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The Garden filled with the Aroma of Coffee in the middle of a bustling city: Arriate Cafe in Hongdae

Thecla Li
Aug 17, 2017
2 min read

Cafe's, I think of it as rightfully overrated, slightly more affordable brunch stores. But with a lot more coffee, finger food and good vibes. This summer, I had the chance to stop at Seoul on my way to LA for a week-long holiday before I started school. I was also given the privilege to plan my families itinerary while we were there. Cute, Instagrammable cafe's were a consistent feature on my list of must-go.

On my list, Arriate Cafe held the strong placing of the Number 1 MUST visit cafe. Arriate Cafe had a steady reputation for its visually aesthetic appeal incorporating flowers as the foundation of its interior decor. From hanging off the ceiling to lining the stairs, there isn't an inch of the cafe that is not covered in our pretty friends.

(Instagram location Tag: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/239176597/arriate/)

I stalked the cafe fangirl style for the longest time and when I finally got to see it for myself, it did not disappoint. The front entrance of the cafe is covered head to toe with flowers as if to replace wallpaper. Immediately after you enter, the front steps are lined with buckets of dried flower bouquets (which by the way are for sale~).

If I remember correctly, we ordered the lemonade (Limeade), Grapefruit Ade, Lemongrass Tea & A cheesecake. All of which tasted amazing.

We went in the late afternoon (3 pm ish?) and it was pretty packed but the cafe still maintained a relatively peaceful, calming ambience.

The outlet at Hongdae had 3 stories, the 1st floor was pretty small and shared the space with the barista counter and cashier, my family and I spent most of our time in the cafe on the 2nd floor which was the most crowded. Unfortunately, we only realised that a 3rd floor existed when we were leaving. the 3rd floor had far fewer people and was a lot quieter, had we known of its existence earlier we would have moved our tea there.

I would definitely recommend paying this cafe a visit. It's the kind of cafe that I would go to to do homework in. Another aspect that I specifically liked about this outlet is its location. The Hongdae branch is located in the middle of the Hongik University Village, setting college students as the main group of customers. If you're looking for a nice quiet studying environment, Arriate will be a place to find people with similar plans.

Instagram: @flowercafe_arriate

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