Seoul Roastery 1946 — Restaurant in Devonport-Takapuna

Was shown this café by my sister and was initially excited to try this place as I love the interior design and atmosphere. I also do like how the place is open late. Front of house was lovely, they checked in on us, every now and again, and happily let us know we could order either up front or sitting down. That is why Service and Atmosphere are 5 stars, and really tips the scale to the overall 3. If I weren’t being fair, it would be an overall 2 stars just based solely on the food.

Speaking of - the food and drinks. Presented beautifully, you can tell they have skilled baristas and hospo workers at this establishment - you can see that it makes for very aesthetically pleasing photos. But Christ was it a disappointment to consume. I ordered a hot matcha with alternative milk (i believe I ordered coconut, idr this was like 2 weeks ago, i’ve just neglected writing a review) and a slice of the bulgogi frittata from the cabinet.

Matcha (Hot) - Matcha was not the highest quality; it tasted more like green tea powder and looked like it had degraded over 6 months - less green, more yellow. From what I’ve seen, Seoul Roastery 1946 (and their 2 other sister cafés) prides themselves on their coffee so maybe that’s on me.

Dirty Troll (Hot) Earl grey syrup oat latte - I had a few sips of my sister’s drink and I wholeheartedly regretted ordering matcha after I tasted this. Even though I am an avid matcha drinker, this is the one time I should’ve opted for coffee and just taken the stronger caffeine hit.

Bulgogi Frittata - This was hell to get through. I don’t even remember if I finished it or not - I genuinely had to switch mindsets from enjoying-a-morning-catchup-with-my-sister to consuming-a-high-protein-breakfast. It was just calories to me. The egg was rubbery. I experienced no bulgogi flavour, in fact the only flavour I got was from the little pot of sauce - ketchup??? I was hoping to have ssamjang with it, or a bit more of Korean flavours. Sesame oil? Fish sauce? Oyster sauce? Where did the green onion flavour go? There was a couple of people next to us who had also been eating this - they were half way through eating it when we got there, and maybe half an hour later they had managed to finish it and I am inclined to believe they finished it out of financial necessity. The square of rubbery egg was $11 or $12. I really did my best to finish it fully knowing I had paid that much for it.

I don’t know what it’s called but the full pastry in my photo - I should’ve bought this instead of the frittata. It was sweeter than expected, but it was pleasant, it reminded me of Filipino pastries.

In total, I paid $23 for good vibes and bad food. Should I have stood up and said something? Yeah, probably. I don’t doubt they would’ve actually tried to help me make my experience more enjoyable, but I just didn’t try. That’s on me. I have been meaning to go again to see if it will change my mind but I don’t think that will end up happening anytime soon. I’ve experienced...

Was very excited to go check this place out since there was a huge hype on instagram about this place and you could tell straight away it is a vey popular place that everyone wants to check out at the moment. They had a great variety of cabinet food and they all looked amazing. When I posted this place on my insta, a lot of other people who’s already been and tried this place, expressed sense of disappointment about their pastry/ sweet dessert items. 1.The coffees were good, definitely above average but this level of coffee is easy to find around in Auckland. Cream puff, strawberry cream pastry and Matcha cream salted bread- I was not impressed nor a fan of their creamed items. The cream is very artificially buttery, leaves rather unpleasant taste in your mouth after trying them out. It was very clear to me that they didn’t use real dairy cream which is a shame because it really ruined my experience here. Mango Parfait- Half was chucked to the rubbish because after I ran out of mango sauce on the top, the rest was tasteless I feel like if it had another layer of mango sauce, then it would have been ok. But not that outstanding taste-wise. Chicken sandwich - it was very tasty loved the sauce snd egg roll inside but the green veges was wilted too much probably from the heat from when the food was hot but it didn’t feel fresh. If it was finely sliced cabbage it wouldn’t matter if it’s “cooked “ from the heat of hot food when displayed together. Basque cheesecake- it is definitely on runnier side, I bake this somtimes in my kitchen, if it came out like this lumpy and runny, then I would have told my family that this batch is a fail maybe too much liquid ingredient? If you expected classic dense and moist baked cheescake this one would have failed your expectation.

Parking is another problem, the staff of the cafe constantly went around asking whether you are the owner of the car parked in the photo(about three times in between 11-12:00 on Friday) If Woolworths does not mind which they seemed ok for this instance with me parking there, you can park across the street and walk over. Also expect to grab food or your drinks from lower tables which can feel like an exotic experience but somewhat...

Seoul 1946 is where Korean comfort food meets creative café vibes—think bulgogi tacos and tiramisu in a can. From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted with warm smiles and even warmer hospitality. The service is top-notch—staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to guide you through the menu (which is as extensive as it is enticing).

🍛 Mains That Made an Impression (Mostly):

We popped in around 1:30 PM and despite the late hour, the lunch rush was still going strong. Fortunately, service didn’t skip a beat—drinks and meals arrived quickly.

Curry Stack (3/5)- Generous portion, extra crispy chicken—but the flavor didn’t quite “stack” up. A little more seasoning could’ve taken this dish from mild to memorable.

Seoul Taco (4/5)- Bright, colorful, and beautifully plated—a real showstopper! The bulgogi was tasty but teetered on the salty side. A dollop more sour cream could’ve balanced it out perfectly.

Fried Dumplings (5/5)- These were a crunch above the rest! Golden, crisp, and stuffed with well-seasoned prawn—easily the highlight of our meal. A must-try!

🍰 Dessert Goals: Seoul 1946 doesn’t just serve sweets—they can them! Their tiramisu-in-a-can is both a crowd favorite and a conversation starter. We also devoured the passion fruit cheesecake—bright, balanced, and not overly sweet. (Sadly, no photos—my husband inhaled it faster than I could unlock my phone.)

Pastry lovers, take note: there’s always a fresh lineup of treats, though we’d love to see a few more cold drink options to wash it all down.

☕️ The Vibe Check: The aesthetic is sleek and stylish, but seating is a bit tight and the lighting could use a lift—it leans more moody than cozy. The biggest downside? Parking. The onsite spots are limited, so we ended up hoofing it from the Woolworths car park. Not a dealbreaker for us, but it might be for others.

🌟 Final Sip: We’ll definitely be back—especially since we haven’t even tried their actual specialty: the coffee! Seoul 1946 is worth a try and the minor parking...