Café Sinola
Trendy cafes with bright and boisterous settings are all the craze in Korea right now, but for those who appreciate a moment of solitude while enjoying a coffee or cuppa, Café Sinola is the perfect place to seek refuge from the bustle of life.
Rustic interior with analog music
Image credit: @cafesinola
Café Sinola is a small outfit with a vintage and rustic interior – most of their furniture is made of wood.
Image credit: @2k_mi
It also has ceiling-to-floor windows that let in plenty of natural light, so when the weather is pleasant, customers can enjoy the street view while having their meals.
Image credit: @sosohansora
Café Sinola describes itself as a “tiny listening cafe”, which is the key highlight of its operation. Music in the cafe comes courtesy of vinyl records, which are played on a turntable. A different playlist is handpicked by the owner everyday, and the song titles are handwritten on a board.
Image credit: @6xjun
Customers are free to look through the cafe’s vinyl record collection, which includes jazz classics like Stan Getz’s Another World and Stéphane Grappelli’s Stéphane Grappelli ‘80.
Image credit: @soheelim_
The little cafe is further ornamented with framed scenic pictures and vintage posters, adding to the rustic old-fashioned feel of the shop.
Image credit: @youilmui
As the cafe is relatively small in size, the atmosphere tends to be quiet and tranquil, making it the perfect rest stop for people who are alone or for meetings that require little to no conversation.
Serves coffee, wine & pie
Image credit: @bluebjy
The cafe offers an array of items on their menu, from beverages to food.
Image credit: @bluebjy
Image credit: @youracccc
They serve a wide variety of coffee, including Dutch coffee and drip coffee, which cost from KRW5,000 (~USD4.00) to KRW6,000 (~USD4.80). They also sell tea (KRW6,000, ~USD4.80) and mulled wine (KRW7,000, ~USD5.60). Alcoholic drinks can cost up to KRW25,000 (~USD20.01).
Image credit: @beatificfrog
Image credit: @yy.geun
For food, they serve breakfast items such as half-boiled eggs, French toast, and American breakfast sets, which comprises eggs and sausages. They also offer affordable desserts such as walnut pie and tiramisu, which cost around KRW6,000 (~USD4.80).
Bring home a piece of the cafe
Image credit: @hyoiinn
The cafe’s name is littered around the interior of the shop, and can be found emblazoned on the cafe’s mugs and ceramic kettles.
Image credit: @cafesinola
Take home a piece of Café Sinola by purchasing their official T-shirt, which is a plain white tee with their logo printed on the front of it. It is made of 100% organic cotton and costs KRW45,000 (~USD36.01).
Image adapted from: @cafesinola
Coffee lovers are in for a treat as the cafe also sells their store’s signature coffee bean blends in ready-to-go bags, which cost KRW15,000 (~USD11.99) each.
Getting to Café Sinola
If you’re looking for an intimate cafe where you can surround yourself with nothing but analog music and your own thoughts, head down to Café Sinola to untangle your mind.
How to get there:
- Take the subway to Seoul Station.
- Head over to the Seoul Station Bus Transfer Centre.
- Take bus no. 7016 and ride 7 stops.
- Get off at Gyeonggi High School.
- After you alight, take a short 2-minute walk to Café Sinola.
Tip: Use Naver Map to navigate your way.
Address: 72 Cheongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM (Closed on Sundays)
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Also check out:
- Jangrimpogu: Try drone videography for free at this Busan port
- Tic Tac Toc: Kidcore cafe that looks like a set on Sesame Street
- Ssalssal Cafe: Rose bingsu & bungeoppang rice cakes
- Cafe Pepper: European-style cafe with gluten-free bakes
- Brady’s Coffee Bar: Vintage coffee & cocktail bar in Seoul
Cover image adapted from: @lazy.piece and @jebomi
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