Eating in Seoul: My Favorite Cafe
As a graduate student, I find that I need to always be constantly reading and writing. However, I am not someone who can study easily in a library – it’s a little too quiet and after a while, I start to freak out. I need a little bit of noise to keep me motivated, which is why I prefer to study at cafes all the time. Seeing that I was in Seoul to present at a conference, I needed to get on top of my studying too and took a few days to relax a little bit and read.
For the first half of my trip I stayed in Hongdae, which is a super cute neighborhood outside of Hongik University, an art and design university. There were so many cute shops and vendors open during the day and clubbing at night; I can definitely see why this is such a popular place for young people! My favorite part of Hongdae though are the cafes – each cafe is unique and has its own charms. I obviously did not get a chance to hang out at every single cafe, but I did have a favorite while I was staying in Hongdae!
This cafe is called Cafe Berlin! Pictured here is the counter. When I visited, the staff there did not speak English at all, but luckily I know enough Korean to order off the menu and to ask for the Wifi password! I spent an entire day here: about 8 hours just reading and writing my conference paper. I’m always surprised at how empty the cafes are here (especially since I feel like I have to fight for seating at the cafes in Berkeley), but then there’s so many cafes in this area and they’re all super large so that may be a reason why individual cafes seem empty. Cafes are also really expensive – expect to pay 5000+ won for a drink ($5 or more) – so I know that if I lived here, I wouldn’t be able to financially sustain going to a cafe every day!
I arrived right at the opening time at 10:00am and snagged a great seat – I have a view of the entire cafe! As a morning person, I had a hard time in Hongdae – most cafes and shops don’t open until 12:00pm except for the 24 hour ones, so I liked that Cafe Berlin opened bright and early (well…I guess by Seoul standards).
The decor is just so cute! I can’t get over how cute so many of the cafes are – it makes me want to design my own cafe as well!
Even the bathroom is uniquely decorated, although I’m not sure why someone would want to sit on a counter in the bathroom or what the bike is doing in the corner. I guess it just adds to the charm though!
I should start talking about the food though… There aren’t that many food options to choose from and I’m not sure why the “meal” section is the only one untranslated. For those who can’t read Korean, the options are honey toast, yuja (citrus) dressing sandwich, Croque Monsieur, and Berlin waffle. Food prices are a LOT better than drink prices (except for the waffles), which seems to be a common thing among a lot of the cafes. As someone who is used to only paying a few dollars for tea or coffee, a $7 coffee or $6 tea is a little scary!
Pictured here is the honey toast! This reminds me a little of the Taiwanese toast-type meals that I’ve had before. Drizzled generously with honey and chocolate sauce and topped with almonds, this was definitely a filling breakfast! The little bowl on top came with a handtowel. I’m not sure what possessed me to do this, but I thought it was a marshmallow and actually bit it…how embarrassing…I was lucky no one was at the cafe this early!
Later in the afternoon it started to really get hot – the air conditioner was on in the cafe, but it was on a very low setting so the heat still crept through. So I ordered a yogurt smoothie to cool down. It was definitely very interesting…I feel like yogurt products here have a very sour and tart taste that I’m not familiar with. I liked that the shake wasn’t super sweet but it was a lot thicker than I would have liked. It definitely cooled me down but it didn’t quench my thirst. It was also pricey at 7,000 won (a little less than $7), but I’m glad I tried it.
The food and drinks that I tried at Cafe Berlin were okay – nothing to really rave about, but the atmosphere was perfect for some hardcore studying. With my extremely expensive iced earl grey tea (6,000 won) and my books, I had an extremely productive day. This is a cafe that I would want to write my dissertation in, but sadly I would have to move to Hongdae to make that dream a reality! I wish there were more Berkeley cafes that were as cute as the cafes in Hongdae, but I’m definitely not complaining about the prices of coffee here! I would definitely recommend anyone to check out Cafe Berlin if they are in the Hongdae are – it’s gorgeous, spacious, and feels just artsy enough without being pretentious.
Hello there! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when viewing from my iphone4. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. Thank you!
1I’d have to examine with you here. Which is not one thing I usually do! I take pleasure in reading a post that may make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!
2I was just seeking this info for a while. After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, at last I got it in your website. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that do not rank this kind of informative sites in top of the list. Usually the top sites are full of garbage.
