Bear Café • 베어카페

Bear Café (베어카페) is a hanok cafe that is located in the quiet neighborhood of Seochon (서촌), just west of Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁). I actually found out about the cafe because of its publication, Bear magazine, that I’ve seen multiple times whenever I went to a bookstore or a ‘Kinfolk’ influenced/hipster cafes in Seoul. I did a little research and turns out that the magazine is pretty well-known amongst the locals. Almost feels like the Korean version of Kinfolk magazine if you know what I mean. The search results also then led me to discover this cafe, which in the beginning I wasn’t really sure if they’re even owned by the same company, but turned out they are. Here’s an excerpt from Timeout that explains a little about the place:

“Seochon’s Bear Café’s been getting a lot of hype from culture-savvy crowds of Seoul. Created by Design Eum, a publishing group that issues Bear magazine and Kinfolk Korea, Bear Café serves up specialty coffees paired with a tranquil ambiance and culture-related activities; housed in a charming 70-year-old hanok, it juxtaposes tradition and modernity with the well-preserved garden and quality café menus.”
—Timeout.com

Just like any other hanok cafe I’ve visited in the past, Bear Café (베어카페) also retains its original hanok structure for its cafe area. Going into the cafe feels like visiting a friend’s house actually. You go in from the car port at the entrance to the building into a small garden area where outdoor seatings are available before finally arriving at the main building of the cafe. Also, turns out this cafe also serves as an exhibition space where they would have different exhibitions or products on display throughout the year.

If you’re planning to visit this cafe and want to avoid the crowd, going on a weekday might be better because it usually gets busy during the weekends.

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Bear Cafe • 베어카페

Telephone: 070-7775-8001
Address: 서울 종로구 자하문로24길 24
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 11:00-19:00 | Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays

Instagram: @bearcafe.new

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FELT Coffee Dosan • 펠트커피 도산공원점

FELT Coffee (펠트커피) announced the opening of their second branch, FELT Coffee Dosan (펠트커피 도산공원점), on May 10, 2019 on their Instagram account. Sharing the space that was designed by WGNB with Juun.J’, a youthful, street culture inspired Korean fashion label that is well-known for its ‘street tailoring’, the building certainly stood out from their surrounding neighbors.

Stepping into the abstract geometrical black concrete building felt like stepping into a piece of art in museum. The first thing that will greeted you is a courtyard with a single tree in a floating pot supported by wire suspensions, giving an illusion that the pot of tree is levitating mid-air. The courtyard is probably the most colorful part of this whole building.

Entering the store/cafe area, you’ll be greeted with a matching all-black interior surrounding the space. On one side is Juun.J’s flagship store area and on the other is where Felt Coffee set up their coffee bar and seatings. The cafe itself is not too big but the triangle shaped high ceiling makes it feels like the cafe is bigger than it actually is. Similar to the pot in the courtyard, there are black electronic modern candle lamps hanging on top of the coffee bar (which honestly reminded me of the floating candles in Hogwart’s great hall) that give an illusion that they’re levitating. The seating arrangement is also a little unusual. Two rows of tables and chairs are set up facing a glass window with the view of the courtyard, giving you a clear view of the levitating pot as well as people who goes in and out of the store. I quite like it actually. It almost feels like sitting at a gallery looking at an art piece and people watching while enjoying your drinks.

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

Since the architecture is very intriguing, I ended up searching for more information about the place and came across an article that talks more about the design concept and thinking behind it.

“The architects express that ‘black is a magical colour’, attracting and absorbing light, hence the design follows the concept of ‘dark matter’. The architects fused a triangle, circle, and square to form one abstract, geometrical building, bound by its uniform black concrete facades. The ambiguous shape generates curiosity from passersby, and intentionally sticks out amongst manicured Dosan Park surrounds in Seoul’s upmarket Gangnam district.

Interiors also feature a blacked-out, monochromatic colour scheme. Felt Coffee is housed within a narrow strip beneath the pitched roof structure. A skylight traces the top edge, allowing a sliver of natural light to illuminate the café below. The coffee shop faces a central open courtyard, at the centre of which a singular potted tree is suspended above a pit of volcanic rocks.

