Haero Coffee

Haero Coffee sits inside a restored hanok in Seongbuk dong, the quiet hillside neighborhood above Hyehwamun known for its old diplomatic residences. The name takes its characters from growing old together, and the space lives up to it, a sunlit inner courtyard lined with potted roses and wooden benches, timber columns holding up the original tiled roofline, and a small side room with the roasting and brew bar.

The beans are roasted in house and rotate through a list that has run Nicaragua, Congo, Colombia and Ethiopia natural lots alongside an occasional Geisha, next to a standing Haero house blend for anyone who wants the same cup every visit. Coffee is brewed to order at the bar and carried out to the courtyard benches, where regulars tend to settle in with a book for longer than a quick cup usually takes.