CHIZN 치즈앤 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

With about 45 minutes to spare before a highly anticipated lunch at y’east, I decided to put the time to good use by stopping by a few cafés near Dosan Park. My first stop was CHIZN (치즈앤).

CHIZN is a popular dessert café known for its ultra-creamy, melt-in-your-mouth Basque cheesecakes and seasonal fruit cakes. Co-founded by Lee Jin-seok (of Netflix’s Single’s Inferno 3 fame), the café draws steady crowds with its distinctive mix of Western cheese-centric desserts and traditional Korean architectural touches.

While their seasonal fruit cakes including a tempting fig shortcake, looked pretty promising, I had my sights set on the signature Basque cheesecake right from the start.

Celebrated for its soft, fluid, and exceptionally creamy texture, CHIZN’s Basque cheesecakes are often praised for striking the perfect flavor balance. The lineup rotates, but two regular crowd-pleasers are Vanilla Bean and Ssok Matcha (mugwort matcha).

Vanilla Basque Cheesecake (₩8,000) — The molten center was rich and deeply fragrant, with a caramelized “burnt” aroma that proved highly addictive.

The only minor blemish was perhaps the excessive amount of moisture at the base, which left the cake slightly wetter than ideal. But for the most part, I have enjoyed both its flavor and texture thoroughly.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 645-28 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Apgujeong

Tel: +82 0507-1452-6999

Website: https://www.instagram.com/chizn.kr/

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