In between the two main palaces of Seoul, on the Changdeokgung Palace side, is Fritz Coffee. This Wonseo branch, is one of three around the city.
Being in one of the oldest parts of Seoul, this cafe is in an interesting place, sandwiched in between two contrasting buildings. On one side, is a 19th century style building, complete with ivy covering the whole side of the building, and on the other side, a modern building made of glass and shinny steel.
These two buildings were separated by the Fritz coffee courtyard, which has it’s own completely different style; Korean hanok style (Korean traditional style building). Though different, the cafe fit well between the two differing building styles, as well as the overall ambiance of the palace area.
The main way to enter the café is a small opening in the wall of the courtyard. This was also the main seating area of the café, with a large monument in the centre of the space. And to the right of the courtyard was a small hanok style building that was also for seating.
The ordering part of the café is in the modern area of the café. This space, which has a bakery and giftshop was very small, so felt it a little cramped, even despite social distancing. Despite this, the café had a very nice selection of bakery goods.
My friends and I sat out in the courtyard. The courtyard was paved with large stone tiles and dirt, and this made the yard’s surface uneven. This meant that the chairs and tables would wobble. Despite this it was nice to sit and enjoy the fall leaves, even despite the overcast weather. Also, since majority of the seating was outside, this made the space more suited to socialising.
For our drinks, I ordered a hot chocolate and my friends got an iced and hot ammericano. The café is well known for its package design, in particular the cup design, which we saw first hand. My hot chocolate had a nice flavour, but I found the serving size to be too small. Not only was the cup small, but also the drink itself was only filled to three quarter, which was disappointing. As for the coffee, my friends both agreed the coffee was very good, both in iced and hot form.
We also shared a sausage pastry, cheese tart, cinnamon cruffin and nut caramel pastry. All of the baked goods were absolutely delicious, and I would definitely travel there again just for the baked goods. The nut pastry and cheese tart were my favourites. They also came cut into four quarters, which was a nice touch since we were all sharing.
If you’re around the palaces this is a nice café to visit. In dead beat terms, this is a nice outdoor café that has top quality baked goods. While the drinks could have been a better value for money, the bakery goods are worth every cent. The café is also a nice place to enjoy a chat with friends among an aesthetic backdrop where modern and classic come together.
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