Depends on News Rabbit(A data center by Hanguk Kyungjae 한국경제), the number of cafe in Seoul is 18,535 in June, 2020[NewsRabbit]. This is a striking number because TOTAL numer of coffee shops in the US is just around as twice as the figure which is 38,411[statista].
In comparison, one Seoul cafe serves every 510 people(the population of Seoul at the time is 9,450,768), while one cafe in the US serves every 8,578 people(the population of the US is 329,500,000 in 2022). We could say the competition of cafe business is about 17 times more intense in Seoul. Due to highly competitive market status, the quality of coffee in Korea(not only in Seoul) is progressing in a fast pase. Some cafe focus on variety of coffe bean taste which is called “specialty coffee” in Korea, while some other cafe suggest “desert” style unique coffee variations. I want to say, there are alot of good coffee shops in Seoul. A right way of finding your own best cafe is googling cafes with details - such as “best italian espresso in Seoul”, “best drip coffee in Seoul”, “ethiopian coffee in Seoul”.
Let me excuse myself about mentioning only few cafe saying “best cafe in Seoul” in order to write this article. This selection focused on “Espresso bar” I and a group of Korean coffee lovers are digging in recently(2022 ~ 2023). I promise to discover more best qulaity cafes and introduce them in a series of article.
Gute Leute 구테로이테
Their Unique Espresso Creations are Nowhere in the World
Have you heard of Coffee Omakase(a seasonal coffee course)?
They said “Gute Leute” means “good people” in German. I would say, they upgraded the notion of coffee from “drink” to “dessert”. Not only their regular coffees but also “seasonal coffee course” are catching coffee lovers’ eyes. Some coffee purist could say Gute Leute’s coffee creations went too far to be called coffee, yet once having a sip, they would realize the fact that another way of enjoying their favorite flavor can be pleasant also. Their ideas about coffee art could be beyond commonsense about "coffee" as a daily drink.
The seasonal coffee course I tried is composed of 5 variations(Now they serve “winter” season course). A picture would tell more than thousand words. If you need more information, check out instagram pages.
AUTUM SEASON COFFEE COURSE(omakase)
- Harvest Bubble Espresso
- Autum Con Pana
- Berry Grand Champain
- Ginger Brewed Ale (non-alcohol coffee)
- Ensemble Coffee & Tea
Location
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JJ2dNpSzmeCrJGnN7?g_st=ic
Gute Leute · 16 Seolleung-ro 131-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
★★★★★ · Cafe
maps.google.com
Frolla 프롤라
An Italian barista is here to show what is real Espresso
Delicately balanced flavorful espresso variations
Good looking coffee is not always delicious. However, this guy's coffee caught both rabbits(Korean idiom) in Italian way. If there is "recipe" even in coffee, I would say they have perfectly tuned coffee recipes by using cream, cacao, nuts, fresh espresso and so on. I got 4 coffee including straight espresso shot in this bar, then, all of them were flawless. Straight espresso never be bitter, instead, intense keeping bean's freshness.
Also Panna Fredda which comes with house-made cream and cacao powder showed that coffee cream is not just smoother but a "flavor" to join. The decent amount of sweetness of cream will come into your mouth parallerly with intense espresso.
In another side, Espresso Tiramisu says Mascarpone cheese cream also can go with espresso! Sweetness of Lady finger cookie carries those two ends(cheese cream and espresso) in one bite. The bite is enought to send you to coffee heaven. More information is unnecessary. Each of their coffee option has characeristics. You can go and grap what you feel like. If you need more information, check out instagram pages.
Location
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PE4sWH7muvnrp6v76?g_st=ic
Frolla Seoul · Seoul, Seongdong-gu, Seongsu-dong 2(i)-ga, 번지 1층 272-35
★★★★★ · Cafe
maps.google.com
Byronic Espresso Bar
바이러닉 에스프레소 바
Nuts, Oats, Coconuts plus ESPRESSO!
How does OAT MILK work better than normal milk in coffee?
Nuttier than milk! Oat milk seems to open a new horizon in coffee industry. Here is a espresso bar riding on the edge of the new trend! The Yeoui branch of Byronic Espresso Bar suggests signature latte named "Yeoui latte". Instead of putting heavy cream on top of coffee, they put "espresso cream" on top of oat milk. Initial sip goes with cookie crumbles which add moderate sweetness and crunch texture on top of that.
Not only well-use of a new ingredient, their creativity also shines through. Another espresso creature catching your eyes would be the one named "Stimpack" - motivated from the healing potion in Star Wars. Can't imaging how many times have they experimented to find "golden ratio" among coconut cream, espresso and lime syrup. This sexy-looking green short glass might be developed to energize visitors who have to go back to their battle field(work) after lunch time.
Haven been to other branches yet. I wonder what other signature coffee are loaded in other locations waiting for our visits. If you need more information, check out instagram pages.
Location
https://goo.gl/maps/ZiL9AXT9YGJgeoc96
바이러닉 에스프레소바 여의도점 · 서울특별시 영등포구 의사당대로 38
★★★★☆ · 에스프레소 바
www.google.com
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