Cafeography
Seoul · Hyehwa & Daehak-ro

Cafés in Hyehwa & Daehak-ro

Hakrim Dabang's wooden stairs, theater-district cafés and hanok roasters along Daehak-ro, from Hyehwa station to the Ihwa hillside.

Photo: Constantine Kim, Pexels License

Daehak-ro (대학로, "university road") runs from the Jongno 5-ga crossing to the Hyehwa-dong rotary, and the name became official in 1966.1 The university is gone. Keijo Imperial University was set here in the 1920s, a student town grew around it, and Seoul National University's liberal arts and law colleges left for Gwanak, with Marronnier Park laid out on their site in 1975.12

What stayed were the small theaters and one famous tearoom. So coffee here is split between the old dabang (다방, tearoom) that outlasted the students, roasters tucked into hanok behind the main road, and pre-show cafés around the park.2 The area was once part of Banchon, the village of servants who looked after Sungkyunkwan, Joseon's royal academy.1

Local tip: Get to Hakrim Dabang when it opens rather than before a show: the wooden stairs and window seats draw a queue. Hyehwa station's exit 3 then puts you three minutes from Dturtle's hanok.

At a glance

95Cafés listed
2With opening hours
10:00Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: 진주리, from 10:00 (Daily 10:00–22:00).
  • Most listed streets: Dongsung-dong (2).
  • Most common features: specialty (5%), wi-fi (4%), outdoor seating (2%).

369마을 사회적 협동조합 카페 마실

369Maeul Sahoejeok Hyeopdongjohap Cafe Masil

  • Samseon-dong 1(il)-ga, 11-123번지 1층
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Coffee chains in Hyehwa & Daehak-ro

Hakrim Dabang, since 1956

학림다방 (Hakrim Dabang) at Daehak-ro 119 opened in 1956 and is a Seoul Future Heritage.12 Before the move to Gwanak it was a living room for Seoul National University students and artists.4 In 1981 the National Democratic Student League held its first meeting here, and the 1980s security case that followed took the tearoom's name, the Hakrim Incident.3

The creaking wooden stairs, old sofas and rafters are the attraction, and the Korean drama My Love from the Star added a new audience and a queue.34 Order drip coffee from its own roast, or the Vienna coffee, the house signature.4 Dongyang Bookstore, signed "Since 1953", is nearby, and a barber who learned his trade in 1956 was still working nearby in 2019.1

Marronnier Park, across the crossing from Hakrim, takes its name from trees planted on 5 April 1929, in the Keijo Imperial University years.2 The Arko Art Center and a cluster of small theaters surround it, and Jinachun, a Chinese restaurant with a century of history, is another Future Heritage stop nearby.2

Dturtle, roasting in a hanok

커피가게 디터틀 Dturtle at Daehak-ro 9ga-gil 14 roasts specialty coffee inside a hanok, three minutes on foot from exit 3 of Hyehwa station.5 It turned three in December 2025, and the Seoul Cafe Show has named it an Enjoy Cafe three years running.5 The filter coffee is a single origin that changes daily, posted on its site with the cold brew and decaf; on 3 November 2026 it was a Colombian Typica Mejorado from El Diviso.5

From the Ihwa hillside to a counselor's table

보사노바 커피로스터스 (Bossa Nova Coffee Roasters), in the Ihwa-dong lanes, comes from a roaster that started in August 2015 with a rooftop shop on Anmok Beach in Gangneung, on Korea's east coast.6 It now has its own roasting factories and branches in Sokcho and Mullae.6 Beans are sold by subscription as well as over the counter.6

심리카페 대학로점 ("psychology café", Daehak-ro branch) sells something else with its drinks: counseling. The company offers couple and family sessions, personality tests and depression screening, and describes the idea as an unusual date.7 진주리 (Jinjury) on Seonggyungwan-ro 7-gil has Wi-Fi and outdoor seats and keeps 10:00–22:00 daily.

Sources

  1. [미래유산 톡톡] 학림다방·동양서림엔 그 시절 그 청년들 흔적 켜켜이, Seoul Shinmun (October 2019), accessed November 2026
  2. 아련한 추억과 낭만이 있는 마로니에공원, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Mediahub (March 2021), accessed November 2026
  3. 아날로그 감성 가득한 대학로 서울미래유산 탐방, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Mediahub (November 2016), accessed November 2026
  4. 느린게 힙이다! '레트로 다방' 아직도 안 가봤어?, Allure Korea (June 2025), accessed November 2026
  5. 커피가게 디터틀, Dturtle, accessed November 2026
  6. 보사노바 커피로스터스, Bossa Nova Coffee Roasters, accessed November 2026
  7. 심리카페, Cafe Therapy, accessed November 2026
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In Hyehwa & Daehak-ro, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Open late Outdoor seating

FAQ

Hyehwa & Daehak-ro cafés: questions

What is Hakrim Dabang on Daehak-ro in Seoul known for?

학림다방 opened in 1956 at Daehak-ro 119 and is a Seoul Future Heritage. It was a gathering place for Seoul National University students and artists, and in 1981 a student league's first meeting there began the Hakrim Incident. It is known for Vienna coffee and its old wooden stairs.

Where can you drink coffee roasted in a hanok near Hyehwa station in Seoul?

커피가게 디터틀 Dturtle at Daehak-ro 9ga-gil 14 roasts specialty coffee in a hanok, three minutes on foot from exit 3 of Hyehwa station. It turned three in December 2025, and its single-origin filter coffee changes daily, alongside cold brew and decaf.

Why is Daehak-ro in Seoul called university road?

The name became official in 1966. Keijo Imperial University was built here in the 1920s and a student town grew up around it. Seoul National University's liberal arts and law colleges later moved to Gwanak, and Marronnier Park was laid out on their site in 1975.

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