Cafeography
테라스 카페 · Seoul

Outdoor seating cafés in Seoul

Terraces by Seoul Forest, decks above Euljiro and hanok courtyards north of the palaces.

Photo: 준섭 윤, Pexels License

A 테라스 카페 (terrace café) in Seoul can mean a sidewalk table, a hanok courtyard or the open deck of a 1960s arcade. The comfortable months sit at either end of summer. On Korea Meteorological Administration normals for 1991–2020, the mean daily high is 23.6 °C in May and 20.2 °C in October, against 29.0 °C in July and 30.0 °C in August.1

Rain is the other limit. The East Asian monsoon falls between June and July, typhoons can arrive from July to September, and July alone averages 414.4 mm of the city's 1,417.9 mm a year.1 Asian dust and emissions from Korea and China all affect the air.1 Seongsu-dong and Bukchon have the most outdoor tables, ahead of Jamsil, Gangnam and Euljiro.

Local tip: Plan terrace coffee for May or October, when mean highs sit at 23.6 °C and 20.2 °C; in July, Seoul's wettest month, pick a café with an indoor room as well.1

Where these cafés are: Bukchon & Samcheong-dong (7), Seongsu-dong (7), Jamsil & Seokchon Lake (6), Gangnam & Yeoksam (5), Euljiro & Chungmuro (5), Hongdae & Yeonnam-dong (4), Seocho & Seorae Village (2), Mangwon-dong (2), Sinchon & Ewha (2), Seochon (2), Hyehwa & Daehak-ro (2), Apgujeong & Cheongdam (2), Hoegi & Imun-dong (2), Itaewon & Hannam-dong (2), Ikseon-dong & Insadong (2), Sangbong & Mangu (2), Gwanghwamun (1), Seoul Station & Jungnim-dong (1), Bangbae-dong & Sadang (1), Eungam & Gajwa (1), Gireum & Mia (1), Sillim & Nakseongdae (1), Gongdeok & Mapo (1), Mullae-dong & Sindorim (1), Wolgye & Gongneung (1), Jangan-dong & Dapsimni (1), Konkuk University & Gunja (1).

At a glance

65Cafés listed
32With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: 브로벨커피로스터리, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–18:00).
  • Closes latest: 제비다방, until 02:00 (Daily 10:00–02:00).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (63%), open late (32%), card payment (26%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Seoul.

Seongsu-dong and Seoul Forest

Seoul Forest opened in June 2005 on ground with a long list of past uses: a royal hunting ground, one of the city's earliest water treatment plants from 1908, and from 1954 a racecourse.2 It is reached from Ttukseom station on Line 2 (exit 8) or Seoul Forest station on the Bundang Line (exit 3).2

The side streets named after the park hold several terraces. Mesh Coffee is at Seoulsup-gil 43, and momento brewers and Clementine (클레멘타인) are both on Seoulsup 2-gil, at numbers 19-18 and 5-1. Away from the park, Cafe Onion (카페 어니언) at Achasan-ro 9-gil 8 opens at 08:00 on weekdays and 10:00 at weekends and closes at 22:00, while Scene (쎈느) serves daily 10:00–21:00.

Decks above Euljiro

Sewoon Sangga, a row of eight Brutalist blocks designed by Kim Swoo-geun, went up in 1966 between Jongno 3-ga and Toegye-ro 3-ga.3 Daerim Sangga, connected to it, has cafés on its third floor: Horangii (호랑이), known for a tiger latte and seasonal fruit sandwiches, and Champ Coffee's third studio (챔프커피 제3작업실), whose signature is a flat white made with specialty coffee.4

Champ Coffee has outdoor seats and, unusually for these arcades, a roomy floor.5 Both share the address Eulji-ro 157. Vita Cafe+83 has outdoor tables on Cheonggyecheon-ro, and in Chungmuro, Loiter Coffee Shelter at Pildong-ro 53 does too.

Hanok courtyards in Bukchon and Seochon

Some cafés in hanok, traditional Korean houses, use the courtyard as their terrace. Namusairo (나무사이로), a roastery in a small converted hanok at Sajik-ro 8-gil 21 near Gwanghwamun, is built around a central courtyard where you can drink coffee or tea outdoors.6

In Bukchon, Cha Masineun Tteul (차마시는뜰, "the yard where you drink tea") on Bukchon-ro 11na-gil has seats inside and out. Onion (어니언) opens at 07:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends, and Cafe Gondry at Gyedong 2-gil 4 serves Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00–23:00. In Seochon, West Village at Ogin-gil 54 opens 10:00–20:00 except on Tuesdays, and Ra Cafe Gallery (라 카페 갤러리) on Jahamun-ro 10-gil runs Tuesday to Sunday until 22:00.

Gangnam, Hannam-dong and Seoul Station

South of the river, Alver at Gangnam-daero 102-gil 34 has outdoor tables and serves daily 10:00–23:00, and 달공장 카페 on Juheung-gil runs 10:00–22:00. nokk Coffee Bar Seolleung is on Yeoksam-ro 67-gil.

In Hannam-dong, Calf on Couch (카프온카우치) and Tri-Bar (트라이바) both have outdoor seating, on Hannam-daero 27ga-gil and Hannam-daero 20-gil. Near Seoul Station, The House 1932 at Mallijae-ro 35-gil 7 opens Monday to Saturday 10:00–22:00 and Sunday 11:00–19:00.

Sources

  1. Seoul: Climate (KMA 1991–2020 normals), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Seoul Forest, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Sewoon Sangga, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. 청계천 산책하다 들어가기 좋은 카페 5 (April 2025), GQ Korea, accessed October 2026
  5. 이번 주말 여기 어때요? – 청계상가 카페편 (September 2025), Marie Claire Korea, accessed October 2026
  6. 한옥카페, 커피향기·봄향기 맡으러 그곳에 가고 싶다 (2020), Lady Kyunghyang, accessed October 2026
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By area: Bukchon & Samcheong-dong Euljiro & Chungmuro Hongdae & Yeonnam-dong Itaewon & Hannam-dong Seongsu-dong Apgujeong & Cheongdam

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Seoul: questions

When is the best time of year for outdoor cafés in Seoul?

May and October, when the mean daily high is 23.6 °C and 20.2 °C on 1991–2020 normals. July and August average highs of 29.0 °C and 30.0 °C. The monsoon falls between June and July, typhoons can come from July to September, and July is the wettest month, with 414.4 mm of rain on average.

Where are the outdoor cafés near Seoul Forest in Seongsu-dong?

On the side streets named after the park: Mesh Coffee at Seoulsup-gil 43, and momento brewers and Clementine on Seoulsup 2-gil. Seoul Forest opened in June 2005 and is reached from Ttukseom station on Line 2 (exit 8) or Seoul Forest station on the Bundang Line (exit 3).

Which Seoul cafés have outdoor seating on the Euljiro arcades?

Horangii and Champ Coffee's third studio are on the third floor of Daerim Sangga at Eulji-ro 157, connected to Sewoon Sangga, the 1966 row of Brutalist blocks by Kim Swoo-geun. Champ Coffee has outdoor seats and serves a specialty flat white; Horangii is known for its tiger latte.

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