A Café I Ended Up Loving More Than Expected
I randomly stopped by this café while walking through a quiet alley near Wausan-ro in Hongdae, and honestly, it turned out to be much better than I expected.
Malic Coffee has been serving specialty coffee since 2016, which means it’s been around for almost 10 years now.
To be honest, it’s not easy for an independent café to survive that long in Hongdae, especially with how quickly trendy places come and go. After visiting, I could kind of understand why people keep coming back here.
Compared to the busy and chaotic main streets of Hongdae, this place feels much calmer and cozier.
European Alleyway Vibes & Warm Vintage Interior
The exterior immediately caught my attention.
The red brick walls, wooden frames, and striped awning gave it the feeling of a small café you might find somewhere in Europe.
The warm lighting visible through the large windows also makes the place feel inviting even before you walk in.
The café itself is fairly small and cozy.
With the wooden furniture and vintage decorations, the whole place had a warm and slightly classic atmosphere rather than the loud “hipster café” vibe you often find in Hongdae.
Personally, I really liked that heavier vintage mood.
Since the bar area is open, you can also watch the baristas making coffee right in front of you, which coffee lovers would probably enjoy.
A Café That Clearly Takes Coffee Seriously
You can tell they take coffee seriously just by looking at the menu.
They offer a pretty wide range of hand-drip beans, including Geisha varieties, which was impressive for a small independent café.
The coffee style here leans more toward smooth and rounded flavors rather than aggressively acidic profiles.
Their signature drinks include the Nutty Cream Latte and Malic Iced Tea, and even for regular espresso drinks, you can choose between different blend styles.
There were also plenty of desserts to choose from.
Cherry pie, apple pie, cheesecake, scones, canelés, financiers… honestly, it took me a while to decide lol.
My First Time Trying Cherry Pie
I personally prefer apple pie, but I had actually never tried cherry pie before, so this was my first time giving it a shot.
I was a little unsure at first, but it turned out to be surprisingly good.
The pie was filled generously with cherry filling, and it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. The slight tartness balanced everything out nicely.
The cherry pie comes with vanilla ice cream by default, and the combination of warm pie and cold ice cream worked really well together.
Pairing it with an iced Americano made the sweetness feel much cleaner and more balanced.
I still think I’ll try the apple pie next time, though.
More of a Social Café Than a Quiet Workspace
The café was much busier than I expected.
When I visited, it was almost full, and there were even people waiting outside.
Because of that, the overall vibe felt much more suited for couples, friends, or coworkers hanging out together rather than people quietly spending time alone.
In fact, I barely saw anyone visiting solo.
Since the place gets crowded and often has a waiting line, I honestly don’t think it’s the best café for quietly reading, studying, or working alone for hours.
But if you’re looking for a cozy place to enjoy good coffee and desserts while chatting with someone, this café is definitely worth visiting.
How to Get There
If you’re planning to visit, I’ll leave the Google Maps location below.
It’s tucked away in a quieter alley near Hongdae, so checking the map beforehand will probably make it easier to find.
🍣 Previous Post in Seoul
Before visiting this café, I stopped by a sushi restaurant in Hongdae.
If you want to check out another great food spot in Seoul, take a look at the post below.
→ Read the review here
☕ Next Stop in Seoul
After coffee and desserts at Malic Coffee, I visited another cozy café in Hongdae.
If you love matcha, hojicha desserts, and relaxing café vibes, Long Vacation is definitely worth checking out.
→ Read the review here