Questo Gelato Bar 퀘스토 젤라또 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★☆☆☆

We all know the bustling Seongsu neighborhood for its hipster bakeries, cafés, and restaurants, but the area around neighboring Ttukseom Station has also undergone a serious transformation in recent years. What was once a stretch of auto-repair shops and warehouses has experienced a quiet renaissance, with many of those spaces now converted into sleek modern boutiques, cafés, and bakeries.

I decided to take a closer look at a few of these spots before hopping on the subway to my next destination.

My first stop was Questo Gelato (퀘스토 젤라또), a highly rated artisanal gelato bar just a short walk from Ttukseom Station. 

The shop rotates 8 to 10 flavors daily, often including refreshing Korean melon and intensely rich pistachio. However, I was in the mood for something nutty this afternoon.

Salty milk pecan — Made primarily with French sea salt for a rich, savory depth, and topped with crunchy candied pecans for what was meant to be a sweet-and-salty balance.

Unfortunately, for a milk-based gelato, it lacked the creamy, milky texture I expected from a good scoop. The candied pecans were a nice touch, but they didn’t provide enough sweetness to balance out the saltiness.

Beyond the underwhelming gelato, what really soured the experience was the hospitality. The server (presumably the owner) came across as complacent and at times, outright rude when I asked about prices of each scoop and how to use the payment machine. Everything was in Korean, and since I don’t speak the language, a little patience would have gone a long way. Instead, he seemed reluctant to offer any help.

Food Rating: 4.6/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 8-30 Seongsu-dong 1(il)-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Ttukseom

Tel: +82 0507-1418-9926

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm daily

I’m Donut? Seongsu (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★★☆

My favorite donut chain, I’m Donut?, has expanded heavily into Seoul last year, with three locations in the trendy neighborhoods of Seongsu, Hongdae, and Gangnam (inside Shinsegae).

Known for their melt-in-your-mouth “nama donuts” (raw/fresh donuts) made with chewy rice flour, their signature treats are famous for an incredibly fluffy texture. In Seoul, they’ve introduced Korea-exclusive flavors like bossam (pork belly) and seaweed glaze to tame the taste buds of Seoulites.

As a huge fan of I'm Donut?, I decided to swing by for a quick breakfast the moment I arrived in hipster Seongsu-dong. his is their flagship branch, and not surprisingly there were over 30 flavors to choose from — classic signatures, cream-filled varieties, savory options, and of course the Korea-exclusives.

Breakfast time!!! 🍩🍩🍩

Maple prosciutto (₩4,800) — While the Bossam collection looked like the perfect savory breakfast choice, I went with this one instead — two slices of prosciutto (premium Italian dry-cured ham) on top of a maple glaze. The salty notes played really well with the sweetness. Not bad at all.

Muscat grapes (₩5,200) — But this one was even better.



The natural sweetness of the Shine Muscat grapes really shone through beautifully against the custard cream and fluffy dough. I loved it.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much of a line at the flagship store. In fact, another viral bakery called Haz Bakery just a few steps away had an even longer queue.

Food Rating: 7.1/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 316-50 Seongsu-dong 2(i)-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Seongsu

Website: https://www.instagram.com/imdonut.kor/

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily

Le Chemin 르슈망 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

After more than an hour of wandering the narrow, winding alleys of Haebangchon including a stop at the revitalized Sinheung Market, it was time for a quick drink. The choice came down to two of the neighborhood’s most popular cafés and patisseries — Le Montblanc (르몽블랑) and Le Chemin (르슈망).

Le Chemin, a highly sought-after French pastry café tucked into the hillside, is widely celebrated on social media for its beautifully crafted seasonal “Namsan Mont Blanc” cakes that perfectly recreate the iconic N Seoul Tower. Beyond the viral cakes, it also earns high praise for its authentic French canelés, which feature a deeply caramelized, crunchy crust and a remarkably smooth, custardy centre.

Unfortunately, on this afternoon visit the selection was very limited. Other than a hazelnut cake, the only things left were different flavors of canelé.

Iced milk tea (₩6,500) — Like most milk teas in Seoul, it leaned heavily on milk and sweetness. This one had almost no caffeine in it, although I probably didn’t need any to stay awake today.

Chestnut canelé (₩4,500) — At a French patisserie I would normally try something more sophisticated, but after tasting nearly half a dozen pastries since arriving in Seoul, I wanted something simple this afternoon. 

Their highly touted canelé fit the bill perfectly. Underneath the crunchy crust was a sweetened chestnut compote. Not bad.

My chill-out time was drawing to a close. I didn't notice the sun had already disappeared, so it was time to head to tonight's dinner venue, a place I have been looking forward to since making the reservation last month.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 1–2F, 101-1 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Tel: +82 010-2764-0674

Website: https://www.instagram.com/le.chemin_seoul/?hl=en

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm (Mon - Tue, Thu - Fri), 12:00pm - 10:00pm (Sat - Sun)