10 of The Best Cafés and Dessert Spots in Banpo-dong Seoul (2017)

When people talk about Banpo-dong (盤浦洞) and the Express Bus Terminal station, most often than not, the talks would be surrounding its underground shopping streets, shopping malls (such as Famille Street) and perhaps the Banpo-dong Bridge Rainbow Fountain. But the fact that the area also houses Seorae Village, Seoul's "Little France", has made it an unbelievably popular landing spot for European influenced cafés and dessert spots. Here is a list of our favorite cafés and dessert spots that should make your trip to Banpo-dong worthwhile.




(1) Maison M'O Patisserie
The brainchild of pastry chefs Tetsuya Otsuka (大塚哲也) and Lee Min-sun who got to know each other during their time at Pierre Hermé Tokyo, Maison M'O Patisserie has quietly established themselves as the best French patisserie in Seoul. Nestled in a calm residential area near Naebang station, they offer one of the widest selection of French desserts in the city with over 40 different varieties ranging from classic French pastries like mille feuille and Paris-brest to some of their own creations like their signature Mont blanc M'O (I heard they only make 6 pieces of those per day). If you have just enough for one dessert spot in Banpo-dong, this is the place you should be visiting for sure.

Address: 22, Bangbae-ro 26-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 070-4239-3335
Website: www.maisonmo.com







(2) Maillet
Maillet was already one of my favorites before they made their move from Itaewon to the buzzing Seorae Village. The husband and wife team there continued to dazzle us with some of the best authentic French pastries including their choux pastry and citron tart. On most days, it's impossible to get a table there without waiting at least half an hour or so but it's definitely worth the wait.

Address: 106-6 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-749-1411
Website: www.facebook.com/maillet.seoul






(3) Gontran Cherrier
With all the success Gontran Cherrier had in Tokyo, it was just a matter of time before the famed French baker expands to the rest of the Asian mega-cities. He made the right call picking Seoul as his next destination after realizing the city's slow but gradual growth into a gourmet capital. Situated in the heart of Seorae Village, Gontran Cherrier is the place where you are guaranteed to find some of the best quality French bread and pastries in Seoul.

Address: 25 Seorae-ro, Vision Tower G/F, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-599-0225
Website: http://gontrancherrier.kr/






(4) Napoleon Bakery Café 1968
Napoleon Bakery Café is a luxury French bakery and dessert café that started back in 1968. The premium bakery brand has a number of branches in Seoul and is known for its list of exquisite (and expensive) French pastries which include my personal favorite ganache bouche (7,000 won) and mont blanc cake.

Address: 797-18 Bangbaebon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-536-5546
Website: www.inapoleon.co.kr





(5) Queens Park
Located just next door to Napoleon Bakery Café 1968 on Bangbaebon-dong, Queens Park is a cake shop and casual diner all under one roof. Personally, I have always enjoyed their desserts far more than their savory food with the fig tarts and carrot cheese cakes highlighting one of the most exciting dessert menu in Banpo-dong.

Address: 797-13 Bangbaebon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2534-4054





(6) Patisserie Kim Young Mo
Home grown French pastry shops (patisserie) are tough to come by in Seoul and out of the very limited options, the eponymous patisserie by awarding-winning Korean patissier Kim Young Mo is considered one of the top five in the business. Hidden inside a residential area in Sinbanpo, Patisserie Kim Young Mo offers some of the best French influenced pastries in town with its chiffon cakes, chocolate cakes, fruit cakes and tiramisu leading the charge. Plan your visit to this place early coz their bread and cakes tend to go fast and furious.

Address: 100 Sinbanpo-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-3481-2004
Website: www.k-bread.com





(7) Thank you Cake by DORE DORE
DORE DORE is one of the most popular dessert chains in Seoul and it's virtually impossible to find a shopping mall without their presence. Located inside Central City where the Express Bus Terminal station is housed, Thank you Cake is yet another concept brought to us by DORE DORE with some of their signature creations including the always popular rainbow cake series, giving us another option to spend our afternoon tea time.

Address: Shop 120, 1/F Central City, 176 Sinbanpo-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-6282-2060
Website: www.doredore.co.kr/thankucake/






(8) Frank's
Frank's signature rainbow series have finally arrived at Famille Street (or Express Bus Terminal) giving their fans a much more convenient location to work with. While their rainbow roll cakes continue to be their best seller, we have reasons to believe that their cheesecakes also deserve some love from those with a sweet tooth.

Address: Famille Street, 176 Sinbanpo-ro, Banpo 4(sa)-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-3479-1092






(9) Gelati Gelati
The number of artisanal gelateria is growing rapidly in Seoul but in Banpo-dong, I still pretty much rely on Gelati Gelati to provide me some of the freshest homemade gelato. Their selection of gelato might not be as exciting or funky as those from places like Fell+Cole but their quality is among the best in the field. 

Address: Shop 11, Famille Station, Express Bus Terminal, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-6282-3281





(10) Billy Angel Cake Company
Of course, I would never leave one of my favorite cake shops, Billy Angel Cake Company, in the dark. Located in the food hall of Shinsegae Department Store at the Express Bus Terminal, Billy Angel Cake Company offers some of the best chiffon cakes the city has to offer. But if you're into crepe cakes like me, you should be all over their rainbow crepe cakes.

