When starting this blog, I purposely went searching for themed cafes in and around Seoul. People have been telling me that they want to go to all the cafes that I took pictures of on Instagram, but really, those ones are just me trying to drink a coffee at every single cafe in Anam. No one wants to come to Anam unless they want to eat or drink alcohol, so I thought I should perhaps venture out of my safety zone to find somewhere new.

It just so happened that one cafe which kept popping up on lists was located in my new neighbourhood, Hyehwa. Gom Dabang (곰다방) actually has two shops which I only coincidentally found out by chancing upon the second one while showing my friend around. It is also the one I ended up going into to try finishing my Linguistics paper and the one I’m typing this from now.

The prices are pretty average with flavoured lattes and mochas being 4500 won for a hot one and 5000 won for an iced. And believe me, you want a hot one. It also has a few cakes and a reasonable non-caffeinated section if coffee’s not your thing. Take out has an automatic 1000 won discount.

And the latte art is a bear! I’m personally a sucker for good latte art and this is one example of something that’s so cute that it automatically makes it great.

I actually ended up ordering a vanilla latte instead of my regular mocha. Perhaps it was for a change of pace? Who knows. In any case, it was really a pleasant drink, especially when I was half-expecting something mediocre which is generally what happens with theme cafes (I’ve had a bad experience with one, unfortunately). My friend liked her white mocha too, saying it wasn’t too sweet. Take that as you like.

There weren’t many people in the cafe during the four hours we were there. Only three other groups of two came in during that time and ordered, mostly couples where the girl probably dragged her boyfriend in because it was cute. However, the server lady was very nice and brought a menu out for us when we came in and hid behind the counter for the rest of the time (probably watching something on her phone who knows).

For a theme cafe, it isn’t too overwhelmingly themed —which is definitely a good thing. It means it’s a cafe before a themed cafe, which you can tell from its drinks and atmosphere. It was a bit cold if anything thanks to the air conditioner, however that can be overlooked. There’s also free high-speed wi-fi but you’ll have to ask for the password.

For people trying to find Gom Dabang, the two of them are fairly easy to find. To go to the larger store, which is where I was originally going to go today, go out of exit 2 of Hyehwa station and walk left into Maronnier Park past the theatres. Keep walking up the hill until you pass SM Art Hall, then turn left at the T-intersection — the cafe’s the one with the bear in front. As for the store I went to today, go out of exit 3 of Hyehwa station and make a u-turn. At the road with Coffine Gurunaru on the corner, turn left and keep going until you see the cafe on the left-hand side.

If you want to visit a theme cafe which isn’t too overwhelming, Gom Dabang is a good choice. You can take pictures with the bears sitting on the chairs next to you or simply write a note to leave on the pinboard to leave alongside Lee Sun-kyun’s. If you’re just looking for a cafe or a super special experience though, this is pretty normal. Go eat bingsu instead.