These days it feels like all the hot new shops have gathered in Hongdae. I pick up information about good places from blogs and various channels, and there are just too many I want to try. So whenever a reason to head over comes up, I end up hitting a whole run of good spots in one go.
Paul & Paulina
Before buying dessert, first things first: secure some food. Plenty of window bakeries have opened lately, but even after going around to a lot of them, there aren’t many as good as this one. The line is always long, but I had no choice and joined it myself.
Suave, a fresh caramel specialist
I’ve been going often lately because of the macarons. This time I got them to take out.
MOBSSIE, a chocolate cake specialist
A famous shop in this neighborhood. It’s always packed, so you have to put your name down and wait to get in.
Hot chocolate
Moderately rich. The marshmallow that comes with it is the point. I wouldn’t go so far as to say there’s nowhere better, but around Hongdae I doubt there are many places doing it this well.
Chocolate cake
Freshly baked and piping hot. This is the item that made the place as famous as it is. Maybe because it’s so high-calorie, even a little of it fills you up. I’d recommend avoiding it before a meal.
Le Petit Four
This one is another popular dessert shop. It’s on the second floor, and roomier than I expected.
The entrance
On weekends there were way too many people. Weekdays get quite a lot of visitors too.
Macarons
The designs are flashy. These days there are so many macaron specialists that I don’t find them particularly special. There’s also a well-known place called Macaron near Hongdae’s main gate, and Suave does macarons really well too. The other cakes didn’t feel especially distinctive either. Which just goes to show how many dessert shops Hongdae has gained.
Cup ice cream
The ice cream, though, is competitive.
Raspberry and pistachio ice cream
It tastes fresh and light, quite different in feel from the usual Häagen-Dazs sort of ice cream. Being ice cream, the problem is that it isn’t easy to carry home unless it’s winter. They don’t exactly hand you an ice pack either…
Hongdae has quite a few cake specialists you’d never spot from the street and little-known back-alley gems. Unfortunately I don’t live in that neighborhood, so I can’t check them off one by one. With new places flocking to Hongdae in droves the way they are now, it’s a shame the distance is so far, but all I can do is console myself by working through the old classics in other neighborhoods.