A list of fantastic bookstores and book cafés for Seoul-goers to take a break from busy attractions and settle down with a good read.
Whether you’re looking to buy a good book or just want to soak up that paper-and-ink smell, these are ten bookstores and book cafés in Seoul you don’t want to miss out on.
Book Park Lounge
What started off as a waiting room in one of Seoul’s coolest performance venues has since become an attraction in its own right. Book Park Lounge is famous for its five-story book display and unique but understated aesthetic.
Pay an entrance fee that gets you a free drink at the Lounge’s café and while away the hours. Its collection holds thousands of books and there are tons of comfortable nooks to sneak away to where you can read in private.
Check Grow Book Café
Located on the top two floors of a 9-story cultural center, the Check Grow Book Café offers an amazing view of the cityscape and an even more amazing menu. The light wooden interior and stylish design make it a delight to spend a few hours in, with comfortable single and group seating available.
If for whatever reason you don’t like the top floors, you can head down to the 6th floor garden plaza – also equipped with a decent selection of books – and relax there, instead.
Coffee Laon Library
Another book café chain, Coffee Laon Library’s various branches can be wildly different, depending on where you go. However, they tend to be more focused on the study-work aspect of a book café, providing amenities such as a digital catalog for their library collection, charging ports, and in some locations, even a copy machine.
A few recent branches have an almost zen quality, with a pristine white design with artistically positioned plant life and, in the case of the Gwangmyeong GIDC branch, an indoor gravel garden. Although the branches can be very different, they all promise a quiet space for either focusing on your work, collaborating on a group project, or de-stressing with a book.
Cafe Comma
Cafe Comma is a book café chain created by a publishing company, each with high bookshelves filled with a wide selection of books that patrons are free to browse while sipping on their latest seasonal drink.
As a chain, there are quite a few Cafe Commas you could check out, but one of the most popular is in Hongdae. That’s partly because of the slightly off-beat design that gives it a unique, stylish flair, but also because it was used as a set in the K-drama Tomorrow with You.
Yokmang Book Café
This is a book café for aspiring entrepreneurs and future business moguls. Owned and run by a business YouTuber named Jacheong, this café’s book selection focuses on finance and all that’s needed to get a business up and running, hosting regular book clubs and discussions on those very topics.
Yokmang Book Café also provides an unusual but handy array of amenities, including ear plugs, blankets, hair ties, and vitamins.
Salon de Chogo
Though book cafés are quite popular in Seoul, you don’t see a lot of book bars, making Salon de Chogo a rare gem. This bar and literary salon has a library anyone can browse, but if you’re interested in reading the book of the month, all you have to do is order the latest signature cocktail, which the owner carefully concocts based on the recommended book.
Enjoy the relaxed, laid back vibe while reading or while attending the salon’s regular open mic night.
The Forest Chosochaekbang
This former police box is now a popular café and literary haven at the base of Inwangsan Mountain. In the middle of the woods, many hikers use it as a rest-stop before or after a long trek. Its book collection reflects its surroundings, primarily focused on nature and environmental topics.
At night, you can get a fantastic view of Seoul’s city lights from its outdoor rooftop terrace.
Sojeonseolim
Sojeonseolim is a chic, artsy space that combines an art salon with a pay-to-enter library. Its collection holds 30,000 books on literature, art, and philosophy, and the art salon half hosts live art performances, lectures, and other literary and art events.
The only downside is you need to pay for a rather pricey membership to get access to Sojeonseolim’s events and a good chunk of its collection – and even then, that membership only pays for up to three hours a day of library use. And anyone who’s ever gotten lost in an interesting subject matter knows just how quickly a few hours can fly by.
Bookers
Though in a fairly home-like building, Bookers is decorated in a very artistic, secondhand museum-type fashion with a small indoor fountain, miniature Grecian columns, and a contemporary spiral staircase. It creates an interesting juxtaposition that might feel like a mishmash to some, but altogether, the book café is charming.
Tucked away from busy crowds, it makes an effort to provide a space that is both unique and welcoming, with a solid lunch menu and signature lattes. It also has a decent collection of clothes and Korean books for sale, but even if you can’t read Korean, it’s a nice escape.
Dangin Book Plant
This two-story book café has a bookstore on the first floor and a simple but pleasant café on the second. The ground floor doesn’t give off the typical indie feel of most independent bookshops, but is more like a miniature version of a general chain store, selling bestsellers, stationary, and miscellanea. It’s good for a look into Korea’s latest literary hits.
Meanwhile, the café offers a quiet, relaxing space to read and unwind off the beaten path.
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Odessa
K Lou
K. Lou is a writer born in the U.S. who found her way to Japan through a spiritual calling—or, more precisely, better access to tea. She writes about travel, culture, and the occasional creative piece, inspired by her enduring love of books. This love began in high school when K. Lou carried books around to avoid seeming odd while lost in thought. Once she started reading, she never stopped. With zero regrets, she continues to explore the written word and invites others to join her in celebrating its varied forms.
