rainy day. The unique concept certainly becomes their biggest selling point, especially with the possibility of snapping a picture with an umbrella under the rain, just like one of those scenes in K-dramas. Some would say it’s quite romantic, don’t you think?

Combined that with a wide selections of coffee, unique desserts and ample seatings inside the cafe, it’s not surprising that soon after, this cafe went viral and became one of the most popular newly-opened cafes in Seoul with patrons lining up for a seat during the weekends.

My visit to this cafe was two months after their soft opening in April and one week after its grand opening in June. After seeing many clips of this place that were constantly popping up on my feed and DMs from my followers to check this place out, my interest was definitely piqued. And so I went to check out the Rain Report.

After walking up and down steep roads leading to the cafe, I finally arrived at their flagship location that’s nestled in the middle of a residential area in Itaewon. Tall black fence gates greeted me with a flap display alternating between their logo and weather forecast icons on the board. I walked up the black stairs lined with bamboo trees and soon find the entrance to the building.

First thing that I saw when I walked in was the big LCD screen displaying the weather forecast. Next to it is an umbrella holder that holds multiple clear umbrellas with black handle on top of it. I soon found out that the cafe actually provides these umbrellas for visiting patrons, in case you want to take a picture under the rain with them. Very convenient.

The door next to the umbrella holders leads to the most Instagrammable spot in this place, the rain area. This is where the once in every 15-minutes rain will happen and you can line up for your turn to take a photo under the rain with the clear umbrella. Also worth noting, since there’s usually a line, when you’re taking a photo on this spot, the people lining up as well as those who are sitting inside the cafe will be your audience (which might be a little awkward for people like me). The spot also gets pretty wet after a while, so you might want to be careful if you’re bringing cameras or tripods. Probably best if you have somebody take a picture for you so it’s quicker.

The indoor area is decorated with black sleek modern interior with multiple screens playing rain clips and more flap displays with graphics, reminiscent of a newsroom setup. There are two floors with a tower of monitors hanging down from the high ceiling in the middle of the room, water trickling down at the bottom of it creating the sound of rain drops.

The first floor seating consists of the middle lobby-like area that is facing the photo spot and the coffee bar area at the far end side of the room. Second floor has more seating with semi-private sections with sofas and lounge chairs. The noise level in this place is moderate to high when I was there since it was quite busy despite the fact that I went there on a weekday. It did get a bit loud for me when the place was more crowded later in the afternoon because everybody was talking all at the same time.

On the dessert table, there are various financiers on display with unique flavors like Squid Ink, Amarena Cherry, Fig Wine, Triple Cheese, Maple Bacon, Basil, Kaya Coconut, and Almond Pistachio. I think this was also my first time seeing long rectangular and savory financiers so it’s very interesting. I ended up trying 5 of the financiers—the Squid Ink, Fig Wine, Maple Bacon, Basil, and Almond Pistachio. Taste wise, they’re all very interesting and taste distinctly different from each other. I quite like them all, except for the Squid Ink (there’s a bit of that fishy taste that I personally am not quite fond of). Texture wise, they’re all a bit hard and dry for my personal preference. Part of it is maybe because they’re all displayed out in the open so they’re not as moist? But overall, they’re still okay for me.

For their cake selections, they have a wide variety of very pretty cakes displayed inside the cooler:

STORM - Mont Blanc 몽블랑
RAIN DROP - Green Grape 그린 그레이프
SUNNY DAY - Strawberry Souffle 딸기 치즈수플레
CLOUD - Deep Black/Black Cloud 블랙 클라우드
WIND - Opera 오페라
SUNSHINE - Mango Tiramisu 망고 티라미수

(Also, love that they stick to the overall concept of weather for the naming of the cake.)

The price for each cake ranges from ₩12,000 (≈$9) to ₩16,000 (≈$12). The portion is quite big so I think you can probably share one cake between two people. They also have a Coffee & Dessert Pairing Omakase (커피 & 디저트 페어링 오마카세) for ₩38,000 (≈$29).

I really wanted to try the Cloud, but when I got there they were out of stock. I even came back again later that evening to see if they have a new batch but it’s out of stock again. So in the end, I didn’t get to try the cake. Maybe next time.

For the drink, the limited non-coffee options was a bit of a let down for me. I ordered the Sunny Day (써니데이) (honestly just ‘cause it’s the most visually attractive and I didn’t feel like drinking chocolate or tea) and it tasted like orange juice and soda.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to this place. Love the whole concept, branding, design and the attention to details they put into the graphics they use around the space as well as their social media posts (the product photography on their IG feed is super nice by the way). For me, it is one of those places that I go to more for the interior and the vibe rather than the desserts and drinks (although I might change my mind if their cakes are really good. We’ll see if I get to try them in the future. Or maybe their coffee is really good? I wouldn’t know since I don’t drink coffee). Since the place is quite popular and has went viral, if you’re looking for a chill, quite place to hang out at, this might not be the right choice for you (at least for now since the place just opened). Or maybe go visit during the weekdays to try to avoid the lines and the crowds.

 

Rain Report • 레인리포트

Address:서울 용산구 소월로40길 85 1, 2층
Telephone: 0507-1360-4302
Hours: Everyday 11:00-21:30

Instagram: @rainreport_official

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