Five of the Best Cafes in Busan

If I'm going to spend time in a city, I want it to have a decent cafe scene. After all, what better way is there to break up a day of sight-seeing than relaxing in a cafe with a hot drink and local sweet treat?

I hadn't done much research into cafes in Busan and mostly picked places based on where we were going to be using Naver Map - a very handy app given that Google Maps doesn't work in Korea. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Busan has a surplus of independent cafes with unique decor and tasty food, meaning there is no need to step foot in a Starbucks!

Note for gluten-free travellers - I wrote this post before going gluten-free and I don't remember seeing any gluten-free desserts in the cafes listed here. They are absolutely still worth going to but just not on an empty stomach!

knockout, seomyeon

This was my favourite cafe in Busan and I probably could have visited more cafes if I didn't insist we go here three times. 

Knockout is spread out over three floors and two buildings with tons of seating and a rooftop terrace. Alongside the usual selection of drinks, Knockout also serves an incredibly refreshing watermelon juice. Out of the cakes and pastries on offer, Richard and I tried the egg tart, chocolate croissant and chocolate brownie. My favourite was the chocolate croissant which is served warm, making the gooey chocolate filling feel even more indulgent.

Open until 2 am, Knockout is neither a cafe nor a bar, nor a cafe that becomes a bar at night. It's a cafe-bar hybrid and despite being open so late, it has a surprisingly laid-back feel. I love the fact that, if I wanted to, I could order a chocolate croissant and a glass of red at midnight. What a luxury! 

Knockout's decor is fun and eclectic with neon signs and chandeliers. I even loved the entrance - tucked away down a small alleyway, you get the impression that you have left busy Seomyeon behind. Look out for the dolphin sign and follow the stone path to this effortlessly cool cafe. 

Address: 91-4 Dongcheolro, Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan - search Neok Out on Naver.

Closest metro station: Seomyeon

land mark 9, seomyeon

This cafe has more of an upmarket feel and the cakes and pastries are extremely pretty.

I chose the lemon meringue cake which consisted of layers of light sponge, zesty lemon filling and meringue icing. I like my lemon desserts to pack a punch and this cake didn't disappoint. Richard went for Land Mark 9's signature dessert - a custard and fruit-filled pastry which wouldn't look out of place in the window of a Parisian patisserie. The signature dessert also comes with a free drink of your choice, making it a great deal.

The main cafe is housed in a circular room with floor to ceiling windows, filling the space with natural light. The tables and seating are a mishmash of antique and retro-looking furniture which go perfectly with the vintage car that is sat in the entrance. The abundance of plants makes Land Mark 9 feel like an oasis, an oasis with incredibly good cake. What more could you want?! 

Address: 9 Jeonpo-daero, 199beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan

Closest metro station: Seomyeon

Good to know: you order and pay for cakes when you first walk in, where there is also a selection of savoury pastries. Drinks are ordered in the main cafe and thankfully there is an English menu.

po tid, seomyeon

PO TID looks like an old English bookshop from the outside, that is until you notice the cauldrons in the windows. It turns out that PO TID is a magic/Harry Potter themed cafe, something I did not expect to find in Busan! It's so dimly lit that it actually takes a while for your eyes to adjust, creating the impression that you're stepping into a cafe on Diagon Alley. 

PO TID specialises in cookies and ice-cream, with a few other desserts on offer. I had an iced matcha latte and a double chocolate cookie. While the cookie wasn't the best I've ever had, I really enjoyed it and it was pleasingly rich. It came with vanilla ice-cream, which honestly, was just okay. 

A lot of effort has been put into the decor - there are broomsticks hanging from the ceiling, rows of potion bottles, a skull, a cloaked figure and a toy train which chugs along above your heads. 

I imagine this cafe is busy on weekends, but we had no trouble getting a table on a weekday afternoon. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you don't want to miss PO TID. 

Address: 30 Jungang-daero 680beon-gil, Bujeon 2(i)-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan

Closest metro station: Seomyeon

Good to know: you're supposed to order form a touchscreen, but the friendly staff will help you out.

cafe rooftop, cheongsapo

This recommendation comes with a bit of a warning. If you don't enjoy watching amateur photoshoots of people posing with lattes, you might want to give Cafe Rooftop a miss. If like me, you find it quite amusing, you'll still be able to enjoy your time here. 

This was the one cafe that I had read about and it has a reputation for being very Instagrammable, hence the photoshoots. Cafe Rooftop is indeed very photogenic, but the fact that most people only seem to come here to take photos does spoil the atmosphere a bit. 

Having said that, the views were amazing, with the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. The staff were also really friendly and I thoroughly enjoyed my generous portion of cheesecake despite the fact that it was lacking a buttery biscuit base (shoutout to any UK MasterChef fans). 

One thing I really like about Korean cafes is that they tend to give you a basket to carry your drinks in. This makes things so much easier and the basket at Cafe Rooftop was extra pretty. 

I highly recommend exploring Cheongsapo while you're in Busan, but if you’re not keen on sipping your coffee to the soundtrack of rapid-fire camera clicks, you might want to go to the next cafe on my list instead of Cafe Rooftop

Address: 139-4 Cheongsapo-ro, Jung-dong, Haeundae, Busan

Access: We took bus number 100 from Haedong Yonggungsa temple to Daewoo Apartment and walked to Cafe Rooftop (about 20 minutes) from there. Bus number 2 also goes to Cheongsapo and there's a stop at Haeundae metro station. 

swallow, cheongsapo

I'm so glad we stumbled across this cafe! We were enticed in by the pastel pink exterior which we had spotted across the water while walking to Cheongsapo lighthouse. 

Swallow's bare concrete walls and floors give it a slightly industrial look, but it is also very chic, with super stylish furniture and lighting. It's the kind of cafe that, in another location, could feel a little too hipster, but in easy-going Cheongsapo it is completely unpretentious. 

Aptly enough, as we were enjoying our drinks, we saw the cafe's namesake birds darting about in the orange-pink dusk. Even if you don't see any swallows, the coastal view is the perfect backdrop for a relaxing cafe break.

Address: 590 Jung-dong, Haeundae, Busan 

Access: Swallow is a short walk from Cafe Rooftop, on the street facing the lighthouses.  

Would you like to visit any of these cafes? What other cool cafes should I check out next time I'm in Busan? 

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