Dog and cat cafes are well-known in Korea, but did you know that Seoul also has a sheep cafe? The Thanks Nature Café in Hongdae has two ridiculously cute, little sheep. The sheep don’t often walk around freely, but they have a small home on the outside side of the coffee shop. I was there for several hours and only saw them walk around the shop for a few minutes at a time.

The sheep are very well groomed, and while the area they live in is small, it is cleaned often by the staff. The animals seem happy. But how could they not be with names like Love and Happy?

The menu has a lot to offer. Waffles range from plain (5,000₩) to quattro (12,000₩). There is honey bread (5,000₩) and a mozzarella tomato sandwich (6,000₩). For beverages, there are coffees, lattes, fresh fruit ade, and yogurt smoothies. I was also surprised to see bottled alcohol, including Hoegaarden (6,5000₩) and Asahi Dry (8,000₩). The Thanks Nature Bingsus (shaved ice) are adorably presented in Pyrex measuring cups.

My favorite bit of the coffee shop was seeing peoples’ expressions when they saw the sheep. Also, it’s great to listen to Koreans’ conversations with and about the sheep. I’m not sure if some of them had ever seen livestock before. Also, interesting how many people complained about the smell. Maybe because I’ve often been around animals before, but the smell was not offensive to me at all.

Keep in mind that if you want to see the sheep, they are not at the cafe in the summer because of the heat and humidity.

Hours: 11:00 - 23:00

Directions: Take line 2 to the Hongik University Station. Emerge from exit 9. Walk down the main street to the first intersection you come to and turn left, up the hill, towards the main gate of Hongik University. Thanks Nature is on the left side of the street, but on the basement level, so keep a sharp eye out. It’s beneath Café Cantada.

Address: Mapo-gu Seogyodong 486 Seogyo Prugio Sangga B121 Zip 121-842 마포구 서교동 486 서교푸르지오상가 B121, Seoul, Korea 121-842 Ph

Phone: 02-335-7470