HoHo Myoll 호호미욜
Of all the cafe’s I’ve been to in Seoul, Hoho Myoll made the biggest impression on me. The adorable cafe is extremely popular from being featured in the KBS drama Love Rain (사랑비). This whimsical, charming little cafe was cozy and relatively quiet, even though I went on a Saturday. Located down the street from Hongik University, an area known as the ‘Soho of Seoul’, Hoho Myoll is named after Myoll, the gray cat that lives there. Myoll mainly just napped and didn’t interact much with the customers.
Their menu is a small binder with developed photos of their coffee and pastries, with captions on the bottom. They have an extensive coffee selection, and the barista even took the time to explain all the different kinds of roasts for me. They also have muffins and cake, and yes, they do have English on their menu!
I got the caramel latte (5,000KRW) and their Oreo cheesecake (7,000KRW). The caramel latte was aromatic and not too sweet, but it also wasn’t very hot. However, the cheesecake was perfection. They even put a slice of vanilla ice cream on top! The cheesecake was very rich, though, so I recommend sharing with a friend. Even the fork they gave me was adorable.
When you walk in, the first thing you’ll see is the vintage Volkswagon van, fully decorated and blocking half the entrance. The van is refurbished, with an exclusive little loveseat inside the van with a low, glass table. Even the trunk part of the van was decorated. The cafe seemed to be a mash of random trinkets, figurines, flowers, books, and Christmas lights that all somehow came together. I moved around three times (I couldn’t help myself!) and each different angle gave me a new experience of the cafe, there was so much to look at.
When you walk to the back, past the counter, you see little desks tucked away behind a sheer curtain. There were small notes and drawings from customers mixed in with the cubbies and figurines. Since I went to study, it’s probably important to mention that they did have free wifi and it was pretty easy to find a plug for my laptop. The cafe played really chill music, a playlist with songs like Birdie’s Skinny Love, an acoustic version of John Legend’s All Of You, Pharrell’s Happy, and Jessie Glyne’s Rather Be.
How to get there: Sangsu station (line 9), exit 2. When you come up the stairs, turn left (you’re essentially making a u-turn) and walk up the street towards Hongik University. I walked for about a minute and found it on my right a little past a Holly’s Coffee and a parking structure.
When I left, I kept going up the hill towards Hongik University and ended up on the Hongdae main street by Monster’s Pizza. If you’re planning on going cafe-hopping in Seoul, this has definitely my favorite one so far!