I have had a bunch of coffee shops sitting in my email cache for a while and thought I would just clear them out. As always, if I end up going to one of these places in the future, I will expand on their comments. If it’s good enough, I will create a separate post. For now, bask in the mass of coffee options in the Jeonpo/Seomyeon area of Busan, South Korea!
135. 1 Liter Coffee (Seomyeon): Remember in a previous post when I posted about “The Liter” coffee shop? You would be forgiven if you were thinking, “Coffee Man, why are you posting about that same place a second time?” Oh, but I am not, grasshopper. This is “1 Liter Coffee.” Ignore that the fonts, color scheme and theme (a shot of espresso and huge-ass cups filled with hot water to give the impression you’re getting a seriously big-ass coffee) are exactly the same, and you might be able to tell them apart. This is not the first time this has happened in Korea, and it’s likely not the last. I did get a cup of coffee here (aforementioned “big-ass” size), with an extra shot of espresso (for 500 won more, still not bad price at all) and it was fine. Unnecessarily large, but fine.136. Bricks Coffee (Seomyeon): A very cute coffee shop in a bustling section of downtown Seomyeon. A friend of mine regularly hosts Thursday night board game nights here.137. Ethiopia (Seomyeon): On the main road that separates Seomyeon with adjacent Jeonpo, the owner of this indie coffee shop at one time came out to my table to give us samples of a cold brew of his. A Korean friend was able to tell us that he was asking us to let the coffee settle on the back of our tongues before we swallowed, and this was a coffee to be enjoyed instead of chugged. Nice place, decent coffee.138. Coffee Salon (Jeonpo): The word “salon” appears to be used improperly on a number of coffee shops. Or, I just never knew it could be used in this way. Anyway, I went here once and their ordering system has you ringing a bell (a freakin’ bell!) and the coffee man comes to your table to take your order. Unnecessarily posh for any of us.139. Corcovado (Jeonpo): Located near the too-post Coffee Salon. This place was fine. But, in the Korean coffee game, “just fine” means, “I’ll never be back.”140. Cafe Drink B (Jeonpo): On a second floor near numbers 138 and 139. When I first moved to this area earlier this year, I thought this place was closed as it was, indeed, closed all the time. In the past several months, it has been open normal business hours. Never been inside, though.141. Cafe J. Mi (Jeonpo): In Korea, 재미 (jae-mi) means to be fun, to be enjoyable. So–and I cannot confirm this–it appears this cafe is playing up on the Korean words for “to be fun.” Maybe? The interior looks cold and far less fun than I’d care to experience, however.142. Speedjobs with cafe (Seomyeon): The name of this place just makes me giggle.143. Dundas (Jeonpo Cafe Street area): Oh, Korean coffee shop, why? Why didn’t you use spellchecker before you had the sign maker note your “spetialty”? Have yet to visit.144. Hafencity (Jeonpo Cafe Street area): “a Cup a day, a Book a month, a Journey a year.” Wise words that may or may not have been lifted from the Internet. This cafe and the remaining two following it are in a section of the popular “Jeonpo Cafe Street” area that still are industrial-majority (you can see as much in the window’s reflection). The whole area at some point was various welders, craftsman, repairman and the like, which have been over the past several years or so shut down and been replaced by restaurants, coffee shops and so on. I was enjoying an early Sunday morning ride when I stumbled upon these, on side roads one would have likely not assumed a coffee shop would exist. They do, because this is Korea. And Korea likes coffee.145. The Bridge Coffee Lab (Jeonpo Cafe Street area): Sounds like super secret experiments are taking place within.146. K’Cafe 835 (Jeonpo Cafe Street area): Peakaboo, I see you!
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JPDdoesROK is a former news editor/writer in New Jersey, USA, who served a one-year tour of duty in Dadaepo/Jangnim, Saha-gu, Busan from February 2013 to February 2014. He is now a teacher in Gimhae.
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