If you find yourself walking along the main street in-between Hangangjin and Itaewon, its quite hard to miss Anthracite Coffee with its two stories and courtyard with outdoor seating. The Hannam location is one of the cafe's seven branches. Most locations are in Seoul, however there is also a branch on Jeju Island and one in Yongin, each with a different vibe.
This café is a huge multi storied place, yet in the past it was incredibly busy. On multiple occasions I have visited the café only to find no seats available. However because of corona’s devastating impact on Itaewon and it’s surrounding areas, it’s much easier to get a seat in the huge café these days.
The ground floor is where you order and while it does have some seating available, the first and second floors are where most of the seats are. The café has a wide variety of seating arrangements. From bench tables, to tables for 3 or 4 to even larger communal tables for many, all of which are a nice height for working. This makes the cafe a great place for working as well as socialising. Also in the front courtyard outside, you can often dogs with their owners, meaning it’s dog friendly outside.
The café’s interior is industrial, but with the addition of plants, it gives the space a nice balance to not feel too cold and empty. The main point is a large garden centre piece on the first floor. Moreover, the café has a lot of windows that let in natural light as well as give you a lovely view of Hannamdong.
I ordered an iced milk tea and a lamington. The milk tea was well done and had a nice consistency and strong flavouring. Naturally as an Australian, I was excited to see a lamington on the menu. A lamington is an Australian desert that is usually a sponge covered in chocolate sauce and shredded coconut. This lamington wasn’t traditional at all, but for me it was better than an authentic one. The cake wasn’t a sponge at all and was unique consistency; dense but creamy. And rather than having a chocolate outer it was covered with a thin layer of cream and on top of that was shredded coconut. There was a little bit too much coconut, so it was a little messy. But regardless, even though it wasn’t traditional, it was very delicious.
In dead beat terms, Anthracite Coffee is a versatile café that will suit all of your needs. Even though it is a franchise, it still offers great quality goods and has a great interior.
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