Cafés may have started as establishments to serve coffee. But soon enough, they evolved into places for social interaction. The modern café is about even more! It can be your workspace or a place for short romantic rendezvous. You can stay as long as you like as long as you have coffee! They’ve become a place to seek out just like you visit temples, churches, monuments, museums, and even restaurants and you can add them to your South Korea travel plans.
There are so many reasons why cafés have become popular amongst the younger generation. Nowhere quite represents a place like its cafés. South Korea has certainly made its place in the quirky café scene. You can find poop motifs to wedding gowns if you visit these quirky cafés in your South Korea travel.
You can also see our post about some of the cafés and restaurants that fashion lovers can appreciate.
Check out the most fascinating and strange themed cafés in South Korea that are awesome enough to visit in your Korea travel trip.
Get & Show Café (Lego Café), Hongdae
It’s a kid-friendly café that even adults will love! Whether you are traveling alone or with a group of friends, you can enjoy hot chocolate with a stack of Legos at this quirky café in Seoul. You can celebrate your childhood obsession without having to shell out the dough for buying a Lego set. At a nominal cost, you can rent your preferred models.
Where – 395-80 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu
Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20, Hongdae
Can you imagine a café that looks like a comic book? Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20 is a charming café that will definitely make every comic lover’s dream come true! From chairs to wall decors, everything in this café is designed to create a 2D optical illusion. It transports its visitors straight into a comic strip. Your Instagram followers will think that you’ve been photoshopped into a comic book. The café takes direct inspiration from the hit Korean show ‘W-Two Worlds,’ where the characters operate between the worlds of fantasy and reality.
The entire café is decked out in a black and white cartoon-style setting. And to match the décor, even the food and drinks are served in the same black-n-white manner with monochrome plates and mugs.
Where: 239-20 Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Cat Cafe, Myeongdong
Feline lovers in Seoul have opened many adorable cafés around the city. The Cat Café in Insadong is conveniently located. You will always find adorable, cute, and spoilt cats crawling around the space like they own it!
Where: 8-5 Myeongdong 8-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Ddo-Ong Café (Poop Café), Insadong
The fascination with excretion is beyond anyone’s comprehension. It is unfathomable why people would want to sip their coffee out of pot-shaped mugs and poop emoji straws. The place is like a massive manifestation of the poop emoji, and tourists simply can’t get enough of it!
In case you didn’t catch on, ‘ddong’ is the Korean word for poop. Everything, including the food selection and beverages, match this #2 theme. The menu selection is quite impressive, especially with food and drinks served in poop-themed cutlery.
Where: 67 Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu
Princess Diary, Seodaemun-gu
Did you ever imagine being a part of your favorite fairy tale? You can step back in time or make your rosy dreams come true by enjoying a dining experience in your favorite princess outfit. The Princess Diary in Seoul allows you to transcend into a fairytale world, leaving your regular boring life behind. There is an entry fee in this café that covers the rent for a ballgown, wedding dress, or a hanbok.
Where: 26, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Thanks Nature Café, Hongdae
If you thought there is going to be only one animal café on this list, you thought wrong. Different from Cat Café, Thanks Nature Café brings a different animal from the wild into your lounging space. You can experience hanging out with some barnyard animals without ever having to step on to a farm. You get the company of sheep as you enjoy your cup of coffee with a side of waffles. Two giant fluffy and very adorable sheep occupy the café all the time, giving you a unique outlook with your cup of joe!
Where: 10 Hongik-ro, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Dreamy Camera Café, Yangpyeong
It’s an hour away from Seoul, situated in the picturesque town of Yangpyeong. The Dreamy Camera Café is a beautiful eatery that is built to look exactly like a 1950s Rolleiflex Mini camera. It’s a family-run establishment that integrates passion for photography, coffee, and peace from city-life.
Where: 341-13, Jung-won-ri, Yongmun-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
Urban Space Café, Myeongdong
An Instagram influencer’s dream! The café finally gives you a place where you can jump into a ball pit without people frowning on you. Kids are always hogging the ball pits in playgrounds, never giving adults a chance. In this café, there is no need to compete with kids to get a turn. There are no kids allowed giving you a perfect escape into mindless child-like fun activity – like jumping in a ball pit!
Where: 5F, 23 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Zapangi Café, Mangwon
Roaming in the streets of Seoul, you will come across all sorts of sights. Lots of cute and quirky places all around the city to take advantage of. A bright pink vending machine is not exactly something that will go unnoticed by anyone. However, looking at it, you might not realize that it’s actually a secret door that opens up into a stylish café! Just like Harry Potter adventures, it’s not only a vending machine décor but a secret entrance to a café.
The inside is equally adorable, including the menu offerings. There is a list of beautifully decorated cakes and beverages that look like masterpieces. Café’s whimsical vibe is perfectly captured in vibrantly designed cakes. You even get cakes in little tin cans!
Where: 400-2 Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Do you have a favorite themed cafe anywhere in South Korea or the world? Share it with us!
