Kafe Nordic is a cafe tucked away in a residential area of Hannam Dong. Its bright yellow house-like exterior is quite eye-catching, and it almost feels like it’s out of place, despite several other cafes being in the area. This is a basement cafe, but it still receives some natural lighting through their windows. Thankfully, the interior is far less garish and is more tastefully decorated with Nordic designs, hence their name. I really love the wall with the multiple geometric patterns on it. I also adore their penguin statue! It always put a smile on my face whenever I see it there.
This place is on the small side, but the design gives the place a cosy feel. I can see the place holding about 20 customers at once, but it is always pretty empty whenever I come here. I guess that’s fine because it’s a very quiet cafe, perfect for those wanting to do some work on their laptops or some other tasks. This place has a fairly good ambience, but I feel that the seating area by the counter and kitchen feels a bit stifling.
Service-wise, the workers here are pleasant, and I’ve never had any issues with them. This cafe sells the typical coffee and tea drinks, and they seem to prize on their organic, home-made spoon teas and juices. For food, they sell sandwiches, paninis, salads, and desserts. They offer an interesting variety of food and drinks, but none of them really stick out for me. I’ve visited this place multiple times, and I was able to try a few of their items — none of which were a standout.
I tried their iced lattes (5,300 won), and while the coffee tasted fine, it doesn’t make it onto my favourite list. However, the portion of the coffee is quite generous. The glasses they use are quite larger than what I’m used to seeing! I also tried their grapefruit spoon ade (7.300 won), and that tasted fine, but it wasn’t anything truly spectacular, either. Lastly, I had their chicken avocado panini (13,500 won), and I was not impressed with that at all. The bread was fine, but everything else was bland. The panini had no flavour at all. I was quite disappointed by that.
To wrap everything up, I do like Kafe Nordic for its interior decoration and their ambience. If I’m ever around the Hangangjin Station area, I like to stop by here for some coffee. However, it’s not a place I actively try to go on a regular basis, and I personally don’t think the location is prime. My friends and I came here couple of times, and one friend liked it, but another didn’t care for it much. Kafe Nordic is a cute cafe, but there are other places I prefer more.
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Business Info
070-8200-2066
46-14, Itaewon-Ro 42-Gil, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, Korea
서울특별시 용산구 이태원로42길 46-14
From Hangangjin Station, go out exit three. Keep going straight for about 400 metres, passing Takeout Drawing. You will eventually see a crosswalk. Right before that crosswalk, there’s a narrow staircase on your left. Go down those stairs and then go into the alley in front of you, and Kafe Nordic will be on your right.
4,000 ~ 15,000+ won budget per person