Parole & Langue — Local services in Seoul

Parole & Langue – Seoul

Our last day in Seoul, we visited a highly recommended dessert spot. Despite the many options, we decided to give Parole & Langue a shot. We arrived on 1/30 around 2:30 pm and put our name down on the tablet outside. We were told to wait, and after about 30 minutes, we were finally called. The wait wasn’t ideal—especially considering it was a cold day and we had our two kids with us. It would’ve made a world of difference if the staff made an effort to offer something simple like warm water or suggested we wait inside. It’s ironic, given how popular they are, that they don’t seem to care for customer comfort in the slightest. A small gesture could’ve made the experience far more pleasant. For a great example, look at London Bagels in Seoul, where they offer tea and hand warmers to waiting guests.

Once inside, things didn’t improve much. We were asked to split up into two tables, even though I noticed a table for four that could’ve easily fit us—two adults and two young kids. The clerk rudely declined my request, citing comfort for others. If a table has four chairs, why is it not meant to seat four people? We were eventually seated at a smaller table meant for four, but it only had three chairs. Again, the clerk dismissed me when I pointed this out and told me to wait. At this point, I was too cold to argue.

Finally, we ordered the strawberry and corn desserts along with two hot americanos. The desserts arrived quickly. The strawberry dessert had lovely, minimalist presentation, and the cream was decent, but the shell was just okay—not quite as impressive as the hype suggested. The corn dessert was visually interesting with a corn sheet on top and flavors reminiscent of sweet and salty kettle popcorn. Both desserts were fine, but nothing special.

The americanos, on the other hand, were well-made—hot, robust, and served in a tall matte white ceramic mug with a nice layer of crema, made on a shiny La Marzocco machine.

The ambiance is small and minimalist, which is typical of many Seoul cafes. The decor is clean, with soft background music. The bathrooms were simple but clean, though the women’s bathroom had a more visually appealing design.

Overall, the food and coffee were good but certainly not worth the wait or the discomfort. The service left much to be desired. Staff were distant and a bit cold, with one particular clerk—an older lady in a pink collared shirt and white mask—being downright rude. As a restaurateur, I know that food and beverage quality is only half the battle. The other half is service. In this case, the service was disappointing and didn’t live up to the reputation of the brand.

I get that Parole & Langue is popular, but it’s important to remember that good service is just as vital as good food. If customers aren’t treated well, the best product in the world won’t make a difference. I hope the team takes this review seriously and works on improving their hospitality standards.

In my honest opinion, Parole & Langue is not worth the wait or the frostbite. It may be popular, but it doesn't live up...

Parole & Langue (파롤앤랑그) is a dessert cafe that’s famous for their delicious tarts. The place also has been really popular among the locals as well as tourists, evident by the crowd that’s always present in front of the cafe and the frequent sold out sign that they put out every time I passed by this place.

This cafe has been on my cafes-to-try list since I first found out about it and I finally went for a visit with a friend on a Friday afternoon. There was a line of people waiting when I got there so I immediately input my name and number into the tablet in front of the cafe to join the virtual waiting list. The reservation system is actually pretty user and tourist friendly since it has the language options available (Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese). The wait was about 20 mins so it wasn’t that bad (but maybe worth noting, I was also open to sitting outside so maybe that’s why we got a table pretty fast).

We got seated at one of the table outside and placed our orders inside. This cafe has the ‘1-person-1-drink’ rule so if you’re ordering their tarts, make sure you also order drinks for every member of your party.

After I tasted their tarts, I totally understand why the place is really popular. The pie crust of their tart is really, really delicious. It’s flaky, light and buttery all at the same time. Easily one of the best pie crust I’ve ever had. And the flavors of their tarts are not overly sweet, which is always preferable for me. A little bit of tip from me: you gotta get all the layers of the tart in one bite to get the full flavor of each tart. I think eating it that way will give you a more complete and balanced flavor of the tart (at least it did for me).

I tried 6 different flavors of their tarts and they were mostly good but here are the two of my personal favorites:

Yuja Shine Muscat (유자샤인머스캣 ) • 10/10

The Yuja Shine Muscat is the BOMB. This one is absolutely my favorite out of all the tarts that I’ve tried. The Shine Muscat is sweet and fresh. And the combination of all the layers of this tarts just works wonderfully together. It’s sweet with a hint of fresh sourness from the green grape jam and the Yuja Citron preserve. And the almond cream adds a bit of nuttiness to the overall flavor. It’s so good, I ended up ordering this again and again on my subsequent visits.

Persimmon (홍시) • 9/10

Another one of my favorite is the Persimmon. The overall taste that I got is sweet, creamy and nutty. The iced persimmon also gave an interesting temperature contrast that’s really refreshing. I think this was actually the first time I had an iced persimmon on a dessert too so it was a nice new experience for me. (Note: Since they use iced ripe persimmon on top, you can’t do take away for this tart.)

If you’re looking for some delicious tarts, I would definitely recommend you to...

We arrived at the shop around 8:40 PM, and perhaps because they were about to close, the staff’s attitude was extremely unpleasant. The first thing we were told was that dine-in was not allowed, only takeout—which we totally understood—but the tone could have been more polite. Instead of a friendly explanation, we got a cold, dismissive response.

Right after that, she asked, “Are you ready to order?” We said we hadn’t decided yet, and without another word, she just turned around and started washing dishes, with zero effort to introduce the menu or make us feel welcome.

At the time, there were only four flavors available, so the selection was quite limited. We ended up choosing two flavors and took them back to our hotel.

1. Frozen Persimmon Flavor

This cake had a refreshing, sorbet-like texture, bringing out the natural sweetness of frozen persimmon. The combination of dried persimmon and walnuts added a nice chewiness and nutty aroma, creating a layered and enjoyable dessert experience.

2. Banana Chocolate Flavor

Banana and chocolate have always been a perfect match for me. The crispy outer layer, rich cream filling, and intense chocolate-banana combo made every bite absolutely satisfying.

Overall, while the desserts were decent, the customer service was disappointing. A little more warmth and hospitality from the staff would have made a...