Well known for its simple designs and fresh coffee, Alex the Coffee is no stranger to the café industry. The Yongin location, from where the beans are brought daily, was awarded the Red Dot Design Award in 2013 for its ability to “convey the authenticity of the coffee,” and the Seongbuk-dong location, which opened late last year, doesn’t fall far from the tree. After ordering coffee from the first floor, you can take your drink to any spot on the second floor that’s available. While the menu has your typical Americano, there are slightly more interesting options such as the Alexano, the Fat Americano and the White Blanc. Lounge jazz music plays throughout the café and a portion of the seating area on the second floor resembles a greenhouse. Having an ice coffee in the café’s outdoor space during the summer could be killer, but we were warned that there are already lines out the door every weekend.
“Oh, Seongbuk-dong is very beautiful,” remarks the taxi driver as he drives along the Bugak Skyway to get to Alex the Coffee. In the morning sunlight, there’s hardly a shadow from one architectural marvel to the next. Weaved into the neighborhood are relics of the past: Late author Choi Sunu’s hanok, the villa of 1900s merchant Yi Jong-seok and the teahouse, Suyeonsanbang, once home to the late author Yi Tae-jun. The significance of these places seems especially pronounced in contrast to the Western-style churches, embassies and diplomatic residences. The latter establishments have made for an unusually large demographic of foreigners in the neighborhood, despite its relatively long distance from central Seoul. Late last year, the current head of the Seongbuk-dong district office, Kim Young-bae, announced his plans to turn this neighborhood into more of a tourist attraction, hence the number of hotels, brunch cafés and Airbnb listings in the surrounding area. On a weekday morning, the streets are nearly empty save for a group of 50s-something Korean hikers and the occasional mother and son combination (Seongbuk-dong actually won a UNICEF Child Friendly City certificate in November 2013). Outside the quiet cafés, there’s the distant sound of construction, and you can’t help but hope that no one will demolish Seongbuk-dong’s intrinsic beauty.