Frédérique Morré, Editor

As a certified café hopper, I will personally never shut up about one of the most underrated areas of Seoul: Mullae-dong. If you’re tired of the same clean, sleek interior that seems to have overtaken Korean café culture in the last couple of years, rest assured that you will find a worthy alternative in Mullae – and the coffee will be twice as tasty.

I won’t deny that one of the reasons I originally wanted to visit Mullae was for the photoshoot opportunities in the narrow alleyways, metal work street, and the iconic pink wall that takes me back to when the Paul Smith pink wall in LA was the cornerstone of 2016 Instagram. But I quickly had to admit that the area boasts a cool “industrial hip” feeling that offers a pleasant escape from the clean and over-curated spaces you can find in more popular areas, and so I have gladly returned several times to experience a different café.

Which is how I found Café Tolstoy, and I couldn’t even begin to summarize its aesthetic to you in a single line other than a highly estheticized, uncurated to the point of hyper-curation, War and Peace-core. I’ll have the pictures speak for themselves.

Expectations for the drinks were low, as they usually are when the interior seems to be the main focus, but the café’s recommended drink had a beautifully fragrant espresso base and a homemade cream on top, which was reminiscent of a slightly less sweet Einspanner, with the cutest little cacao monkey on top. The music varied between 50s American popular music and contemporary hit songs, and I spent an enjoyable two hours on the covered outside area on the second floor, reading and exploring the interior.

A very solid recommendation, whether you are alone or with a group, and if you’re looking for something new. If you’re interested in going to have a taste of this eclectic spot, the address is 9 Dorim-ro 128-gil, Yeongdeungpo District – and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.