Midnight in Seoul • 미드나잇인서울
Supposedly known as Seoul’s first cereal cafe, I visited Midnight in Seoul (미드나잇인서울) last spring with my cousin when we were exploring Gangnam (강남) area. The cafe’s interior is definitely unique. When you step into the cafe, you’ll be greeted with different kinds of cereal on display against the pink walls surrounding the space. There’s also a sitting area inside a dark purple room decorated with pink and turquoise furnitures and a ‘sh*t happens’ neon on the wall. At this point, you’ll probably start to pull out your phone to take some snaps around this Instagrammable cafe (if you haven’t already).
Originally opened by actor/K-pop singer Yoon Kye-sang, photographer Kim Rin-yong and Hong Sung-hyeon, and stylist Lee Jin-kyu, the cafe has now changed ownership to the singer Jo Kwon from the popular K-pop group 2AM since last year. They also have expanded their cafe to a new section right next door so the space is now bigger than before. (The new area was still under construction when I was there but I believe it’s now has been completed looking from their Instagram updates.)
The main menu here is obviously a different range of cereals. You order based on whatever you feel like eating and build your own cereal bowl. First, you choose your base cereal, add a dairy product, and finish it of with toppings if you wish. They also serve drink menu on the side.
The concept of a cereal cafe is definitely unique. I mean, coming from a person who spend a lot of my time living/traveling alone, I do sometimes crave cereals but having to buy a whole box of cereal just to fulfill my one time craving is a bit much (and yes I know some brands do offer the one serving cup version, but the choices are very limited). So this type of place could come in handy at times when I crave for cereals.
But I have to say, the menu price here is a bit on the expensive side. One bowl of cereal ranges from ₩3,500 to ₩8,000 (without the additional dairy and topping fee), depending on which cereal you chose. But maybe that’s okay, since they are location in Gangnam after all. In any case, come here to get your cereal fix or maybe just to check the place out. Who knows, you might bumped into Jo Kwon or one of his friends ;)
Update:
On October 31, 2018 Midnight in Seoul announced in an Instagram post that they’ll be closing the cafe on November 1, 2018.
Midnight in Seoul • 미드나잇인서울
Address: 서울특별시 강남구 논현동 63-16
Telephone: 02-545-6321
Hours: 10:00 - 22:00
Website: Midnight in Seoul
Instagram: @midnightinseoul_official