Coffee Talk: My Favorite Local Coffee Shops

The first thing I do when we PCS is check out the local area, either on foot or via car, and find a coffee shop. I’ve mentioned before that cafe culture is huge in Korea and there is no shortage of coffee shops within walking distance of my apartment.

My coffee order is pretty basic, a vanilla iced latte no matter the time of year. I rarely stray from this but there are a few instances. I’ve been here long enough to have my rotation of favorites coffee shops and thought it was a good time to share them. I’ve listed them below in alphabetical order.

Boaz Mansion : This is a prime location for cherry blossom spotting in the spring as they’re right on the local Cherry Blossom street and have a rooftop deck that overlooks the road. I love their signature Buraksan Latte. Typical of Korean coffee shops, they don’t open until 10am. It’s accessible from a ton of Buraksan trails and it’s a great spot for a rest after hiking around Buraksan. Their hours are 10:00-21:00 and they are closed on Sundays. Instagram @boaz_mansion

[Naver Map] Boajeu Mansion

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Boaz Mansion coffee shop, Songtan, Pyeongtaek, South Korea

Coffee Story : one thing that can make or break a coffee shop in my opinion is the service. She is hands down one of the sweetest people I’ve met in coffee shops. Her iced vanilla latte is sweet and the creamiest around. She also makes my husbands favorite grapefruit ade in the area. It always smells so amazing in her shop from her baking. Her hours are 09:00-22:00 Monday through Saturday and 09:00-18:00 on Sunday. Instagram @hi_story94

[Naver Map] Story 94

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Counting Stars : One of the earliest opening coffee shops in the SED outside of Osan Air Base. Everyone raves about them! They are an adorably sweet couple and her cookies are so yummy. Honestly there’s not a bad flavor but salted dark chocolate is our family’s favorite. They are also one of the few coffee shops that have pumpkin spice lattes come fall. (Heyyyy basic bitches. 🎃) While their PSL is delish, their raspberry iced latte is my favorite. It tastes like a chocolate covered raspberry and I’m salivating wondering how soon they’ll release it. If you’re not a coffee fan, they also have my favorite iced green tea latte in the area and a variety of milk options - soy, coconut and almond. This is pretty rare to find in Korea. Their hours are 08:00-18:00 Monday through Friday and 11:00-18:00 on Saturday. They are closed on Sunday. Instagram @countingstarscoffeebakeshop

[Naver Map] Kaunting Star

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Magnet Coffee : I stumbled upon this shop last fall. I thought I had walked all over Songtan but one day I took a path across the mountain and came out right across from Magnet coffee and found a block of streets I hadn’t walked. Literally just one block. 😂 I love their outdoor seating area when the weather is nice and their magnut latte. It’s tiny, has roasted nuts on top, it’s iced and it’s delicious. Try it at least once, you won’t be disappointed. Again, if coffee isn’t your thing they have a variety of other beverages. This was the first place we tried a grapefruit ade (my husbands drink of choice) and they have a watermelon smoothie when it’s seasonally available that is tasty. Their hours are 08:00-19:00 Monday through Friday, 08:00-21:00 Saturday and Sunday. Instagram @magnet_coffee

[Naver Map] Magnet Coffee

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Mega Coffee : MegaCoffee is my favorite grab and go quick coffee shop. They have an outdoor kiosk that stays open unless the weather is terrible. It’s so easy to use! I will say that this is probably the only coffee shop that I come to where I don’t order coffee. I prefer their peach iced tea, strawberry lattes, jolly pong drinks, hot lemon tea and they have, in my opinion, one of the best macarons I’ve ever had. Their unicorn frappe macaron is utterly delicious. They now have at least 3 locations in different parts of Songtan including one right in the middle of the 4/9 market. While location hours may vary, they typically open at 08:00 Monday through Friday and 09:00 on Saturday and Sunday.

Prefer Coffee : the newest and largest coffee shop, I watched this one go up over our first year here. It is stunning. There are two levels of indoor seating, a rooftop deck, outdoor patio on the ground floor and an art exhibit in the basement. The whole space was impeccablely designed and there’s not a bad seating area in the shop. There are views of the woods, views of the high rises, and views of the Buraksan hiking trails as well as a ton of instagrammable spots indoors, like their whole set of vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunks (I die!) and not one, but two Dior mopeds. It’s also a great spot to have a large meet up of friends because of all the seating. They open at 9am every day of the week and they get busy by 10:30. Their hours are 09:00-21:00 everyday of the week. For this location, the instagram is @prefer_in_forest

[Naver Map] Peuripeo Cafe

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