8 cafés in 4 citys. Places change: check opening hours before you go.
Park I-choo, a Japan-born Korean who learned coffee in Japan, opened Bohemian in Seoul in 1988 and moved it to Gangneung in 2004. He is credited with popularising hand-drip coffee in Korea and seeding Gangneung's coffee street.
Order: Hand-drip house blend (dark roast)
💡 Combine with a walk on the beach and Anmok coffee street.
Founded in 1952 during the Korean War, it is considered Korea's oldest working coffeehouse and once sheltered local intellectuals. Nearly closed in 2013, it was saved by community support and named a Jeonju Future Heritage site in 2019.
Order: Ssanghwa-tang (herbal tonic with egg yolk) · Dabang coffee
💡 A short walk from Jeonju Hanok Village.
Opened in 1956 opposite the old Seoul National University campus, it was nicknamed 'the 25th classroom' by students and gave its name to the 1981 Hakrim pro-democracy case. It is Seoul's oldest working café and a Seoul Future Heritage site.
Order: Vienna coffee · Cream cheese cake
💡 Upstairs on the second floor; classical records play.
Momos is a specialty roaster founded in Busan in 2007. Its flagship store ranked No. 22 on The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026, the highest Korean entry.
Order: Espresso · Seasonal filter coffee
Former banker Kim Yong-deok started Terarosa here in 2002 as a roastery supplying hotels; visitors kept coming, so it became a café. The roastery sits inside the café, and the brand grew into a national specialty chain.
Order: Pour-over of the day · Bread from the bakery
💡 Weekends are crowded; it is a drive or taxi from Gangneung Station.
Anthracite's first café fills a long-disused shoe factory beside the Dangin-ri power station, kept dim and largely as it was. It led to later branches in Jeju, Hannam and Seogyo.
Order: Hand drip of the day
Founded in 2014 by a group of baristas, roasters and bakers including Kim Byung-gi, Fritz mixes retro Korean design with its seal mascot. The Dohwa shop in an old house pairs its roasts with fresh bread.
Order: Latte · Bread and pastries from the in-house bakery
Namusairo opened as a small café in 2002 and began roasting its own coffee in 2003. Since 2013 its Seoul café has been in a hanok in Naeja-dong, Jongno.
Order: Pour-over (Ethiopian lots)
💡 Opens 7am; beans on sale until 9pm.