If you have seen the Korean romance-comedy drama “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince”, they this place should be familiar. I went there last Friday afternoon with some friends (and my son) after eating Chinese food at Yeonhui-dong. The place wasn’t difficult to find. We took the taxi 
and asked to be taken to Sanullim Theater. Oh well, it isn’t really far from where we had lunch.
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince is one of the most popular Korean dramas last year. It even earned its female lead, Yoon Eun Hye, the best actress trophy in this year’s Baeksang Awards. She and Gong Yoo also gained more CF because of the popularity of this drama.
We were excited when we got to the place, a two-storey building. The second floor is not open to customers though. The first thing you’ll notice is the raw finish. Some may like it (I did) and others may not. The walls are autographed by the stars, the staff and fans who visit the place. My friends even signed on the board near our table. The counter has espresso machines and lotsa other things that I really didn’t notice. 
I was shocked by the prices of the coffee! I don’t even go to Starbucks since I don’t really like fancy coffee. I like mine black with a hint of brown sugar. My friend ordered an ice caffe mocha for me. My son tried it and liked it. That was his first coffee.
The shop wasn’t full when we were there. There were less than twenty customers that time. Two were Japanese, three Chinese, three Pinoys and the rest were Koreans. Most took pictures. I don’t believe people go there for the coffee…
The staff was really nice. IMO, customer service in Korea is topnotch!They played the drama’s OST and that made my friends really “kilig”. They said it was a surreal experience and I’m glad they enjoyed it.
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I was able to follow that movie here in the Philippines. It was a bit dragging towards the end. But it’s fun to watch.
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you know sis it is the second time that coffee prince is running on Philippine TV, sa sobrang ganda ng koreanobela na yan e after the success on primetime slot e inulit sa hapon at sempre pinapanood ko pa din.. love the character andy kasi played by yoon eun hye.
Wow that coffee looks good! I have seen this telenovela when I was on vacation in th Ph. Ganda kaso di ko na nasubaybayan …I’ll ask my mom to get me a dvd siguro he he he.
Oh I just loved the drama…and you got to go see one of the locations. that’s awesome!
wow that place is cool! I haven’t seen coffee prince but I breezed through some eps while downloading it. I would love to go to that place
Oh, what a nice area! I do not like going to overpriced coffee shops like Starbucks myself because the quality is not worth $2! I can get the same thing for less than one dollar!
But, just like you did with this place, I go to Starbucks for the atmosphere and ambiance. I want to go there some day!
how i wish i can go there soon..
@sherwin: keep visualizing going to Korea in your mind and it will soon come true. My cousin Angela and I spent two years dreaming, saving, and planning about it, and we just had the best two weeks in Seoul and Busan. Amazing place and so many wonderful people.
i haven’t seen the drama but it was fun going there… lalo na with Tesha and her cousin Angela… my son misses u guys!
@AzureWolf >> Starbucks is cheaper in the US and Japan. I wonder why it’s so expensive in Korea. I don’t go there unless I were invited.
Angela and I miss Song gyu a lot! I click on our Myeongdong UTour picture everyday at work
Re: Starbucks coffee, it is indeed expensive, and in fact I still feel guilty when I spend a substantive amount for coffee. But I really like their Arabian mocha beans and the atmosphere of the place. My friend Laya and I call Starbucks Sykes in Quezon City our happy place.
woah! i’d like to go there too
i love to drink coffee.. but i think their pricelist isn’t that affordable >_<
its more expensive than starbucks
i could avail it if i am that oppulent, but i’m not hehe
omo, i went here too! on my last day in seoul i woke my friend up and told her, “hey, you know that coffee prince place christine went to the other day? well…wanna go?” even though, i was against the idea before. (prior to my signing up for the exchange program i had no interest in koreanovelas. i do now! hehe. it keeps me connected with seoul.)
i agree with the insane prices. i think we paid around 7000 krw for hot chocolate. and the picture-taking embarrassed us because we were attempting not to look like tourists! (haha, pasimple, right?) there was this long-haired guy who noticed us anyway and beckoned us to take pictures since we “looked like we wanted to”. needless to say, it was the fastest i’ve ever taken pictures! haha. i did like the shop though, with all the random drawings and things. it was just really hard to get to! we got lost and had to ask a kind ajumma if she knew where it was. she just told us to follow a bus carrying a bunch of japanese ajummas who were SURELY going to the set.
Hahaha @ 7,000 Won for coffee. What is that, around 6 to 8 dollars American? Yup. That sounds about right in relation to Starbucks. I shell out around 7 dollars for a large.
Yes, I also dont like fancy coffee as i find them very expensive though the taste is not according to price.
the coffee is that container looks good, how much you paid for that special coffee?
Matts last blog post..Processing the Coffee Harvest
Starbucks (Korea) drinks are more expensive than here, and I’m still curious if Coffee Bean (Korea) is as same? I was on a time constraint and wasn’t able to visit one while traveling through Seoul. Can anyone over there tell me the price for a cup of Coffee Bean coffee? hehe.
Every time some thing would remind me of coffee prince…i still feel sad about lee eon’s death…
Actually 7000won sounds about right since last time I was in Seoul regular mocha was $5.75 in 2005
Hi, I tried you go visit the Coffee Prince coffee shop last summer when I visited Korea but I was never able to find it.
Could you give me directions?
Thank you so much!!