9 Mega Awesome Places to Get Patbingsu in Seoul – Seoulistic

9 Mega Awesome Places to Get Patbingsu in Seoul

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Patbingsu is a favorite food for those sweating out the heat during the summer in Korea. It has that sweet (but not too sweet) red bean that Koreans love to put on their desert dishes, shaved ice to cool you down, and lots of other awesome goodies. Read on to see how you can beat the heat in Korea with these awesome patbingsu restaurants in Seoul!

 

동빙고 (Dong Bing Go)

Famous Head Freeze

This is one of the more famous patbingsu restaurants in Seoul, and you know this place is going to be good if it only sells this one summer treat and is still making some bank. Enough so that you’ll most likely have to wait outside and get a number to get a seat. In addition to the standard patbingsu–red bean (adzuki bean) shaved ice desert–they also have mixed grains bing su (미숫가루), green tea bing su (녹차빙수), coffee bing su (커피빙수), and royal milk tea bing su (로얄밀크티빙수). Have a head freeze any way you like!

Address: 서울 용산구 이촌동 301-162
(Seoul, Yongsan-gu Ichon-dong 301-162)
Map: Google Maps
Closest Subway Station: Seobinggo Station (Jungang Line) & Ichon Station (Line 4)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

Meal Top (밀탑)

Shaved Ice Desert – Rich Ajumma Style

Meal Top has been around for a minute, and it’s built up a reputation for being ultra awesome at patbingsu. It is located on top of Apgujeong’s Hyundai Department store, one of Korea’s most expensive and trendiest places to shop. But don’t let that scare you off. Really rich ajoomas and poor college students alike end up at this not-that-expensive patbingsu joint to get a bunch of different awesome types of bing su to cool off. In addition to their famous milk bingsu (밀크빙수) theres also a slew of other menu options such as strawberry bingsu (딸기빙수), fruit bingsu (과일빙수), coffee bingsu (커피빙수), etc. Rich ajooma hang out spot ftw!

Address: 서울시 강남구 압구정동 429 (현대백화점) 5F
(Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Apgujeong-dong 429 Hyundai Department Store 5F)
Map: Google Maps
Closest Subway Station: Apgujeong Station (Line 3)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.



Artisée (아티제)

Minimalist Patbingsu

Although Artisée is a chain, don’t dismiss this is as one of your potential Korean summer cool down spots. Artisée is a chain desert shop in Korea that is known to have really good macarons, some sweet cakes, and really bomb patbingsu (some bloggers say that the taste is very similar to the really famous Meal Top patbingsu place noted above). The beauty of their patbingsu is in its simplicity: soft and milky ice, sweet (but not too sweet) adzuki beans (pat), and 4 hearty squares of rice cake (tteok)–that’s it. With delicious patbingsu, a 13,000 won price tag for a serving for two, and locations all over Korea, you’ll need a pretty darn good excuse not to check this one out!

Chain Cafe – Go to the official website for all official listings.
Maps: Shinchon (3rd fl of hospital), Yeouido, Gwanghwamun
Closest Subway Station: n/a
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

희동아 엄마다 (Huidong’s Mom)

Love You(r Patbingsu) Mom!

Huidong’s friends must be really jealous. Located in the trendy Samcheondong area of Seoul, Huidong’s mom runs a cafe that is among all the other cafes in the area. But the one thing that separates Huidong’s Mom with every other cafe run by other Korean mommy’s and daddy’s is that on top of her milk patbingsu, she puts her homemade, super soft, powdery and delicious injeolmi (인절미), a sweet powdery rice cake. It’s homemade and made fresh daily. All of that for a steal of a price at 12,000 won for a serving of two. “Yo, Huidong! Where’s your mom!?”

Address: 서울 종로구 소격동 104
(Seoul, Jongno-gu Sogyeok-dong 104)
Map: Google Maps
Closest Subway Station: Anguk Station (Line 3)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

호밀밭 (Homilbat)

Cool and Awesome in Each Bite

If you don’t like waiting on lines for super famous patbingsu, don’t go to Homilbat. This patbingsu cafe has a following big enough that it literally goes out the door. But if you’re sweating your butt off and near the Shinchon/Ehwa area, this is the perfect place to satiate your craving for some cool Korean desert snacks. They stay true to serving fresh ingredients as you can’t get certain fruit bing sus if they’re not in season. But the real key to this famous patbingsu joint is they give you the shaved ice and the red beans (adzuki beans) separately so you can decided how much coolness and how much awesomeness (respectively) you want in each bite!

