What is Yeontral Park in Seoul's Yeonnam-dong?

Yeontral Park is the nickname of the Yeonnam-dong stretch of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, a blend of Yeonnam-dong and New York's Central Park. The 6.3 km trail runs over the old Gyeongui Line, which was moved underground. The Yeonnam section opened in June 2015, and shops and cafés fill the streets and alleys around it.

How do you get to Hongdae cafés in Seoul by subway?

Hongik University station is served by Line 2, the Gyeongui–Jungang Line and AREX, the airport railroad. Hapjeong station, on Lines 2 and 6, serves the southern end and the roasters of Hapjeong, and Sangsu station on Line 6 the streets toward the river. Yeonnam-dong's cafés are a walk north of Hongik University station.

Which Hongdae cafés in Seoul stay open late?

Jebi Dabang at Wausan-ro 24 opens daily from 10:00 to 02:00, and 야마뜨 runs from 18:00 to 02:00 Tuesday to Saturday. Coffee Lab and Beliefcoffee roasters on Yanghwa-ro 11-gil serve until 23:00.

Cafés in Hongdae & Yeonnam-dong, Seoul: Hours and Map

Hongdae takes its name from Hongik University, whose fine-arts program drew artists to the surrounding streets from the 1990s, with musicians and street artists following the low rents.¹ The area covers Seogyo-dong, Hapjeong-dong and Seogang-dong in Mapo District, and Korea's indie music scene is usually traced to two bands from here, Crying Nut and Sister's Barbershop, in the mid-1990s.¹

Yeonnam-dong, to the north, changed when the Gyeongui Line went underground and its old track bed became a park.²⁴ Unique shops and cafés now fill its streets and alleys, and university students and tourists come for them.⁴ Across the district the choice runs from themed cafés near the university gate to roasters in Hapjeong and cafés that stay open until 02:00.

Local tip: Many Hongdae cafés open at noon, not at 08:00. For a morning cup, Coffee Lab opens at 08:00 and Beliefcoffee roasters on Yanghwa-ro 11-gil at 09:30; for a last one, Jebi Dabang on Wausan-ro serves until 02:00.

At a glance

585Cafés listed

41With opening hours

08:00Earliest opening

02:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: 맥심1층카페, from 08:00 (Mon–Fri 08:00–00:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–19:00).

Closes latest: 제비다방, until 02:00 (Daily 10:00–02:00).

Most listed streets: Yeonnam-dong (6), Seogyo-dong (6), Donggyo-dong" (4).

Most common features: wi-fi (8%), open late (5%), specialty (4%).

Getting to Hongdae, Hapjeong and Yeonnam-dong

Hongik University station is served by Line 2, the Gyeongui–Jungang Line and AREX, the airport railroad.¹ Hapjeong station, on Lines 2 and 6, serves the southern end of the district, and Sangsu station, on Line 6, the streets toward the river.¹ Yeonnam-dong is a walk north of Hongik University station along the park.

Weekend afternoons are the busiest. From March to November the Free Market fills Hongdae Playground, in front of the university's main gate, on Saturdays and Sundays from 13:00 to 18:00, and Live Club Day fills the music venues on the last Friday of each month.¹

Yeontral Park and the old Gyeongui Line

The Gyeongui Line opened in 1906; work to move it underground began in 2005, and Seoul turned the land above it into a 6.3 km trail from Yongsan to Gajwa station, spending ₩45.7 billion.² The Yeonnam-dong stretch opened in June 2015 and the last sections on 21 May 2016.² Locals call the Yeonnam stretch Yeontral Park (연트럴파크), a blend of Yeonnam-dong and New York's Central Park.³

In Yeonnam-dong itself, Seongmisan-ro (성미산로) and Donggyo-ro (동교로) and its side lanes have more cafés than any other streets in the neighborhood. Yeonnam Salon (연남살롱) at Seongmisan-ro 122-1 opens Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00–22:30, and Greem Cafe (그림카페) at Seongmisan-ro 161-10 keeps 11:00–21:00 daily.

Roasters in Hapjeong and Sangsu

Anthracite (앤트러사이트) began in Hapjeong in a former shoe factory, with concrete walls, stone floors and exposed beams, and it roasts all its own coffee.⁵ Its Hapjeong café is at Tojeong-ro 5-gil 10, and Bean Brothers (빈브라더스) is nearby at Tojeong-ro 35-1.

Hit Coffee Roasters (Donggyo-ro 146) and New Roasting House (Donggyo-ro 22-gil 19) serve specialty coffee, as does Beliefcoffee roasters at Yanghwa-ro 11-gil 50, open daily 09:30–23:00. Coffee Lab opens daily 08:00–23:00, and Fuglen Seoul is at Wausan-ro 43.

Themed cafés and late nights

Hongdae is known for themed cafés, from animal cafés to character cafés for Sanrio and Kakao Friends.¹ Near the university, Table A Cat Café opens daily 12:00–22:00, LEGO Café Get & Show 10:00–23:00, and the Genshin Cafe in Seoul at Wausan-ro 158 10:00–22:00.

Hongdae keeps late hours: about two in three of its cafés close at 22:00 or later. Jebi Dabang (제비다방, "swallow tearoom") at Wausan-ro 24 opens daily 10:00–02:00, and 야마뜨 runs 18:00–02:00 Tuesday to Saturday.

Cafés in Hongdae & Yeonnam-dong

At a glance

24”７＋

AL NUOVO

Beliefcoffee roasters

Compile

earth us

Florte Flower Cafe

Grove 177

Identity Coffee Lab

La douce

Thanks Nature Café

그로밋 커피하우스

맥심1층카페

밤부 베이커리&브루잉

연남살롱

원신 카페 인 서울

제비다방

커피랩

파브리카

파스텔커피웍스

aall

sarr

그림카페

당고집

델문도

빵어니스타 연남점

아날로그가든

아스테룸 433-10

아이야카페

야마뜨

쥬민센터

카페바인

컨토이너

코만스

1.5 Floor Coffee

17 Seoul

2MAK

Coffee chains in Hongdae & Yeonnam-dong

Mega MGC Coffee 메가커피

Starbucks

Ediya Coffee 이디야커피

A Twosome Place 투썸플레이스

Hollys 할리스

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 커피빈

Paik's Coffee 빽다방

Compose Coffee 컴포즈커피

Mammoth Coffee 매머드커피

Tom N Toms 탐앤탐스

Paul Bassett 폴바셋

Caffè Pascucci 파스쿠찌

Angel-in-us Coffee 엔제리너스

Blue Bottle Coffee 블루보틀

Oozy Coffee 우지커피

Terarosa 테라로사

Coffine Gurunaru 커핀그루나루

The Venti 더벤티

커피에반하다

Ten Percent Coffee 텐퍼센트커피

Dutch & Bean 더치앤빈

Bean Brothers 빈브라더스

Droptop 드롭탑

Selecto Coffee 셀렉토커피

Felt Coffee

Zoo Coffee 주커피

Cộng Cà Phê 콩카페

Super Coffee 슈퍼커피

백억커피

Babeans 바빈스

카페나무

카페드림

Getting to Hongdae, Hapjeong and Yeonnam-dong

Yeontral Park and the old Gyeongui Line

Roasters in Hapjeong and Sangsu

Themed cafés and late nights

Sources

More of Seoul

Bukchon & Samcheong-dong

Euljiro & Chungmuro

Myeong-dong & City Hall