Address: Food Hall, Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam Branch, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 02-3479-6040
Website: www.billyangel.co.kr




Other travel tips in Seoul:

(Also see: 10 of The Best Cafés and Dessert Spots in Hongdae Seoul)

(Also see: 10 of The Best Cafés and Dessert Spots in Sinsa Seoul)

(Also see: 10 of The Best Cafés and Dessert Spots in Itaewon Seoul)


How to get there:
Take Subway Line 3, 7 or 9 to Express Bus Terminal Station or Line 9 to Sinbanpo Station.


10 best top cafes, dessert spots and cake shops in Banpodong, Gangnam, Seoul (near Express Bus Terminal)

Tsui Hang Village 翠亨村 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I can't remember exactly when was the last time we visited Tsui Hang Village but I bet it's at least 2 to 3 years ago already. While I was hunting for a place to have our family gathering for my little one's 16th month dinner (Yeah, we're celebrating every month...), Tsui Hang Village suddenly came to mind.



The dining room was about 80% full when we got there. Not bad for a Friday night crowd.

 

Double-boiled pig's lung soup with almond cream and pork (杏汁燉白肺湯) ($268) - We haven't had pig's lung soup for a while so I ordered this for everyone. I am often weary of having pig's lung soup that tastes more like Chinese almond tea (杏仁茶) so I had my fingers crossed on this one but surprisingly, it was milky and rich with almond flavors yet not overpowering to the degree that you can't taste the flavors of the pig's lung and pork. This is highly recommended for all you soup lovers.



Crispy minced carp cakes and crispy bread topped with milk custard (鍋貼牛奶拼香煎魚餅) ($148) - Of course, we won't come to a restaurant best known for their authentic Shunde and Hakka-style dishes without trying a couple. This is one of my personal favorites and a house specialty that shouldn't be missed for all your visits to Tsui Hang Village. I particularly liked the deep-fried milk custard with the crispy batter and silky smooth milk custard sandwiched together. Very good stuff.



Scrambled eggs with crab meat and black truffle paste (黑松醬蟹肉菊花蛋) ($228) - The scrambled eggs were pretty creamy but I thought they had a little too much black truffle paste on it so that kind of overshadowed the flavors from the chrysanthemum.



Shunde specialty baked fish intestine with egg (鳳城雞蛋焗魚腸) ($168) - Back with more Shunde specialty. I used to have this dish all the time at home when I was little so this brought back a lot of memories. But I didn't remember the egg as so crusty on the outside. Thought it ruined the texture of the fish intestine a little.



Stewed goose and ginger in sweetened vinegar (古法彭公鵝) ($188) - Another famous dish from Shunde region which didn't draw particularly good reviews from the five of us. Everybody concurred that the sauce tasted a bit like Chinese ginger and sweeten vinegar or geung cho (薑醋) which Chinese women love to have after their pregnancy. And the fact that the goose meat was a little on the hard side certainly didn't help.



Deep-fried bean curd with minced shrimps and crispy garlic (大漠風沙琵琶脆皮豆腐) ($128) - All the deep-fried stuff are getting some love tonight. After the crispy minced carp cakes and deep-fried milk custard, this was the second most sought-after dish and who could complain. The thin-battered bean curd was nicely done with savory minced shrimp in the middle. Pretty delish.



Everyone decided they didn't want dessert tonight. At least not right here at Tsui Hang Village coz Nakamura Tokuchi Honten (中村藤吉) downstairs looked a little more exciting.

Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 507, L5 FoodLoft, Mira Place One, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2376-2882
Website: www.miradining.com/tsui-hang-village-tsimshatsui

Dolce 88 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Dolce 88, a deli and café located on the lobby level of Marriott Hong Kong, was once one of my favorite cake shops around town. But since the departure of executive pastry chef Jason Licker, the quality of their pastries has been on a steady decline.



I was hoping that they have things turned around but judging from what I've seen from their display today, perhaps I was getting a little too optimistic.



Whisky tonka bean cigar ($54) - I picked this strictly out of curiosity. What looked like a Cuban cigar was actually tonka bean cream wrapped with a sheet of delectable chocolate. The tonka bean cream was lightly flavored with whisky and filled with popping candy from top to bottom. This was pretty decent although I was expecting much stronger flavors from the whisky.



Praline chocolate choux ($54) - Less successful was the next pastry, praline chocolate choux. I had a bit of an accident on my way back and the pastry took the worse of it obviously.

I thought the choux pastry would be a little more crispy but this was more on the hard side. And I expected praline to play a bigger role in this but that wasn't the case at all. So the results turned out to be pretty disappointing for this one.



Sadly, Dolce 88 never seemed to get back on track since chef Licker left a few years ago. I am not entirely sure if I will give them another shot in the foreseeable future.




Food Rating: 4.5/10
Address: Lobby, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2810-8366
Website: www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hkgdt-jw-marriott-hotel-hong-kong/