Where to Find the Cutest, 100% Instagrammable Desserts in Seoul
I spent a weekend in Seoul in collaboration with CheapTickets.sg and Korea Tourism Organization. This post is part of the eating adventure I went on while in Seoul. For more post on South Korea, check out this page.
Aside of finding the local eats, one of my favorite thing to do before a trip is to google “cute food in ... (Insert city name)” and then going on a hunt for them. I think it’s super fun and I appreciate the creativity a city has to offer through food!
Are you planning to visit South Korea from Singapore? Check out CheapTickets.sg for South Korea travel deals including a $88 rebate when you book return flights from Singapore to Korea and 3 nights accommodations! Promotions valid til October 15, 2017.
Without further ado, here are my cute eats findings in Seoul:
1. LINE Friends Cafe
Cute Macarons from LINE Cafe. Cony (the bunny 🐰) is strawberry flavored, Brown (the bear 🐻) is chocolate and Sally (the duck 🐤) is lemon.
We all know LINE messaging app originated from Japan, but did you know LINE is actually a subsidiary of Naver, the Korean giant internet search company? In the messaging app, you have the ability to send emoji reactions with different character themes, and these characters have garnered serious popularity worldwide.
LINE Store in Garosu-gil
Some of the cute eats in LINE Store in Garosu-gil
LINE Store in Garosu-gil
In fact, they have grown so popular that there are now several big stores in Seoul dedicated to just selling LINE-branded character items. They have everything from t-shirt to powerbanks that are shaped like the beloved LINE characters. I only visited the one in Garusu-gil, but the other locations are near Myeongdong Station (no cafe, just merch) and Itaewon Station (the biggest store and cafe in Seoul).
Aside of the abundance of merchandise, they also have various cute desserts in the character-themed cafe. I chose the macarons since I think they are the cutest ones! They are also quite tasty too.
Nearest Station: Sinsa station on Line 3 (Brown) | Google Maps
2. Thunder Bomb from Remicone
Thunder Bomb
When I saw a picture of the Thunder Bomb online, I knew right away that I had to try it. Remicone is a small corner shop in the hip neighborhood of Sinsa-dong, just off Garusu-gil. The shop might be tiny, but they carry an impressive array of whimsical ice creams that are so beautiful, it’s as if they were made just for Instagram. The shop is styled like a lab – aside of the special ready-made ice creams you can also mix and match different toppings to create your own ice cream combination. Kind of like your own ice cream lab if you will.
The lab-styled store front with different toppings
As for the taste, the gray “rain cloud” cotton candy had a minty taste and the vanilla ice cream is topped with crackling pop rock candy that pops in your mouth (I guess that is the “bomb” part!) and it came with a white chocolate thunderbolt.
Next time, I would totally add the small macarons to the grey clouds for the extra “instagram” factor ;)
Nearest Station: Apgujeong or Sinsa station on Line 3 (Brown) | Google Maps
3. HK Egg Waffle in Hongdae
HK Egg Waffle
Long-time followers of @girleatworld would know that I’m a huge fan of the Hong Kong delicacy. I’ve featured the egg waffle many times while I was in Hong Kong, both in its traditional form and modern takes of it.
This one from a stall in Hong Dae is a pretty spectacular twist to the traditional snack. It came with an ice cream, two sticks of pepero (Korean version of Pocky), a rainbow marshmallow, cheerios cereal and a drizzle of strawberry syrup on top of whipped cream. I love seeing traditional desserts get a face lift!
Nearest Station: Hongik University station on Line 2 (Green) | Google Maps
The Jumbo 32cm Ice Cream
32cm Ice Cream in Vanilla and Chocolate
This 32cm ice cream can be found in many places in Myeongdong. The ice cream is obviously attention-grabbing because of the unusual shape and length, but the ice cream itself is actually just a regular soft-serve stacked expertly and as high as possible. I am totally jealous of their ice cream pouring skills!
I had the 32cm ice cream first thing in the morning
I would say this is more for the pictures than taste since there isn’t anything special to it. It’s also really difficult to eat since you have to keep it perfectly straight and it tends to melt faster than you can eat it, but hey… the picture will be awesome! And they are really affordable at 2000 won.
It comes in different flavor combinations like vanilla and chocolate, green tea and strawberry, and a few others I can’t recall. I was too busy finishing the ice cream!
Nearest Station: Myeongdong station on Line 4 (Blue) | Google Maps
5. Fish-shaped Ice Cream
Fish-shaped Ice Cream with Oreo and Honey
I found this fish-shaped ice cream in Insadong. I’ve seen something similar while in Japan, but this version in Korea is slightly different. I suppose it’s a more modern take of Bungeo-ppang, which is a fish-shaped pastry that is usually stuffed with sweet red beans. The ice cream is very light, almost like a sorbet, and the inside is stuffed with Honey and Oreos (Too bad this part isn’t visible!). The fish dough part is thin yet chewy and crispy on the outside.
I’ve also seen another version of this ice cream in Hong Dae and Bukchon Hanok Village, near the Gentle Monster Bath house retail shop.
Nearest Station: Anguk Station on Line 3 (Brown) | Google Maps
6. Rose-shaped Ice Cream
Rose Ice Cream from Milky Bee. Pic credit: ahneonni73
Rose-shaped ice cream is not unique to South Korea. Nowadays, you can find it in just about any food street in a major city – I’ve seen it in Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Nagasaki, and now Seoul. But I’m not going to argue that it’s a beautiful way to enjoy your ice cream and certainly would be a delight to your instagram!
One of the places you can find the rose-shaped ice cream is at Milky Bee cafe in Myeongdong. I also have to add that the shape of their rose is probably the best one I’ve seen thus far! the petals are nicely shaped and looks very sturdy.
Nearest Station: Myeongdong station on Line 4 (Blue) | Google Maps
7. Cookie Monster Latte
Cookie Monster Latte, Picture credit to Seoul Searching
This creatively-decorated latte is made by Viva Salon, a vintage toy-shop that doubles up as a cafe. I really wanted to visit this cafe for the blue Cookie Monster Latte, but because I was busy finding affordable eats in Seoul, I didn’t have the time :( Maybe some of you reading this can go for me?
While I can’t vouch for the taste, this latte totally grabbed my attention when I first saw an image of it online. For a full review, you can read this post by Seoul Searching. She even has a video review!
Nearest Station: Mangwon station on Line 6 (Dark Brown) | Google Maps
Did I miss anything?
Are you planning to visit South Korea from Singapore? Check out CheapTickets.sg for South Korea travel deals including a $88 rebate when you book return flights from Singapore to Korea and 3 nights accommodations! Promotions valid til October 15, 2017.