Gwanghwamun Cafes Worth a Visit: The Coffee Bean SFC Mall Mugyo CBTL

Translated from the Korean original.

A cup of coffee in Gwanghwamun – The Coffee Bean Mugyo, SFC Mall

Gwanghwamun, the very heart of Seoul. Walk around Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanghwamun Square long enough and, at some point, your legs grow heavy and you start longing for a cafe. That is exactly when The Coffee Bean Mugyo CBTL, tucked into the basement of SFC Mall (Seoul Finance Center), hits the spot. It is a regular hangout for Gwanghwamun office workers and a great place for tourists to take a short break.

Location and access

SFC Mall is a one-minute walk from Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5. It connects directly to the subway, so you can get there without an umbrella even on a rainy day – a real advantage. Sejong Center, Kyobo Book Centre and Cheonggyecheon Stream are all within walking distance, making it the perfect rest stop in the middle of a Gwanghwamun tour.

What makes The Coffee Bean Mugyo special

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) is a premium coffee brand that began in Los Angeles and has built a solid following in Korea as well. It tends to be quieter and less crowded than Starbucks, which makes it good for working on a laptop or reading.

The recommended drinks are the iced vanilla latte and the Ice Blended series. The blended drinks in particular are cool and sweet, which makes them a popular way to round off a summer outing in Gwanghwamun. Prices run around KRW 5,000-6,000 for an americano – a little higher than an average cafe, but understandable given how pleasant the space is.

A Gwanghwamun cafe tour route

Cafes with all kinds of personalities are packed into the area around Gwanghwamun. Starting from The Coffee Bean Mugyo, I would recommend a route that takes in the independent cafes near the Kyobo Building and then the terrace cafes along Cheonggyecheon Stream. See Gyeongbokgung Palace in the morning, browse Kyobo Book Centre after lunch, and in the afternoon enjoy a stroll along Cheonggyecheon together with a cafe tour – that makes for a full and satisfying day.

Gwanghwamun is where history and the present meet most dramatically in all of Seoul. On these streets, where a Joseon-era palace coexists with 21st-century high-rises, take a moment to enjoy the calm of a warm cup of coffee.

📍 Location: SFC Mall basement, 32 Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (The Coffee Bean Mugyo CBTL)
🚇 Getting there: 1-minute walk from Exit 2, Gwanghwamun Station, Subway Line 5
⏰ Opening hours: Weekdays 07:30-22:00 / Weekends 09:00-21:00 (please confirm with the store)