Cafeography
Seoul · Sinsa & Garosu-gil

Cafés in Sinsa & Garosu-gil

Garosu-gil's ginkgo avenue and the side lanes of Sinsa-dong, from Sinsa station to Dosan-daero.

Photo: Huy Phan, Pexels License

Garosu-gil means "tree-lined street", and about 160 ginkgo trees line the two-lane road from the junction by Hyundai High School to Dosan-daero, east of Sinsa station.2 It runs for about 750 m past clothing stores, ateliers, cafés and restaurants.3

Galleries moved in during the 1980s and young designers in the 1990s, which earned it the name Designer Street; flagship stores followed, and Korea's first Apple Store opened here on 27 January 2018.12 Rising rents pushed many small shops out, and in 2016 land prices here rose 4.74%, against 4.09% for Seoul as a whole.2 Sinsa-dong is one of the 12 dong of Gangnam District, developed from the 1970s.5

Local tip: Walk Garosu-gil for the ginkgo trees, which turn yellow in autumn, then turn into the side lanes for coffee; Acro The Daily Coffee Roasters on Gangnam-daero 158-gil is open until 23:00.

At a glance

116Cafés listed
6With opening hours
08:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: 해머스미스커피, from 08:30 (Mon–Sat 08:30–22:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: Lay Bricks Coffee Roasters, until 01:00 (Daily 11:00–01:00).
  • Most listed streets: Garosu-gil (2), Sinsa-dong (2), Dosan-daero, Sinsa-dong (2).
  • Most common features: open late (5%), specialty (5%), wi-fi (2%).

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Coffee chains in Sinsa & Garosu-gil

Getting to Garosu-gil

Sinsa station, a transfer between Line 3 and the Shinbundang Line, is the closest stop, and Apgujeong station on Line 3 is the other.1 Exit 8 at Sinsa and exit 5 at Apgujeong are the ones for Garosu-gil.3 The street's road-name address changed to Garosu-gil only on 19 June 2020; before that it was Dosan-daero 13-gil and Apgujeong-ro 12-gil.2 The street was a setting for the 2009 film Cheongdam Bosal.2

Cafés off the main street

Most cafés here are on the lanes either side of the avenue. Acro The Daily Coffee Roasters at Gangnam-daero 158-gil 45 serves specialty coffee daily 10:00–23:00, and Ikovox Coffee at Apgujeong-ro 10-gil 37 opens 09:00–23:00. Lay Bricks Coffee Roasters, another specialty roaster, opens daily 11:00–01:00.

Momo (세로수길 Momo) is at Gangnam-daero 160-gil 37 and Cookieteria, a bakery café with Wi-Fi, on Apgujeong-ro 14-gil. Costante coffee (코스탄테 커피) is at Sinbanpo-ro 47-gil 56, Better Than Coffee (베러댄커피) at Gangnam-daero 620, Eslow (에슬로우) at Dosan-daero 30-gil 4 and newsteelpapercoffee at Nonhyeon-ro 159-gil 46-6.

Desserts compete with the coffee. Ichiseoul (이치서울), on the second floor at Gangnam-daero 158-gil 21, is known for mugwort and fig desserts and opens 12:00–23:00.3 On the main avenue the neighbors are flagships for Gentle Monster eyewear, Tamburins and Maison Kitsuné.1

Teahouses on Garosu-gil

Tea has its own corner of the street. In 2022 Tea E, a small teahouse with bar seating on Garosu-gil, served a tea course of about three hours and a one-hour mini course by reservation, plus single cups with light bites for walk-ins.4 Magpie and Tiger on Nonhyeon-ro 153-gil runs tea classes and sells blended teas, teapots and cups, with a second, more casual branch in Seongsu.4

Basilur Tea & Coffee (베질 루르) is on the second floor at Nonhyeon-ro 159-gil 57.

Late hours in Sinsa

Sinsa keeps late hours. Lay Bricks serves until 01:00, True Light at Dosan-daero 17-gil 22 until midnight, and cafe.89mansion until 22:00 Tuesday to Sunday. COFFEE US opens daily 10:00–22:00. The earliest start belongs to Hammersmith Coffee (해머스미스커피), open 08:30–22:00 Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays.

Toward Apgujeong-ro, 소르비 is at Apgujeong-ro 2-gil 11, 루에랑 at Apgujeong-ro 4-gil 13-20 and Coco Square (코코스퀘어) at Dosan-daero 11-gil 46; 포브신사 is near the station end at Gangnam-daero 154-gil 33.

Sources

  1. Garosu-gil, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. 신사동 가로수길, Wikipedia (Korean), accessed October 2026
  3. Seoul/Gangnam, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  4. [FOOD COURT] Learn the art of a proper brew at these Seoul teahouses, Korea JoongAng Daily (October 28, 2022), accessed October 2026
  5. Gangnam District, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Sinsa & Garosu-gil, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés

FAQ

Sinsa & Garosu-gil cafés: questions

How do you get to Garosu-gil in Seoul's Sinsa-dong?

Take Line 3 or the Shinbundang Line to Sinsa station and use exit 8, or Line 3 to Apgujeong station and use exit 5. The avenue runs for about 750 m east of Sinsa station, lined by some 160 ginkgo trees, and most of its cafés are on the side lanes either side of it.

Which cafés on Garosu-gil in Seoul are open late?

Lay Bricks Coffee Roasters serves until 01:00 daily and True Light on Dosan-daero 17-gil until midnight. Acro The Daily Coffee Roasters on Gangnam-daero 158-gil and Ikovox Coffee on Apgujeong-ro 10-gil both close at 23:00, and Hammersmith Coffee stays open until 22:00 Monday to Saturday.

Where are the teahouses on Garosu-gil in Seoul?

Tea E, a small teahouse with bar seating on Garosu-gil, has offered tea courses of about three hours or one hour by reservation, and single cups to walk-ins. Magpie and Tiger on Nonhyeon-ro 153-gil holds tea classes and sells blended teas, teapots and cups. Basilur Tea & Coffee is on the second floor at Nonhyeon-ro 159-gil 57.

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