Courtyard facing windows allow for a little more light, however the entirely matte black interiors give a predominantly sultry vibe. Although perhaps not what you’d choose for your go-to friendly neighbourhood coffee spot, the overall impact is undeniably intriguing.”

—yellowtrace.com.au
(Click to read the full article & for more photos)

 

FELT Coffee Dosan • 펠트커피 도산공원점

Address: 서울 강남구 언주로164길 23
Telephone: 070-7756-3145
Hours: Everyday 11:00 - 21:00

Instagram: @felt_seoul

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Green Mile Coffee Bukchon • 그린마일커피 북촌점

Green Mile Coffee Bukchon (그린마일커피 북촌점) is a charming small coffee shop located near Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을). The company, Green Mile Coffee (그린마일커피), which started in 2009 believe that good coffee starts with a selection of good ingredients and it is based on that belief that the company was built upon.

There are two floors in this cafe. The first floor is where you place your order and where the coffee bar/kitchen is. Seeing the shelf on the wall containing small wooden rectangles reminded me of an old hotel concierge cabinet. I wasn’t sure what they were at first but after I placed my order, the barista pulled the leather holder of one of the wooden rectangle and handed it over to me along with my receipt. Turns out, there are numbers engraved on each of the wooden panels which served as your order number. Pretty cool concept.

Since there’s only a single bench available on the first floor, I headed up to the second floor to find a seat. The interior of the cafe seems to be Japanese style influenced. Covered in wooden surface, the placement of the furnitures give a sense of calmness and spaciousness, despite of the fact that the space is not too big to begin with. There are also windows that allow enough natural lighting to come through which I think contribute to that spacious feeling. I’m not sure if it’s because it was a weekday or it’s just how it usually is, but the cafe was pretty quiet. The type of place where people speaks in low volume or in hushed whispers (there were three other couples there and that’s exactly what they did).

When I was there, the rooftop access was closed. But since my visit, I’ve seen photos on their Instagram where people went up to sit on the rooftop area. It makes a pretty photo spot too since you can get the view of the traditional rooftops from the surrounding area as your background. If you’re visiting Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) and looking for a cafe to stop by, this place is worth a visit.

Here’s a video of the place:

Note: These photos and video were taken before the pandemic.

 

Green Mile Coffee Bukchon • 그린마일커피 북촌점

Address: 서울 종로구 북촌로 64 1층
Telephone: 가회동 11-49 2층
Hours: Weekdays 08:00-19:00 | Weekends 10:00-19:00

Instagram: @green_mile_coffee

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Coffee And Cigarettes • 커피앤시가렛

Located on top of the 17th floor of the old Yuwon building (유원빌딩), Coffee And Cigarettes (커피앤시가렛) offers a resting place to those who need a break from their day. Originally started as a project for ‘Instant Vacation Club’, the space was transformed into a cafe that sells coffee, desserts and tobacco. It was officially opened to the public as Coffee And Cigarettes (커피앤시가렛) on November 5, 2018. The spacious cafe also offers a great city view along with the view of the foot of Bukhan Mountain (북한산), Inwang Mountain (인왕산), and Dobong Mountain (도봉산) all at once through the big windows they that have installed on one side of the wall.

Honestly, the first thing that popped into my mind the first time I found out about this place was ‘Do they actually let people smoke inside the cafe?’ because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a cafe that has the word ‘cigarettes’ in their name and I don’t think I’ve ever stumbled upon a smoking cafe either in Seoul. But regardless, the name itself and the photos I saw online were enough reasons for me to decide to check the place out.

The journey of getting to the cafe was an experience in itself. From arriving at City Hall station (which I don’t necessarily associate with hip cafe area), entering the old building that looks like an office, riding up the elevator (at this point I felt like I should have an employee ID of some sort hanging on a lanyard around my neck) and finally stepped on the 17th floor greeted by the view of the cafe through the glass door, the whole thing was a little unusual to me. Almost felt like I was suppose to go to the office but decided to play hooky and hang out at a cafe instead. It was interesting.

