On the Seoul Train
Coffee Shops
We know Seoul is the coffee shop capital of the world* on every corner and each one with a personality. Our first Seoul coffee shop was Coffee Libre, with its brilliant wrestler theme. Then there was Hit Coffee, with its beautifully branded cups, and Conhas Coffee up a lot of steps near the Design Museum, playing 1920s music throughout. That wasn't even the only jazz-adjacent discovery of the trip; Cafe EoE served me a cinnamon cappuccino while gentle jazz drifted around us. Seoul still has the coffee game well and truly mastered.
One of the loveliest experiences of the whole trip was at Gwanjang Market on a Monday morning. Ilho Coffee operates takeout only, had a constant queue, is run by a barista champion, and had the most warm service. It's the kind of place that reminds you why you seek these things out.
Yes, I came across another Ralph Lauren café and yes, it was probably the priciest coffee of the trip. Still love it.
Seoul is also a city that has Dunkin' and that pleased me enormously. There's a Tim Hortons too, but the one evening we were in the right neighbourhood for a nightcap, it had already closed at 9. Dunkin' across the road it was - though "across the road" is generous when you're navigating wide Seoul intersections. The branch was staffed rather delightfully by older ladies, and the whole experience felt a little like popping round to your aunt's and being handed a sugary warm drink slightly too close to bedtime. I didn't mind at all.
Blue Bottle first visited in Singapore and revisited in Tokyo last year, was pleasant if uneventful. Although I did love that they write on the trays here so staff know who to deliver to. Ours translated, roughly, to 'Western Couple.' That obvious, were we?
After wandering the traditional houses of Bukchon Hanok Village in the Jongno district, we stopped at Oat Coffee, exactly what you want after all those beautiful, maze-like lanes. And Kossette, another one up some steps, came as a reward after the brilliant BBC Earth shop discovery (more on that shortly).
Art and Quirks
We braved the wind and cold (don’t let the beautiful blue sky we enjoyed every day) to see all 24 Walls of Art, an exercise in free public art that brought together 24 designers, including our very own Stella McCartney. From the sprawling red heart on the steps of the Design Museum to 'people creations' on benches to moving art installations in office block walkways, there is always something for the mind to focus on (other than our issues and challenges). This, together with the city's focus on nature, seating everywhere and late-opening bookshops that look like galleries, makes the country so accessible.
Food
This trip, our mission was more Korean food. On our first night, we took the simplest possible approach: we walked down our hotel stairs and into a local place for a very enjoyable pot rice dish. Mission accomplished immediately.
One of the genuine surprises was revisiting the office tower we'd found for food last time. It's worth the reminder: always look up at office buildings in Seoul. This time we ate at Dehou, a Chinese restaurant inside and the surprise within the surprise is that I'm not generally a huge fan of Chinese food, yet this place was a complete delight. The walkway out afterwards gave us beautiful moving art to stroll through, which felt like a rather extravagant bonus.
Bills, a firm favourite from Tokyo, turned up again inside the enormous Lotte shopping centre. Always lovely to see a familiar plate.
Agra was a wonderful memory from 2018, and although they'd moved, we tracked down a branch in a shopping centre. The food was still great, even iif served with slightly less fanfare than before.
When nothing more flavourful could be found for dinner one evening, a decent bowl of pasta at Pomodoro did the job perfectly well. Seoul's shopping centres really are self-contained worlds.
And then there was the meal of the trip: TanTan Noodles at Hyundai in Yeouido. So good that we went back the very next day.
Shops
Shopping in South Korea is as endless as it is in Tokyo. From the largest department store in Seoul, Hyundai in Yeouido, to the largest store in Busan, Shinsegae, which is less a department store and more an entire district that has simply decided to be under one roof.
First stop is always Muji, even more so since our local branch closed. I go with a list and come back with innovations. Walking into the first Muji of the trip on a Sunday morning, it very much felt like going to church.
Innisfree, once one of my favourite brands, has left me a little cold. We know from our previous visit to Seoul just how intense the shop assistants can be in skincare stores. What was comical in 2018 had become irritating. I tried several branches, timing my entries for the busier moments hoping to browse in peace, but they seemed to breed staff specifically for the purpose. One was always following me, and I was particularly irked by being steered repeatedly towards anti-ageing products. I am, for the record, very pro-ageing. I eventually bought some masks in Busan, but I won't be returning to this brand in Korea. I do hope I'll feel differently when I encounter it in Malaysia and I have such warm memories of first discovering it in Hong Kong, with wonderful service.
The best skincare experience of the trip was going direct to the source at Skin1004. The service was excellent, exactly as the reviews said and I bought a travel pack that we both tried once we reached Busan. I had fully intended to return and buy the full-sized products on our way back through Seoul, but my heart wasn't in covering the old ground. As it turned out, my favourite online beauty shop Beauty & Seoul had a sale on when I returned which meant I paid the same price from home. [Update: I’ve since discovered it has arrived in Boots and so it's already hitting the mainstream.]
It’s always great to see Body Shop and Lush abroad too.
The surprise discovery of the entire trip? BBC Earth Shops. Spotted entirely by chance down a side street in Hannam. That unmistakable BBC logo pulling me into an amazing array of Korean-inspired wares. I bought the bag I went in for, replacing my well-worn one, plus an uncharacteristic hoodie. I assumed I would wear it infrequently, having bought it partly for my pink-themed Board Away Day on Valentine's Day. It was pink wool, it had 'Earth' on it, and it supports sustainability. I have worn it constantly.
And Finally: Toilets
My memory from the last visit was that public toilets are never far away in Seoul and this held true. Not all were Japanese-style toilets - or as they say in Korea, bidet toilets - but virtually every subway station had facilities, as did every shopping centre, department store, and office block (which, given how many restaurants are tucked inside them, makes perfect sense). I didn't once have to plan a coffee shop stop around the facilities.
Seoul; still inspiring
January 2025
