Indie Coffee Shops: Bucheon’s Cafe Lua

A while ago we did a video about our Favorite Korean Coffee Shop in Seoul. Since then we’ve been to many many coffee shops in search of new unique and comfy hang out spots. We honestly spend a good chunk of our lives in coffee shops as we love to edit our movies in a bustling artsy atmosphere. Also because we’re just artsy fartsy people…who spend most of their time in coffee shops. Anyhow, we’d like to talk more about these shops, since they’re such a big part of our living in Korea.

What we want to say about Coffee in Korea, first of all, is that things are different here from what we’re used to. Back when we were in University, we would spend hours at our local Starbucks in Toronto. They had a chill atmosphere, with comfortable couches and fireplaces and decent music. We’d bring our books and laptops and work and study there with other local students until it closed.

Here in Korea, though, the major chain coffee shops aren’t the same. They’re crowded– a looooot more crowded. Chairs and tables are crammed together so as to fit as many people in there as possible. They’re not comfortable, and – unfortunately – the coffee is different here as well.

To begin with, you can’t really get a plain cheap “coffee.” Drip coffee is both uncommon and expensive. Only Starbucks and some Dunkin Donuts serve drip coffee, but because it’s not popular, it’s usually old or really reallllly weak. I’m talking, transparent coffee. If you want hand dripped coffee you can find it, but it’ll cost you: around $5.00 – $6.00 for a teacup of coffee. Hand dripped coffee is delicious at the right location, but it’s finished quickly and too expensive to get a second cup.

The drink of choice in Korea is Americanos (espresso + hot/iced water). It’s almost the only thing most Koreans order, so in Martina’s personal opinion (she is actually a trained coffee shop barista) the other Espresso based drinks are neglected. Milk is steamed without a thermometer (horror!!!!) and the foam is so airy that it goes flat faster than a soufflé on a trampoline. Did we also mention the price? Espresso based drinks begin at $4.00 and go up to $6.50, so it really upsets me to get a cappuccino made with no foam. So how can you find a good coffee shop in Korea?

You’ve got to head to the indie coffee shops instead. From what we’ve noticed, the people working there are really obsessed with coffee and it’s been their dream to open up a good shop. The ones that aren’t part of a big corporation are run by people passionate about coffee. That’s where you’ll get the good stuff. And, what’s more, these indie coffee shops have such a cool vibe that we’ll gladly sit at them for hours.

Today we’re introducing one of our favorite indie coffee shops. It’s right here in Bucheon (woot woot!) and we hope you come check it out. It’s Bucheon’s Café Lua, and it rocks

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It’s sandwiched between Bucheon City Hall and Central Park. You’ll see apartments on the corner, and Café Lua will be on the first floor. If you’d like, call them at 032-326-2241. Yeah!

In the future, we plan on highlighting a few other shops that we like as well. If you have any coffee shops you think we should check out, please let us know! We get all dorky excited over stuff like this! Thanks go out again to JB and Annie from [닉쑤] Enjoy Your Happy Life~* for the Korean subtitle translations! Bless em!

Oh, and since some people have asked for the music for our videos, here’s the link to the song for this video, if you’re interested:
Cafe Lua by simonandmartina

Tagged As:

Bucheon, Korean Coffee, Korean Food, Life in Korea

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