Coffee Hanyakbang — Restaurant in Seoul

A rare perfect 5 stars.

From the onset of a suspicious alleyway entrance to the eventual reveal of a wondrous retro themed cafe. The entire experience worked cleverly to reward curious explorers with the satisfaction of discovering a hidden gem.

The cafe took us back in time with the olde-worlde furnishing and immaculate decor.

Service was warm, sincere, well trained and knowledgeable. During the preparation of the pour over coffee, the friendly barista chit chatted and curiosity enquired where we travelled from.

It doesn't stop there.

Just across the tiny alley, lies the "2nd half" of the café designed with old Victorian finishings complete with leather seats and yellow wall lamps. A bakery with intricate pastries and ever so tempting freshly baked bread.

To top it off, a tiny table with Go Chess was set right between the 2 shops.

An ancient Chinese chess game juxtaposed with an old Victorian-themed café, right smack in a barely walkable alley lost within urban Seoul.

If exploring hidden cafes is your thing. This is just too good...

This is the best coffee shop I've visited in Korea and it's placed inside a narrow alley. Say what you will, but for me it adds to the experience. Also, I'm not sure if it's one or two establishments. On one side of the alley there's the coffee part. On the other side is the bakery part. Both have seating, and you pay inside each of the shops. Doesn't really matter, because you can bring the goods across the alley.

The coffee is artisanal and you can observe beans being roasted in a traditional way. They also offer other beverages than coffee, and what I've had has been of very good quality.

The selection of pastries, cakes and cookies is quite good, and everything looks delicious. I've tried a variety, and everything was excellent.

If you're in the area, it's well worth the visit. I'd you're not in the area, it may be worth going anyway. Never seen anything...

Tucked away on a side street, finding Coffee Hanyakbang feels like discovering a secret. You step through the door and instantly leave modern Seoul behind. The air is thick with the scent of old wood and roasting beans, a smell that seems to have soaked into the walls over decades.

The place is a beautiful, cluttered maze of antique furniture—sturdy dark-wood tables, mismatched chairs, and shelves crammed with vintage tins and curios. It’s not a designed "concept" cafe; it feels genuinely old and lived-in, like your grandparents' attic if it served incredible coffee.

I ordered a hand-drip coffee, and it was served in delicate, old-world china. Sitting there, listening to the soft chatter and the quiet music, was pure tranquility. It’s the perfect spot to slow down, read a book, and feel like you’ve traveled back in...