One of the things we love about Korea is how past and present are able to coexist together. Cafe Low Roof manages to do that with its unique cafe concept located near Bukchon Hanok Village.
Modern Storefront, Traditional Backyard
Walking past Cafe Low Roof, we’d never expect it to have a traditional hanok building in its backyard because they seem completely unrelated. From the outside, Cafe Low Roof looks just like any other cafe in Korea, with a sleek and minimalistic design.
There’s a coffee counter where you can view the bakes available at a glance and a small indoor seating section.
Once you’re done placing your order, you can step into their backyard, where there are seats placed in the yard (along with heaters for winter) with a view of the hanok.
You can also find seats in a more traditional setting, where you have to take off your shoes and sit on the floor.
To be more precise, the hanok you see in the backyard is known as Hwigyeomjae, which was built in the 1920s. The term hwigyeom means that the leaders of society should be humble and show respect to others and was named in hopes that the residents would be humble and caring of others.
Menu at Cafe Low Roof
The cafe serves mainly coffee and dessert such as financiers and scones. You can also find cakes with pear & ginger mousse, wine chestnut mousse, and seasonal verrines.
They also have a short deli menu with items like Chilli Jam Croissant Sandwich (9,000won) and Crown Daisy Pesto Cold Pasta (9,500won).
For coffee, you can find standard drinks like americano (5,000won), café latte (5,500won), and flat white (5,500won).
Signature Cream Latte
We went for the Signature Cream Latte (6,000won) which is available in iced only. The drink was on the sweet side and had strong vanilla notes, which is great for those who can’t take bitter coffee.
They have 2 blends here, the Classic has the sweetness of milk chocolate, paired with a nuttiness and gentle fruit fragrance while the Seasonal blend is fruitier, with a smooth caramel note.
Chestnut Cream Croissant
The Chestnut Cream Croissant (8,000won) was filled with chestnut cream and an actual whole chestnut served with a sprig of rosemary. The combination was new to us, and we got some notes similar to the Chinese almond dessert, along with cinnamon.
Cafe Near Anguk Station
If you ever find yourself visiting Seoul thanks to the Korea VTL, Cafe Low Roof makes a nice coffee/photo spot whenever you’re in the Anguk area. You can visit Gyeongbukgung or Bukchon Hanok Village while you’re here as well.
Cafe Low Roof
46-1 Bukchon-ro, Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tues-Sun, 10am-8pm, Closed on Mondays
Nearest Station: Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 2
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.sg.
*Follow MiddleClass.sg on Facebook and Instagram for more food, travel, and trending stories!