Anthracite Coffee Seogyo — Restaurant in Seoul

One of the best if not The best café I visited while in Seoul. Located maybe 20 mins from the ultra-buzzy Hongdae (walking at a very leisurely pace), this Anthracite is peaceful and quietly welcoming. I went at half past nine on a weekday, and with no crowd or queue to contend with, I admired the garden before heading upstairs to what I guess is the main area of the café, though there is ample seating on the ground floor as well, probably for more crowded days. Rather boldly, there was no music was playing, which I’d typically find maybe a bit strange for a café, but in this case it was nice. I could listen to my own music on my headphones without noise-cancelling and also hear a bit of the street outside, which was nicely semi-hidden by the garden.

I had the Butter Fat Trio coffee, a salt bread (which has cheese inside, just a tip for those who don’t do dairy) and lemon madeleine, all of which were very lovely, especially the coffee. The coffee was so lovely I couldn’t resist buying a small pack of beans to bring home. The atmosphere is perfect for a quiet, slow morning, either on your own, or with a loved one you can share wordless companionship with.

If you visit this outlet due to this review, I only ask you preserve the peaceful ambience and keep the photo-taking quick and minimal as I tried to

This cafe is heavy on aesthetic value, from its landscaping, interior design to the presentation of its coffee. There are multiple floors for you to choose from, where you’d find people quietly reading or working, amidst relative silence not often experienced in a Seoul cafe.

You are reminded to get a seat before ordering at the counter, and will be prompted to select from a range of beans. Pay there and then, and return to your seat to wait for your order to be served.

Our latte and vanilla bean latte appeared shortly, though not together. Which is fine, just an observation. The vanilla bean latte is available only as an iced option and its layers can be seen through the sides of the tall glass. You will be informed to stir it before drinking. The vanilla bean latte is sweeter than we expected, though some may like it for that very fact.

The latte (for which I selected the William Blake blend (?)) was presented with a dome of foam that threatened to spill beyond the rim but maintained itself well up to the point it was introduced to my lips. The flavour is.. OK. Which made me think again that this place is really more for its atmosphere and aesthetics.

There is a little slip of paper with Korean words, machine translated here for your reference:

To the people, Anthracite Seogyo branch is I want to share the beauty of a quiet space with coffee drinkers and book readers. Please make sure that all conversations are not heard on the table next to you in a...

The architecture of this place and the garden are stunning. The service experience has been somewhere between confusing and hostile for us.

We’re walking up to the counter to order our coffee and the employee says “Please get a seat before ordering”. The place is maybe 20% occupied and there’s no table service. But if it’s the culture here, sure, we’re finding ourselves a table and I come back to order for the two of us.

Me: Can I get the Basque Pistachio cake [on display]? Employee: Sorry, we’re out of that one. Me: Can I get the Matcha Latte without sugar? E: Sorry, we can’t do that. Me: Ok, I’ll get at Latte. Do you serve oat milk? E: No, only regular milk.

At this point I’m confused. What’s up with this place, since they do sell milk alternatives at other Anthracite locations in the city.

Me: Ok, normal milk it is. E: Please order one beverage per person. Me: You’re tellling me you don’t have the cake and you can’t make a non-sweet Matcha, but you’re still forcing us to order two drinks? E: Yes Me: Thanks, I think we’re leaving.

This policy and the hostile vibe of the employees felt really off. Coming from Berlin, I’m used to arrogant service, especially in third wave coffee places, but this was on...