Protokoll Roasters Yeonhui • 프로토콜 연희점

Protokoll Roasters Yeonhui (프로토콜 연희점) is a specialty coffee roastery cafe that is located in Yeonhui-dong (연희동). 

“PROTOKOLL is a specialty coffee roastery whose name originates from the German word meaning “storage” and “record.” It is a space that captures the process of documenting through the lens of coffee.

Records are preserved in thick notebooks, in moments of contemplation, and in the act of putting pencil to paper—remaining in all visible and invisible forms over time. From roasting profiles and extraction recipes to individual sensory impressions, we create a diverse archive shaped by every coffee experience.” —Protokoll

I found this place when I was doing my research on cafes around Yeonhui-dong area and the interior of the cafe was what first caught my attention. The cafe occupies the second floor of a pretty spacious building and is set up like what feels like an open floor architect firm. The coffee bar is made out of wooden architect drawers and their coffee and desserts display/cashier is set up on a drafting table. Pretty nice setup. The main seating area is filled with 8 sets of table of four with additional single seatings along the side walls next to the windows. The wooden furnitures combined with the metal chairs, study lamps and concrete walls really give the whole space a clean and modern vibe. 

The place has been on my cafe-to-go list for a while but since their menu is very coffee-centric, I thought it’s probably better for me to go with a friend who drinks coffee rather than alone so I can find out if their coffee is good. And the day finally came when my friend who works at a coffee bean company happened to be in Seoul and asked me to bring him and his colleagues to a good coffee spot. And so I took them to Protokoll Yeonhui, wanting to hear what they think about their coffee. 

We went on a Monday around 2 pm and the place was full. I was honestly surprised since it was a weekday (later I found out it’s even busier during the weekends so be prepare for that if you’re planning to visit). There was a wait list going on so we put our name down for a table. While waiting, I noticed that there were a lot of people who are studying/working on their laptops. Given how the cafe is set up, I guess it makes perfect sense why this place is popular for remote studying/working. Good thing we didn’t have to wait too long because 15 minutes later, we got a table. 

Since I don’t really drink coffee, I ordered their Earl Grey Classic (₩4,000) and it was good. I think cafes in Korea have great teas in general. The rest of the group ordered their Cafe Latte (₩6,000) with different kinds of coffee beans they have in rotation. The group’s verdict was they all think that Protokoll’s cafe latte was pretty good and the ratio between the coffee and the milk was great. The group gave an 8/10 rating for their coffee orders so I guess my coffee spot recommendation was a success.

If you’re looking for a great coffee spot or a place where you can study or work around Yeonhui-dong area, Protokoll Roasters Yeonhui (프로토콜 연희점) is definitely a good option to check out. 

 

Protokoll Roasters Yeonhui • 프로토콜 연희점

Address: 서울 서대문구 연희로 109 2층
Telephone: 0507-1389-6159
Hours: Everyday 09:00-22:00 (Last Order 21:30)

Instagram: @protokoll.roasters
Protokoll Website

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Cafe Alt • 알트

If you’re looking for vegan desserts or gluten-free cakes in Seoul, Cafe Alt (알트) is one of the places you can check out. Located in Yeon-hui dong (연희동), the fairly spacious cafe that just opened November last year offers various vegan and gluten-free desserts ranging from scones, canelé, cakes, to greek yogurt ball, as well as selections of coffee and non-coffee menu.

They have the desserts and cakes available on display so you can see what they look like before ordering. Some of their newest additions to the menu are the Basil Tomato Scone (바질 토마토 스콘) and Corn Jalapeño Scone (옥수수 할라피뇨 스콘). They also have Earl Grey Canelé, Apple Crumble, Remington Cake, Chocolate Mud Cake, and Brick Cake. Other unique menus that they have are the Greek Yogurt Ball and Tofu Sweet Potato Cake.

The highlight of my visit was their Rooibos Milk Tea (루이보스 밀크티). As you all know, I’m always on the hunt for a good milk tea and this one didn’t disappoint. The milk tea was really fragrant, the Rooibos cream on top was a nice addition and overall, it hit the right level of sweetness. Definitely will come back again for their Rooibos Milk Tea.

