Quench Coffee • 퀜치커피

With my tendency of wandering off small alleyways in Seoul’s neighborhoods, there were a number of places that I stumbled upon by pure accident and Quench Coffee (퀜치커피) was one of them. The cafe is not particularly small or big, but the long wooden table in the middle of the room as well as the coffee bar seating area do make the place feel more open and wide. The atmosphere here felt nostalgic, especially with the wooden vintage furnitures that are decorating the space. I spent a couple of hours reading in this place accompanied by soft classical music playing in the background and a cup of warm matcha latte in front of me. It was a nice, quiet and peaceful afternoon.

Note: Photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Quench Coffee • 퀜치커피

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로12안길 9 1층
Telephone: 010-3859-6108
Hours: Everyday 12:00-22:00

Instagram: @quench_coffee_nulimlee

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Seogyo Rotary • 서교로터리 커피바

Seogyo Rotary Coffee Bar (서교로터리 커피바) is a small coffee bar in Seogyo-dong (서교동) area located close to Hapjeong (합정역) and Mangwon (망원역) station. The cafe itself is relatively small but the set up of the interior definitely reminded me of a bar, only this is a day time bar that serves non-alcoholic beverages. I actually found the place quite cozy and charming. Maybe the wooden interior combined with the marble and metal surfaces used around the space have something to do with it. A play between the modern and traditional elements, making it looks cool but inviting at the same time.

It was in the middle of peak summer when I visited the cafe so the cool breeze from the air con felt really nice against my skin when I walked in. I placed my order on the counter—original ice Seogyo Milk Tea—and opted to sit at one of the leather bar stools, hoping to see some action from behind the counter where the bartender was busy making drink orders. The place wasn’t very crowded, but there were a couple groups of people who were there so overlapping animated conversations eventually drowned the music playing in the background. I actually welcomed the distraction that day, having fun listening in to snippets of conversations that I have no way avoiding and the speakers didn’t seem to mind sharing in the public space.

Eventually, some of the patrons left and the place became quieter. I was left enjoying my milk tea while watching the barista move around and listening to the music that’s playing from the speaker. After two glasses of ice milk tea (yes, I ordered a second glass because it was that good and it was a hot summer day), I left with the feeling that this was probably going to be one of my favorite cafe visit (and I was right).

Here’s the video of the place:

Note: These photos & video were taken before the pandemic.

 

Seogyo Rotary • 서교로터리 커피바

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로18길 15
Telephone: 02-322-0969
Hours: Weekdays 10:00 - 18:00 | Closed on Weekends

Instagram: @seogyo_rotary_coffeebar

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