8 Cafes in Korea to Get Free Refills and Save Money – Seoulistic

8 Cafes in Korea to Get Free Refills and Save Money

Drinking coffee in Korea can be an expensive habit if you spend a lot of time in cafes meeting friends or studying. But luckily for you, we’ve found 8 places to get decent coffee in Korea without breaking the bank. Find out how you can get free refills for coffee, traditional Korean tea, ice crea, and even bread!
(click images for sources)

 

Free Coffee Refills in Hongdae – “the Famous Lamb”

Back in one of Hongdae’s secret coffee alleys in Donggyo-dong (few blocks down exit #1), there’s a local hotspot that’s extremely popular with the local Hongdae residents. With great outdoor seating, fantastic sandwiches, and free drip coffee refills, you can see why. They even have a wide range of high-end coffees such as Kenya AA, Columbia Supremo, and Ethiopia Sidamo. If that’s not enough, they also have excellent fruit smoothies. With free refills and excellent coffee, it’s an excellent and cost-efficient place to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Open: 8:00AM – 11:00PM (Sunday’s open at 10:00AM)
Address: 서울시 마포구 동교동 203-30 (click here for map)
(Seoul, Mapo-gu, Donggyo-dong 203-30)
Check out some pics from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

Tip 1: Saturdays and Sundays are quite busy.
Tip 2: Summer can be busy as the outdoor seating is pretty popular.

 

Refillable Coffee in Incheon – “3rd Floor Coffee House” (3층 커피집) 

This refill specialty cafe in Incheon might very well be one of the most cost-efficient cafes in the city. For any drink ordered, you can get Americano (hot or ice) refills all day and night (open 10AM to 2AM). Not a fan of Americanos? No problem, it’s still a relatively cheap Incheon cafe  considering you can get any other drink for 1,000 won after your first order. Not bad! On top of that, they have a wide range of other beverages includin fair trade coffee, traditional Korean teas, and fresh fruit juice.

Open: 10AM – 2AM
Address: 인천시 남동구 구월1동 1463-2 로데오플라자 (click here for map)
Incheon, Namdong-gu, Guwon-1-dong 1463-2 Rodeo Plaza)
Check out pics from this Korean blogger.


 

Refillable Ice Cream in Apgujeong – “The Quad” (더 쿼드) 

If you’re going to find a cafe in Apgu, it’s expected to have a decent design. This ice cream cafe lives up to Apgujeong’s reputation with a spacious and elegant seating area. Even better is they’re one of the few ice cream cafes in Korea that offer free refills. With free refills for yogurt ice cream (limit 1), grapefruit smoothies made on the spot, and an excellent green tea bing su, you should definitely check out this cafe in Apgujeong.

Open: 9AM – 12AM
Address: 서울시 강남구 신사동 622-3 (click here for map)
(Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Shinsa-dong 622-3)
See a few pics and watch a few videos from this Korean blogger.

 

Super Girly Korean Cafe – “Miss Lee Cafe” (별다방 미스리) [Chain] 

With an icon that looks like she just came out of a comic book, this Korean cafe has a young student feel. Take a look at the pictures (see links below) and  you’ll be shocked at the amount of notes pinned up to the wall. If you’re a couple that wants a cute couple experience, head over here to write each other cards for your 100th day. They also offer free refills for any drink selection, which includes Korean teas. If you need more than that to tickle your fancy, order food, read comic books, or eat some free Korean snacks (과자)!

Maps: Myeong-dong location, Daehakro Location, Anguk Station Location.
Check out reviews and pics from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.
Check out their official website.

 

Refill Cafe at Mindelle Yeongto (민들레영토) [Chain] 

This Korean cafe is a chain frequented by many college students for its cost-saving refill system.  For 5,500 won get a specialty drink, and several refills thereafter. The drinks aren’t anything to write home about, but more than anything, it’s just a place to hang out with your friends or significant other. Pay a total of 11,000 won for a 3 hour coffee date and enjoy the free wifi and each other’s company. It’s a great place for thirsty people to hang out and get some free wifi.

Maps: Shinchon, Hongdae, Jeongno (near Myeongdong), Jeongno (near Jonggak)
Check out reviews and pics from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.
Check out their official website.

 

Free Coffee and Bread Refills at Tree Shade aka Rest Tree (나무그늘) [Chain] 

This Korean cafe caters to not only coffee and tea drinkers, but to hungry coffee and tea drinkers. In addition to being another cafe in Korea that offers free coffee and tea refills, it also offers unlimited servings of bread. Pick up any book to read while you head over to the self-service bar, where with any purchase you can drink coffee and tea to your heart’s content and pile on three different types of bread to make up for missing your breakfast. Try not to go overboard though; they ask for 5,000 won for any left over/uneaten bread.

They have locations all over Korea. Check out their official website for all their official locations.
Maps for Seoul branches:  Gangnam Station, Geondae, Noryangjin, Dapsimni, Shillim, Samcheong-dong, Wangsimni. Yeongdeungpo (in Times Square Mall)
Check out pics from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

Free Americano, Latte, Cappuccino Refills at Cafe Jakiya (자기야) in Hongdae 

Most of the free refill venues on this list offer free coffees, but coffee drinkers nowadays are so much more diverse than just a black cup of coffee. At another one of Hongdae’s back alley coffee streets, Cafe Jakiya not only offers free Americano refills, they also have free refills on lattes and cappuccinos. If you like to sit and study for a few hours at a time, order a latte or cappuccino and choose any of the three for your refill (if you order an Americano, you only get Americano refills). Sandwiches and cakes are also available.

Open: 12:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Address: 서울시 마포구 서교동 332-22 (Click here for map)
(Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seogyo-dong 332-22)
Check out pics from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

Free Americano Refills at Dorothy and Pie (도로시) in Samcheong-dong 

Any list of cafes in Korea would be incomplete without  a cafe from Seoul’s famous Samcheong-dong cafe street. On top of being one of Seoul’s coolest cafe streets, it’s named after Dorothy of Wizard of Oz fame. Say hi to Lion and Tinman on your way in to get yourself some of their popular pecan pies. While you’re at it, get an Americano (with refill) to wash it all down. If you’re not a fan of Wizard of Oz, maybe you’ll like the cool dog that hangs out with the customers.

Open: 11AM – 10PM
Address: 서울시 종로구 삼청동 58-1
(Seoul, Jongno-gu, Samcheong-dong 58-1)
Check out pics from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

Tip: If you read Korean, check out this list of free refill cafes in Korea.


Language tip:
리필 (ripil) – refill
리필 주세요 (ripil juseo) – please give me a refill

Keith
Keith
Keith Kim is a Korean-American who has been living in Korea for almost a decade. Being in a unique position as both a Korean and a non-Korean, he's put all his experience and knowledge for surviving in Korea in Survival Korean . Read it to learn how you can survive in Korea. Follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

6 Comments

  1. Keith says:

    thank you for reposting! 🙂

  2. myra says:

    A lot of people should really read your blog…Imagine enjoying your cup of coffee and saving a few bucks at the same time…:)

  3. Keith says:

    Yes, I think more people should read it too 🙂

  4. Rebecca Kiew says:

    Do you guys know any cafe that has live band performance? It would be great to listen to those non-mainstream local artist performance.

  5. Marlis says:

    I wanna visit korea once:)

  6. Media One says:

    Thank you for this list. I used a similar article for Singapore when I made several business trips there. It’s so great when there are cool places to eat or just work on your laptop.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *