Kaldi Coffee — Restaurant in Seoul

I have been living in Korea for 6 years and I can speak korean fluently. We saw this cozy coffee shop with my friend. We got surprised that they were selling Baklava and, kaymak with scone or with baklava which are very odd combinations. Anyway, we got curious a lot as we are both Turkish and the baklava was only 3000 which is very cheap for the size of it. But everything just looked little bit off. Like I mentioned before, kaymak had baklava and scone next to it, and 2/3 of baklava looked like cake instead baklava sheets. We patiently waited for like 5 minutes for the worker to talk to a foreigner who speaks English. Worker didn’t seem fluent in English but he seemed enthusiastic. Then after the customer left we approached the guy and asked him in KOREAN why the baklava looked like that, what was the bottom part of made of. We asked nicely and showed a lot of interest. He only said “are you Turkish?” We obv answered yes and he said it has nuts in it. But that didnt make sense cuz it just looked like a cake on the bottom baklava on top. So i asked again “what’s the bottom part?” He literally ignored my question and wandered around. So i waited for him to make eye contact cuz that was really awkward. I am talking to this guy in his own mother language, they sell our traditional food which is great for me, and he ignores me/ disrespects me. It always feels like koreans dont care about turkish people cuz we are not European/American/White but I never expected a coffee shop worker to treat me with so much disrespect. It felt very racist so we left the coffee shop right away.

UPDATE (after seeing owner’s response):

I have read the shop owner’s reply and feel the need to address some of the points they made, as they misrepresent both the situation and my intentions.

First, I want to clarify that my questions about the baklava were purely out of curiosity. As a Turkish customer, I was genuinely interested in the unique way it was presented, as it differed from the traditional preparation I am familiar with. I approached the worker politely in Korean, expressing interest in the dessert and asking what the bottom layer was made of. At no point did I use disrespectful language or demean the dessert.

The worker’s response, or lack thereof, made the interaction awkward. Despite my polite attempts to clarify, I was ignored, which felt dismissive and disrespectful. This was not a case of miscommunication or cultural misunderstanding, as I spoke in the worker’s native language. Furthermore, the owner’s claim that I made comments like “This is not baklava” or “This is weird” is simply false. These words were never spoken, and I find it troubling that they would accuse me of dishonesty rather than taking responsibility for how the situation was handled.

I also strongly disagree with the analogy the owner provided about asking someone about their clothing. My questions were solely about the menu item being sold, which is a reasonable inquiry for a paying customer. Comparing this to a personal insult about someone’s appearance is both unfair and inaccurate.

Finally, I find the tone of the reply to be unnecessarily defensive and accusatory. While I understand the challenges of customer service, the lack of accountability and the misrepresentation of my words only further highlights the issue I experienced. I hope the café can reflect on this situation and work towards fostering better communication with their customers...

Not only did I enjoy one of the best cups of “pour over” or hand drip coffee in almost three weeks in Korea but the staff were the kindest I’ve encountered yet in a coffee shop, even taking the time to try to help me master a couple of Korean phrases while serving up their delicious brew. (Ethiopian charcoal roasted Yergacheffe…highly recommended!) Their cold brew is excellent, too. Meanwhile, the ambience in this amply sized shop was just perfect for a relaxed gathering...

Today in my coffee exploration I came across Kaldi Coffee.

I ordered an Americano out of habit and language barrier panic, but I really should have tried the pour over/ hand drip coffee.

The server that helped me was super kind as I fumbled through my order in Korean. 😊

Love all the cute decorations. The music and atmosphere together were very peaceful. Great...