Anthracite Coffee Roasters Hapjeong

Anthracite Coffee Roasters opened its Hapjeong café in a former shoe factory, and the building has become one of the best-known examples of the converted industrial spaces that now define much of Seoul's café culture. The company roasts its own coffee and has since opened further branches in the city and elsewhere, but Hapjeong remains the one most visitors seek out.

The space keeps much of its factory past: high ceilings and exposed brick and concrete, softened with modern furniture and warm lighting. The roasting operation is part of the atmosphere, and there are several areas to sit, from communal tables to quieter corners. It is the kind of place where people settle in with a book or a laptop on a weekday afternoon.

On the menu, coffee blends are named after writers, such as Natsume Soseki and Pablo Neruda, a touch that suits the bookish mood. Espresso drinks and hand-brewed filter coffee are both offered, and a popular signature is the Butter Fat Trio, a rich, creamy coffee drink. Beer is also served for later in the day. Cakes, financiers, madeleines and cookies are baked on site by the café's pastry chef, and beans are available to take home.

Anthracite suits coffee lovers, architecture fans, students and remote workers, and it is a calmer alternative to the busy cafés of central Hongdae a short walk away. The café is open every day from 09:00, with last orders at 21:30, so it works for breakfast, an afternoon break or an evening coffee. Weekday mornings are the quietest time. Prices are in line with Seoul's other speciality roasters.

For anyone exploring Seoul's café culture, it pairs well with Fritz in Dohwa-dong, in the same district of Mapo, and Onion in Seongsu, which show the same idea of reusing older buildings in different ways.

The café is about seven minutes' walk from Exit 4 of Sangsu Station on Line 6, and also within reach of Hapjeong Station on Lines 2 and 6. The surrounding streets, between Hapjeong and Sangsu, are full of small restaurants, dessert cafés and independent shops, and the nightlife of Hongdae and the riverside parks along the Han are close by. Mapo Saebit Culture Forest, a small neighbourhood park, is just around the corner.