Itaewon and beyond: coffee, salad and art!
Itaewon is a very famous neighbourhood surrounded by several restaurants, cafes, shops and much more. In this blog, we’re going to take go for a lovely cultural walk that won’t keep you in the ‘Won but certainly will give you an experience of Yongsan and beyond.
Take the opportunity to explore the back and side streets of the bubbly neighbourhood that is famous for international food and stores. There is a vibrant Muslim community in Seoul with their local Masjid funded partially by Saudi Arabia and surrounded by a good number of Halal food stores and restaurants alongside an equally vibrant Jewish community that offers a local food store with weekly services.
Itaewon has long been a second home for the international LGBTQ community that neighbours as the home to the Korean LGBTQ community that also populates the nearby Jongno district but to be fair, Seoul is quite the queer city!
For more information on the LGBTQ community visit these website: Chingusai, Gay Seoul and do not worry the community is extremely welcoming.
Before the day gets underway, we want to suggest a lovely morning coffee at Hell Cafe. Enjoy the lovely atmosphere and a delicious treat!
Hell Cafe (Photos by Simon Williams-Im)
Explore the side streets as you walk towards the D Museum in Hanam Dong.
Photos around Itaewon by Simon Williams-Im.
By Simon Williams-Im
A quick tip – Itaewon and Hangangjin offer a fantastic mixture of coffee shops, restaurants, bars and clubs – be sure to take your time (and evening to explore!).
Champ Coffee is well worth a visit (be sure to get the cookie^^).
(Photos by Simon Williams-Im)
Location: 24 Noksapyeong-daero 26ga-gil, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
D Museum
Be sure to take the opportunity to explore ‘replace Hanam‘ home to a good number of facilities, one of which is the inspiring gallery ‘D Museum‘. Check out the latest exhibitions here.
Location: Check the website for the the addresses of each gallery.
Photos by Simon Williams-Im
Watco Cafe was a golden treat that used to gracy the city of Seoul. It is likely that COVID-19 managed to bring about the closing of this location. SeoultheJourney felt it was a good idea to highlight this location as it will make you, the reader, more aware of how stylish coffee shops are around Seoul. Take a look at our blog for more ideas –
Location: 왓코(watco) – cafe (Sinchon stn) 63, Seogang-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (this coffee shop is now closed) but we would like to suggest you check out cakes and treats or on the hill!
After a busy morning of exploring Hannam and a very likely handful of pitstops in bakeries, restaurants and shops – it is time to head over to Yongsan for a lovely salad at ‘What Salad’ and head around the beautiful AmorePacific building for a coffee or a tea (Osulloc would be our suggestion!) and the awesome AmorePacific art gallery!
APMA is a fantastic art gallery and one worth a visit!
Be sure to download their app here and check out their Instagram.
Boiling Pot (Yongsan) Another lost gem of the coffee world in Seoul is Boiling Pot. Fear not, Yongsan and Seoul have even more coffee shops to be discovered – take these pictures as inspiration!
Suggested budget friendly stay The Wandering Turtle – Guest House & Lounge only a short walk from Jongno Sam Ga Station, a great location to access three different subway routes, coffee shops, restaurants and much more.
Don’t forget to check out our blog on the famous Korean artist Go-Hui Dong which is a short walk or subway journey from this friendly guest house. As an alternative, we would suggest this lovely library for a moment of reflection and exploration – check the blog here.
Location: 61 Donhwamun-ro, Myo-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Photographs supplied by a reader of the blog Mireille Merza (Instagram @mireillemerza).
Let us know how your journey went!
You can find the original posting here