For a Tuesday, the cafe was pretty busy when I got there. Not to the point where you have to wait for a table kind of busy, but there were lots of people considering it was a weekday. The patrons themselves varied from younger crowd who were there to solely visit the cafe, to older office workers who seemed like they work around the area and were on their coffee break. Most people were keeping an eye on the tables next to the windows, ready to move over the moment the current occupants decided to leave. I can’t blame them though. The view outside the windows was refreshing. It’s rare to find a cafe in Seoul located on higher floors that offers a view of the city and the mountains all at the same time. I wished I could sit on one of those tables as well and just stare at the view. But honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood to compete with other people who has the same idea as me. So instead, I settled for an empty table near the entrance and ended up watching people playing some sort of musical chairs with those window side seatings while enjoying my milk tea. It was pretty entertaining.

And to answer my earlier question, no, this is not a smoking cafe. They sell cigarettes, tobacco and lighters but they don’t actually let you smoke inside. Last time I checked, if you want to smoke, you have to go to the rooftop to do that. I haven’t been to their rooftop before. Maybe on my next visit.

Here’s a video of the place:

Note: These photos and video were taken before the pandemic.

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UPDATE:

In April 2020, a photomatic booth was installed at the cafe available for customers to use.

In November 2020, Coffee And Cigarettes announced on their Instagram that they have decided to renovate and expand their space. The new space was revealed in December 2020.

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Coffee And Cigarettes • 커피앤시가렛

Address: 서울 중구 서소문로 116 유원빌딩17층 1706호
Telephone: 02-777-7557
Hours: Monday - Friday 08:30-21:00 | Saturday & Holiday 11:00-21:00 | Closed on Sundays

Instagram: @coffeeandcigarettes1706

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Coffee Hospital • 커피호스피탈

Housed in a structure that used to be a pediatric clinic, Coffee Hospital (커피호스피탈) adopted the history of the building and made a cafe with that same exact concept. The old building was originally built in 1982 and served as a local clinic for residents of Mangwondong (망원동) for over 40 years before it was remodeled to preserve the space.

The first time I passed by this place, it was three weeks after its grand opening in June 2019. Honestly, I was a little confused on what the place exactly is. There’s a glass window showing a coffee bar inside but the exterior of the building didn’t exactly screamed coffee shop vibes, especially with the large signage with the words ‘Pediatric Clinic’ hanging on the side of the structure. I remembered thinking maybe this is a new cafe corner for a hospital, especially with the large banner they have hanging on the building with the words ‘FREE OPEN 2019.06.01’ on it. But it seemed weird to have a cafe as an entrance to a hospital, you know. A quick search online on the words ‘Coffee Hospital’ I saw placed above the entrance door cleared up my confusion immediately. This place is indeed a cafe and I decided to check it out.

By now, there isn’t a shortage of cool hip cafes in Mangwondong (망원동) area and it seems like Coffee Hospital (커피호스피탈) is another addition to that crowd. Following their cafe’s name, they carry the hospital concept through out their space and branding design. There’s a cold sterile feeling but mixed with warmth that I felt the moment I stepped inside the cafe. Maybe it’s because of the combination of the cold steel grey coffee bar and the warm cream yellow lights and brick wall that occupy the majority of the space. The feeling intensified when I looked at the design details around the counter. From their menus, shopping bags, to candies and jellies inside vitamin bottles, everything reminded me of prescription labels, doctor visits and essentially hospitals (but without the dread of finding out what’s wrong with your body, obviously). It was interesting.

After I placed my order, I made my way to the second floor of the building via the backyard that has been transformed to an outdoor seating area. Climbing up the narrow stairs, I was expecting to see something similar to what I encountered minutes earlier, but the second floor has a completely different vibe than the coffee bar area. This part of the cafe felt almost like a vintage waiting room to a doctor’s home office. Gone was the sterile feeling, taken over by the warmth radiated within the space. It felt like stepping into a living room to a vintage house. The original old wooden wall panels contrasted with the newer vintage furnitures placed around the area give the place its own charm and definitely feels more inviting. Since the second floor is pretty spacious, there are other rooms as well that were more bare bones, giving off the opposite ambiance and more similar to what I experienced in the coffee bar area earlier.

Since its opening, Coffee Hospital has now evolved to a cultural space where you can enjoy good coffee, tea and dessert while enjoying different exhibitions, events, and performances.

 

Coffee Hospital • 커피호스피탈

Address: 서울 마포구 포은로 93
Telephone: 02-323-5500
Hours: Weekdays 14:00 - 21:00 | Weekends 10:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @coffee_hospital_404

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