Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jdog2050]

Anyone else feel like there's officially too many cafe's in Seoul? When I first got here 4 years ago, Starbuck's was really the only decent choice in most Neighborhoods. Now everyone has at least one place that can make a decent french press cup.

That's a good thing.

The bad thing is that there's too many places opening up right next door to each other. One example is in Haebongcheon. There's Latte King, which is a nice little option when you're coming down that hill in the morning. However, there is now a new place literally 100 feet from Latte King that has blatantly ripped off their "mostly wood" interior.

I don't care that there are a lot of new cafes necessarily, it's just that most of them have zero character.

[VanIslander]

[jdog2050]

[Bloopity Bloop]

Well if you're suggesting there are too many. Do you think that whatever would replace them would be any better?

At this point in time, I'm a bit indifferent to all these cafes. If I want a coffee, though, I'm pretty sure I can get it fast almost anywhere I am in Seoul.

If someone were to tell me that cafes would be replaced with actual quality establishments like a Japanese 7-11 or an actually decent bakery with REAL bread instead of red bean covers or restaurants that served a larger variety of food, then hell yeah these cafes better get the hell out.

Until then, I'm fine with them. I use them when I need to.

[jiberish]

Cafes are a safe invesment. Koreans love to talk + Koreans love coffee = Money.

It is just a social norm now. Because there isn't much else to do.

[The Gipkik]

Still looking for a truly good cup of cappa in Seoul, so until that day happens, I'll say there aren't enough cafes in town. If anyone knows coffee and can recommend a place among the myriad copycat joints serving insipid or generic coffee, I'd love to hear from ya.

[DorkothyParker]

The market will sort itself out. Just find the one or two you feel at home in and pray they aren't the ones out of business in three months.

[SL8R]

The last time I was in Seoul there was a coffee bar/hole in the wall (only three tables and a couple of stools) in a street behind where Pagoda is in Kangnam. The guy who owned it had gone to university in Melbourne and worked as a waiter then as a barista whilst studying. He could seriously pull the most perfect espresso, and froth the best milk for a flat white I'd seen anywhere in Seoul. This place opened up just after that Korean drama 'coffee prince' (or something like that) had aired. Don't know if it still there but I'm heading back to Korea in three weeks for a holiday to see the in-laws and I'll definitely go for a wander and see if it is still open.

[The Gipkik]

[itaewonguy]

I remember 1999 you couldnt even get an expresso in this country..
and like everything korean.. PALLI PALLI!!! so now we have a francise on every corner, and a couple more in between.. koreans just love to kill each other in business.. its funny... wont be long before this country is just one francise! personally I dont like it.. this country is all about francises.. no original shops.. and if there are some.. well they wont be around for long..

[tiger fancini]

They're all too expensive. 300won vending machine melamine-with-a-hint-of-coffee is best. And it's 24hour too.

[kiknkorea]

I don't know that there's too many cafe's in Seoul, but I'd rather have them over the cell phone shops that would probably replace a lot of them.

[Old Gil]

If there were no cafes in Seoul, where would all the self portrait cell-camera shots get taken?

[cdninkorea]

[nosmallplans]

See, even if there are too many cafes there still aren't enough good cafes.