For dessert, I tried their gluten-free Brick Cake (브릭 케이크) which has fresh fruits inside (I mainly tasted strawberry though when I tried it). Since I haven’t eaten a lot of gluten-free cake, I don’t think I can make a fair judgement on how good this cake is. For me, it was just okay. Not bad, but also not something that I would order again (just because I prefer sweet cakes than fruity/sour ones).

I visited this cafe on a Saturday afternoon and it wasn’t too busy. I’d say the noise level was in the medium range since the place did get a little loud when there was a group of people chatting. But overall, it’s still comfortable enough for me to talk with my friends.

Other additional info that might be helpful, for customized cake, you have to place your order at least 3 days before the pick-up date and they don’t accept cake orders on Tuesdays.

 

Cafe Alt • 알트

Address: 서울 서대문구 연희로 122 경교빌딩 1층 104호, 105호
Telephone: 0507-1349-6021
Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00-20:00 | Saturday & Sunday 10:00-21:00

Instagram: @cafe.alt

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Cafe Gongmyeong • 카페 공명

With the abundance of cafes in Hongdae (홍대), you would think that finding a spacious and comfortable cafe to catch up with your friends or do some work at will be easy. But no. Based on my experience, finding a spacious cafe with the right vibe (which for me means a place with nice interior, at least decent if not good non-coffee drink options, plenty of seatings, ample breathing space and moderate noise level) in Hongdae is actually pretty hard.

Since most cafes in Hongdae are small or medium sized and usually have more of a hip vibe, I was actually pleasantly surprised when I first came across Cafe Gongmyeong (카페 공명). This cafe is actually spacious and has the right vibe. I first saw this place when I accidentally saw a glimpse of their coffee bar through the window of the bus I was riding when it passed by this place at night. If it weren’t for the bright yellow lights emitting from the coffee bar, I wouldn’t even noticed that there’s a cafe there because the exterior of the building just seems like any other building in Korea.

After I looked up what’s actually inside that building and found out that Cafe Gongmyeong (카페 공명) occupied the space, I initially visited the place days later solely to check out their intriguing coffee bar. The canopy like structure that houses the coffee bar is made out of wide horizontal wood panels that are lined with lights emitting from the edge of each panels, creating a feeling of being inside some sort of a wooden spaceship (at least for me). There are also a couple of different things that are pretty cool inside this cafe including a projector that is set up facing the wall next to the coffee bar that plays old movies and two big book shelves next to the front windows that definitely add more character to the interior of the space.

They printed their menu items on the spine of books that are displayed in front of the cashier and I have to say this is probably one of the most creative and memorable menu display I’ve seen (took me a second though to realize that the book titles are actually the menu). I ordered their Cacao Latte (카카오 라떼) which was pretty solid. I came only a couple of weeks after their grand opening so their dessert selections were still limited. Although looking at their Instagram, it seems like they have now expanded their dessert menu and definitely have more selections compared to my last visit. And it seems like people are giving good reviews about them so maybe I’ll try their desserts on my next visit.

The place has plenty of seatings that have a good distance from one to the other, which works very well if you want some privacy while talking to your friends. It also has a big long communal table with power plugs that’s perfect for people who come to the cafe to study or to do some work. I originally wasn’t planning to stay for long, but after I finished taking some pictures and sit around for a while, I actually enjoyed the vibe of this place and ended up staying for almost two hours longer sitting there sipping my hot cocoa while reading. 

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

A little fun fact, this cafe is also one of the shooting locations of the Korean drama Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) starring Son Ye-Jin. You can see the appearance of the place in episode 3, where Son Ye-Jin’s character, Cha Mi-Jo, visited the cafe with her love interest, Kim Seon-U.

Korean Drama: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) Ep.03 | Photo Courtesy: JTBC/Netflix

Korean Drama: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) Ep.03 | Photo Courtesy: JTBC/Netflix

 

Cafe Gongmyeong • 카페 공명

Address: 서울 마포구 연희로 11 1층 카페 공명
Telephone: 070-8869-6304
Hours: Everyday 10:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @cafegm_

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