Sunday, February 14

Hongdae Guide

If you are just visiting the layout of Seoul can be a bit confusing. 
Head in one direction and you end up on a street with nothing but cafes, another direction only clothes, all while the alleyways twist and turn with sprinklings of tiny shops.

Hongdae is known for it's clubbing scene and lots of all-you-can-eat/drink restaurants. If you can't tell, Jay and I aren't exactly the clubbing type so we wanted to share a few of the great places we like between Hongik University station and Sangsu station.

Coffee:
1. CoffeeLab - great espresso based drinks
2. Zombie Coffee - best for pour overs and lattes
3. 5 Extracts - great pour overs and specialty drinks

Eats:
4. Molly's Pops - ice cream based popsicle, try the milk tea or makgeolli
5. 신선설농탕서교점 Seolleongtang - a chain restaurant that serves oxbone soup and great kimchi 
6. Paul & Paulina - french style pastries and bread
7. 옥상달빛 Rooftop Chicken - delicious garlic fried chicken, one order is enough for 2
8. The Beastro - new american bistro, a little pricey but worth it
9. Fell & Cole - ice cream shop with inventive flavors

Select Shops:
10. Style Nanda - for 3CE cosmetics, fun colors and nice finishes
11. 호미화방 - a fantastic art store that carries almost anything you'd need
12. Åland - international and local designers, this location has 6 floors
13. Gentle Monster - high end eyewear, store space changes monthly with a new art concept
14. Object - great for gifts: jewelry, cards, phones cases, magazines, homewares

Fun:
15. Mustoy - draw on a ceramic toy of your choosing, comes with a drink and no time limit
16. Vault - escape room, dine in the dark, and drinks

In addition to the places listed there are also streets packed with shopping (as highlighted in the map in pink). Often these filled with single shops and a few chains. I'd recommend looking around at a few of them before you make your purchase because they often carry the same items at varying prices.