Yonsei University
Yonsei University is one of South Korea's most prestigious universities. I had the opportunity to study abroad here during the winter of 2021 and it is where I spent a good chunk of my time.
South Korea's Coffee Rankings
Here's a table listing all of the coffee that I tried in South Korea (in order of when I visited).
| Brand/Cafe | Order | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cantata | Canned Americano (₩1200) | 2.5/5 | Surprisingly good for a canned coffee. Avaliable at all convenience stores and grocery stores because it's made by Lotte. |
| Popable Cafe | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩5000) | 3.5/5 | They're a cafe that does collaborations with animated shows, so if you're into that, this is the place to go. |
| Banh Mi 362 | Condensed Milk Coffee (₩3500) | 4/5 | Tastes just like the authentic Vietnamese coffee that I get back in the States. |
| Lotteria | Iced Caffe Latte (₩2000) | 1.5/5 | Not much to say, typical fast food coffee. |
| Cafe Artisee | Hot Vanilla Latte (₩5900) | 3.5/5 | Cute latte art. |
| Churro 101 | Hot Green Tea Latte (₩5400) | 2.5/5 | The churro was better than the coffee. |
| Ediya Coffee | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩5900) | 3/5 | Standard. A chain coffee company equivalent to Starbucks |
| Oh Bagel (오베이글) | Iced Americano (₩2000) | 2.5/5 | The coffee was alright, but this place had the best service of all cafes that I visited. |
| Maxim | TOP Black Canned Americano (₩1100) | 1/5 | Get Lotte's Cantata brand if you want a canned coffee. |
| Hong Kong Da Bang (홍콩다방) | Lemon Iced Tea (₩3500) | 3/5 | This specific location is owned by a Hong Kong native and cute dog. |
| A Twosome Place | Hot Vanilla Latte (₩5100) | 2.5/5 | If Ediya is Starbucks, then A Twosome Place is Peet's. |
| Banh Mi Phoung (반미프엉 연남동) | Iced Lemon Tea (₩4500) | 3.5/5 | The only international expansion of Vietnam's popular Banh Mi Phoung restaurant. I wish I could have tried their coffee but they were sold out because of COVID shipping issues. |
| Gong Cha | Oolong Milk Tea (₩6000) | 3/5 | I was craving boba but unfortunately boba isn't popular in South Korea. Gong Cha and Tiger Sugar are the only boba shop chains in Korea. |
| Cafe Onion Anguk | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩6000) | 4.5/5 | A must visit if travelling to Seoul, a cafe designed to replicate a traditional Korean house. My second favorite Korean cafe overall. |
| McDonalds | Iced Americano (₩3000) | 1/5 | No different from McDonalds at home. Try the Bacon Tomato Deluxe burger if you like Spicy Chili Sauce. |
| Ver's House | Hot Vanilla Latte (₩6600) | 5/5 | My overall favorite cafe in Korea. Perfect scores for taste, location, and interior design. |
| Travel Makers | Hot Americano (₩4000) | 2.5/5 | Emulates the American diner but very unclean, so maybe they're very good at recreating the American diner vibe. |
| Mammoth Express | Iced Green Tea Latte (₩2300) | 3/5 | Take-out only coffee chain of Korea. |
| Paris Baguette | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩4000) | 2.5/5 | Korean bakery chain. Tastes the same as back at home. |
| Starbucks (Seoul Art Wave Location) | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩6600) | 3/5 | There's no need to get Starbucks with so many independent cafes and chains in Korea, but you should at least visit this location for some seaside photos. |
| Anle Coffee | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩4900) | 3.5/5 | Probably can't go wrong with this place or any of the other cafes located inside the Coex Mall. |
| Coffee Smith | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩6900) | 2/5 | Popular Korean coffee chain, but slightly worse than the other Korean chains. |
| Holly's Coffee | Vanilla Delight (₩5400) | 2/5 | I'm running out of American counterparts to equate these cafes to, but I would say this palce is a slightly better Dunkin Donuts but without the donuts. |
| Banapresso | Hot Green Tea Latte (₩3500) | 3.5/5 | Their whole shtick is cheap oversized coffee, so if you want the best bang for your buck, come here. |
| Paik's Coffee | Condensed Milk Coffee (₩3500) | 4/5 | Good bang for you buck place like Bananaspresso, but in my opinion better tasting. |
| Dancing Cup | Iced Vanilla Bean Coffee (₩4500) | 2.5/5 | Not much to say, pretty standard. |
| Aden Boulangerie | Iced Green Tea Latte (₩3800) | 3.5/5 | A bakery with good bread, but even better coffee. |
| Delaffe | Bagged Cafe Latte (₩2100) | 2/5 | Extra ₩1000 cup of ice needs to be purchased separately. Good to experience once, but doesn't taste too good. |
| Tous les Jours | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩4900) | 3/5 | Another Korean bakery chain, similar taste to Paris Baguette, but better tasting bread. |
| Haneulmaru Cafe | Iced Vanilla Latte (₩3500) | 2/5 | Airport cafe for the trip home. |
Ver's Garden
Of all the cafes that I visited, Ver's Garden takes the number one spot. I ordered a slice of earl grey cake and vanilla latte. The food was good, but a little on the pricy side. However what set this cage apart from the others was the interior. The cafe was designed to look like a garden and they did a good job doing that. The owner's dog also roams around so that's a bonus!
N Seoul Tower
A good all in one visit while in Seoul. There's no shortage of things to do while visiting the Namsam Seoul Tower and Mountain. You can hike to the top yourself or take a cable car. At the top there are many photo opportunities with the city skyline, trees, and pagoda. The tower itself also has restaurants, an observation deck, and exhibition.
Starfield Library located inside Coex Mall
Located at the heart of a busy shopping mall is the Starfield Library. Despite the odd open layout plan for a library, the Starfield Library is indeed a Library. Visitors are allowed to take and read the books on the shelf freely. Many visitors also use the bookshelves as backdrop for photos.
Gwangalli Beach
Of the two places that I visited in Busan, this is the better one (no offesnse to Gamcheon Village but beaches are better than hikes). Anyways, Busan being a port town has no shortage of beaches. But from what I heard by locals, this is the least visited one despite having ocasional firework shows.
Insadong Street
My final recommendation for things to do in South Korea is to visit Insadong. This is a neighborhood in Seoul that contains a good mix of modern and traditional buildings and activities. This is also a good location to grab souvenirs, I bought a couple of Osulloc brand tea for sale.
