#292 John & Jin’s Cafe @ Myeongdong, Seoul
Vivian and I were shopping along Myeongdong on day 4 of our Korea trip last January but since I am not a crazy shopaholic (unless I am in the mood for it) and I was still very tired and jetlag from my trip at Vancouver, I decided to sit down in the cafe on my own since Vivian is also very comfortable shopping by herself. I am very particular when it comes to cafes in Korea as I prefer those serving waffles and gelato over the ones serving honey bread and pretzels, as mentioned in my previous post. Thank goodness I found John & Jin’s and just settled over there.
John & Jin’s Cafe
I totally forgot what is the address of the cafe but it is in the same building as Dog Cafe at Myeongdong. It is on the second floor of the building while Dog Cafe is on the 4th floor.
(You will see some mascots such as Snoppy, as portrayed below, pointing to where Dog Cafe is located at)
According to instagram maps, it is located in the pointer below.
The picture below shows the location in foursquare map.
John & Jin’s Cafe is quite a small cafe and it is a cafe on it’s own. It does not have many branches like other Korean Cafes such as Tom & Toms, Caffe Bene and Holly’s Coffee! It has it’s own signature design as seen above, which is rather adorable. The cafe serves food such as sandwiches, burgers, milk tea, waffles, honey bread and not to forget the most important beverage in Seoul – coffee! The server is not a very friendly person though. He just takes your order without smiling and does not leave much of an impression due to his nonchalant attitude.
While waiting for Vivian, I ordered a plate of 아몬드 녹차외플/Almond Green Tea Waffle. The dessert came with two liege waffles topped with almonds and syrup and served with a scoop of green tea gelato and slices of banana at the side. I am a green tea/matcha fanatic and would love all my desserts to be green tea/matcha flavored so this order was the perfect one for me to relax and enjoy my wonderful delicacy. I am certainly glad that Korea has an abundance of green tea and yam flavored beverages and desserts for all to enjoy. The Almond Green Tea Waffle costs 8,900 won, which is equivalent to CAD$9.20 / USD$8.32 / SGD$10.48. It is relatively cheap as compared to Canada, United States (or similar to) and Singapore. The liege waffles served at Nero costs CAD$11+, excluding tax. In LA, flavoured waffles at Honeymade costs USD$7-8+ without ice-cream. In Singapore, plain waffles with only a scoop of ice-cream can cost you SGD$12-14. Therefore, I think that waffles in Korea might be an expensive dessert in Korea itself but cheaper compared to the other countries I have lived in previously.
Ratings for Almond Green Tea Waffle: 4/5★
When Vivian came back to the cafe, I ordered a cup of 핫쵸코/Hot Chocolate to go as the weather is really nasty outside and Myeongdong is an outdoor shopping street. Unfortunately, hot chocolate served in the cafes of Korea tastes too sweet for me so I should get hot tea instead the next time I visit. It costs 6,000 won (~CAD$6.21 / USD$5.61 / SGD$7.06) In contrast to waffles, hot chocolate is way more expensive in Korea and Singapore as compared to the States and Canada.
Ratings for Hot Chocolate: 2/5★
PAYMENT METHODS: CASH/CREDIT
Nearest Station: Myeongdong
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Service: 4/10
Food (Taste & Appearance): 6/10
Value: 7/10
Total: 6.38/10★
Want to take a rest and add sweetness into your life while shopping at the streets of Myeongdong? Head to John & Jin’s today!
