Kihara

Kihara is a small cafe set between two houses up the hill from Hyochang Park in Yongsan, on Imjeong ro 11 gil, a residential lane most visitors to the district never see. It works only with the Finnish roaster Frukt and has no espresso machine, so the focus stays on filter coffee brewed by hand.

A single EK43 grinder and a few Origami drippers sit behind the counter, and the filter list is wide. The space is intimate, with locals working and others tucked away with a book. Kihara is the Finnish word for curl. The cafe is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, opens at ten on weekdays and at nine on weekends, and closes at six on every day it is open.