Address: 서울 서대문구 창천동 4-77
(Seoul, Seodaemun-gu, Changcheon-dong 4-77)
Map: Google Maps
Closest Subway Station: Ehwa University Station (Line 2)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

Azabu Cafe (아자부카페)

Fishy Patbingsu

Not the most appetizing title, but these fishies are a little different. Azabu Cafe is a chain cafe in Korea that specializes in Japanese taiyaki (Korean name: gungeoppang), which are cakes shaped like fish with red adzuki beans inside. They sell the baked cakes separately just as snacks, but since the little fishies already have some sweet red beans inside, you can double up the fishy fun by adding them to the top of your patbingsu. If that’s too much sweet red adzuki beans for your taste, you can always order other cake fillings–such as cream cheese, custard, sweet potato, bacon cheddar cheese (wtf?), etc.–for your fish cake!

Chain Cafe – Go to the official website for all official listings.
Maps: Apgujeong, Ehwa University, Myeongdong (inside Shinsaegae Department Store), Express Bus Terminal (inside Shinsaegae Department Store)
Closest Subway Station: n/a
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

405 Kitchen (405키친)

Green Tea Bingsu in Hongdae

Hongdae is home to countless cafes that undoubtedly serve their own versions of bing su, and Kitchen 405 is no different. But instead of making their name on the worn and tried red bean ice desert, Korean food bloggers love this cafe for its green tea bingsu (녹차빙수). A refreshing welcome to a desert world dominated by red beans. Their green tea shaved ice is visually a work of art, but really… If you’re making plans right now to check out this cafe in Hongdae, you’re going for their shaved ice covered in organic milk, sweet red beans, green tea powder and topped with Korean rice cakes (tteok).

Address: 서울 마포구 서교동 405-13
(Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seogyo-dong 405-13)
Map: Google Maps
Closest Subway Station: Sangsu Station (Line 6)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

Beans & Berries (빈스앤베리스)

Fruit Mountain Patbingsu

This Korean cafe chain is more known for their normal cafe stuff (coffee, tea, ice blends, etc.). But Beans & Berries also do patbingsu right. Or at least they do it their own way, and their way is mad good. They got 4 different types of patbingsu: Milky Berry, All the Berry, Green Tea Milky and Mango Ice Shower. You can probably tell by their names what the differences among them are. But the common denominator with all these is the mountains of fruit, ice cream, nuts, yogurt, and of course red bean that you’ll get on top of their shaved iced milk. Get loads of good stuff into your tummy and just… chill out (sorry, it was just too tempting! ;)).

Chain Cafe – Go to the official website for all official listings.
Maps: 63 Building (inside, 1st floor), Shinchon, Samsung Station (Near Coex), Gangnam Station, Seoul Station, City Hall (in basement of building)
Closest Subway Station: n/a
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

Snowmounteen (스노우마운틴)

Patbingsu Drink, Yo!

For those of you who may think patbingsu might be the same the world around, think again. This ice cafe serves their own simplistic, non-topped version of patbingsu (called snow ice) and patbingsu as a beverage. The patbingsu in a cup is more than just a novelty. They give you those big tapioca straws that’ll allow you to suck up the tapioca balls and of course the sweet red adzuki beans too. It’s flat out awesome. While everyone in class is drinking lame ol’ Americanos, you’ll be drinking patbingsu in a cup with some swag! Also, check out their “snow ice” offerings, which comes in flavors of milk, lychee, mango, coffee, peanut, carrot, etc.

Chain Cafe – Go to the official website for all official listings.
Maps: Apgujeong, Hongdae (7th Floor of Bldg), Myeongdong (basement of Lotte Department Store), Dogok, Jamsil (basement of Lotte Department Store)
Closest Subway Station: n/a
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

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.

13 Comments

  1. jaja says:

    Your comment…i love iceberry at sinchon!!

  2. Helen says:

    best list i’ve seen yet. wholly informative and tons of tempting options — thanks!!

  3. birdscout says:

    Your comment…Thanks for this great post! I’m so glad I discovered your blog because I’m going to visit Korea next month (after 41 years since emigrating!) and your blog has so much information that I can use. I’m going to try as many pat bing su variations as I can while I’m there! 🙂

  4. Elizabeth says:

    None of these are very close to where I live in Miari Gogae 🙁 I love your site. I just moved here and your site has been really helpful and a i love the videos, i hope you are able to keep it up and keep updating because it is really great. Thanks!

  5. Ain says:

    i miss patbingsu!!!

  6. Kyle says:

    I remember when I first got to Korea and I ordered patbingsu I ate it without mixing it. I thought it was the most disgusting thing haha. My favorite is patbingsu with tons of ddok.

  7. Hana says:

    Meal top & Homilbat!!! THE BEST!

  8. waffle says:

    Hey Keith, I’ll be in Seoul during the last two weeks of October this year. It will be much cooler by then, but do you think patbingsu will still be available? Thanks for all the recommendations, hun.

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