3I’m really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..
4There is noticeably a lot to identify about this. I suppose you made some good points in features also.
5Nice weblog right here! Also your web site a lot up fast! What host are you the use of? Can I get your affiliate link for your host? I want my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol
6Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results. If you know of any please share. Kudos!
7Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is great, let alone the content!
8I haven’t checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
9Hey are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
10Hello there, I discovered your blog via Google while looking for a related topic, your website got here up, it appears great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
11whoah this blog is excellent i love reading your articles. Keep up the good work! You know, many people are hunting around for this info, you could aid them greatly.
12Hello there I am so glad I found your weblog, I really found you by accident, while I was searching on Bing for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.
13I like the efforts you have put in this, regards for all the great blog posts.
14I just like the valuable info you supply to your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and test once more here frequently. I’m somewhat certain I will learn lots of new stuff proper here! Best of luck for the next!
15Some really select posts on this internet site, saved to fav.
16I think this is among the most vital information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But should remark on few general things, The site style is wonderful, the articles is really nice :D. Good job, cheers
17F*ckin’ awesome things here. I’m very glad to see your article. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward to contact you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
18You made some good points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found most people will agree with your site.
19I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this info So i’m happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to don’t forget this web site and give it a look on a constant basis.
20Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched all over the place and simply couldn’t come across. What a great web-site.
21Hiya, I am really glad I have found this info. Today bloggers publish just about gossips and internet and this is actually frustrating. A good website with exciting content, this is what I need. Thank you for keeping this web site, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
22Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept
23I like what you guys are up also. Such smart work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my web site 🙂
24Great post, I conceive blog owners should larn a lot from this web site its really user genial.
25Perfect piece of work you have done, this site is really cool with good info .
26I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thank you, I’ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your website?
27I’m really inspired together with your writing abilities and also with the structure to your blog. Is this a paid subject or did you customize it yourself? Anyway stay up the excellent high quality writing, it’s uncommon to peer a nice blog like this one these days..
28When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
29There are some fascinating time limits in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them middle to heart. There’s some validity however I will take maintain opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we would like extra! Added to FeedBurner as nicely
30Hello, you used to write excellent, but the last several posts have been kinda boringK I miss your tremendous writings. Past few posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
31Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your content seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the problem fixed soon. Cheers
32Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.
33I genuinely enjoy reading on this website , it holds fantastic content. “He who sees the truth, let him proclaim it, without asking who is for it or who is against it.” by Henry George.
34I beloved as much as you will obtain performed proper here. The cartoon is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish. however, you command get bought an shakiness over that you would like be handing over the following. in poor health no doubt come more until now again as precisely the same nearly very ceaselessly inside case you shield this increase.
35Good blog! I really love how it is simple on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I could be notified whenever a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!
36My brother recommended I might like this web site. He was totally right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
37Lovely blog! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your feeds also
38Magnificent goods from you, man. I have consider your stuff previous to and you’re simply extremely great. I actually like what you’ve obtained here, really like what you are saying and the best way during which you are saying it. You are making it enjoyable and you continue to care for to keep it sensible. I can not wait to learn far more from you. That is really a tremendous site.
39I am no longer positive the place you’re getting your information, but good topic. I must spend a while learning more or figuring out more. Thank you for fantastic information I used to be looking for this information for my mission.
40There is noticeably a bundle to know about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also.
41Thank you, I’ve just been searching for information approximately this topic for a long time and yours is the best I have came upon so far. However, what about the conclusion? Are you sure about the source?
42There is clearly a bunch to know about this. I assume you made some good points in features also.
43Deference to post author, some excellent entropy.
44Some really nice and useful info on this site, as well I conceive the layout has excellent features.
45I conceive this website holds some really good information for everyone. “He is able who thinks he is able.” by Buddha.
46This design is wicked! You obviously know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
47you’ve got an amazing weblog right here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my weblog?
48Thanks a lot for giving everyone remarkably wonderful possiblity to check tips from this blog. It really is so brilliant plus full of fun for me and my office colleagues to search your blog at the very least thrice in a week to study the new tips you have. And of course, I’m so actually amazed with your fabulous hints served by you. Certain 4 tips on this page are undeniably the most effective I’ve ever had.
49Appreciating the hard work you put into your website and in depth information you offer. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material. Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.
50