Korean Job Discussion Forums

kalbi · Joined: 27 May 2003

What do you think about Korean coffee shops? A welcome private haven from an otherwise overcrowded Korea? An overpriced cup of green tea and the worse use of money? Nice musical entertainment or noisy and stressful?

I am really crious to know what others think of coffee shops. While they can be nice and cozy, I really find some of them too noisy and genereally too expensive.

Your thoughts? Your favorite coffee shops?

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

What do you mean by Korean coffee shops? Startbucks? Prowstar?

Or are you talking about dah-bbang?

funplanet · Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Location: The new Bucheon!

If you can ever get to Ilsan, try Codelly's Coffee...(across the street from the main library and near the cancer hospital)

They roast their own coffee (2 guys and a girl), it is quiet with light jazz in the background (some live jazz on weekends) and the guys are well versed in coffee...they have a lot to choose from...real coffee, reallllll cofffffeeee!

go try 'em out...worth the trip into Ilsan

kalbi · Joined: 27 May 2003

Not talking about chains like Starbucks. Just the average Korean coffee shops.. nice comfy chair, music, coffe, juice, cocktails, beer, maybe some light snacks sold there.

Rock · Joined: 25 Feb 2005

Korean coffee shops? I think a lot of them used to be, or still are, a little bit of a front for prostitution. Maybe this is extreme though. In my opinion, the 'generic places,' the ones that usually say 'Coffee and Beer,' or have a little sign of a coffee cup, are not my cup of tea.

But, here's the clencher. I've gone to some dynamite coffee shops(they're not actually called tabangs by the Koreans,) where you can really get a flavor of Korea's past. These are the unique Korean coffee shops. They're usually in a quiet setting and are odd shaped in design.

But inside they've got some of these earthen stoves, old ceramics and tools. The construction of the places are natural looking and constructed with all wood. The atmosphere is really peaceful and romantic and sometimes they'll play budhistic music.

I miss them. They've also got some pretty good food. But most of these places are in the country.

The Koreans don't seem to like them too much though. I like Korean coffee shops and hope to go to this one near my house.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Most Korean coffee shops I've been to have not been that impressive. Nice comfy sofas but then many are very smoky. Sometimes couples seem to make out on them without regard to other patrons (although I sometimes see this in the Itaewon Starbucks too). Get a room, or at least a DVD bang.

The coffee is pitiful. 5,000 won for a cup of instant hazelnut coffee. However, sometimes you get a nice slice of cake or something. And generally the 5,000 is meant to cover your right to sit and smoke all night on the sofa.

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

The old style coffee shops have terrible coffee but you pay for the privilege of sitting in a love seat with a date, or possibly a friend.

I'm very happy to see Starbucks and clones because you can finally get a decent cup of coffee, but they make me feel like a sucker every time for paying their bloated prices.

skookum · Joined: 11 Mar 2005

I don't care; I don't care - 'cause I don't drink coffee at all. Doesn't that make life easier?

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

mithridates · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:23 am Post subject:

Yay, another coffee shop thread! I go to those ones with the comfy sofas if I absolutely have to. There's a nice one in Sanbon though that has these things called Dolmas (Turkish for 'packed' full of stuff by the way, found that out a few months ago) that are pretty tasty. I like to people watch now and the places with sofas make me sleepy and feel like I might as well just stay home. In places like Starbucks the coffee's better, less temptation to fall asleep, and it's likely that I'll see somebody I know.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Anyone else seen some highly inappropriate "dude, get a room" behavior in a coffee shop?

My friend was in one coffee shop with her friends and some white guy was putting the serious moves on his Korean date. He was feeding her all these really cheesey lines like "oh baby your eyes are like the stars". After about the third line they couldn't take it anymore and started laughing their asses off. The guy got really huffy and picked up and moved his date to another sofa.