cafe BonDn

My first impression was the sheer number of photos covering the walls. Black-and-white photos were packed edge to edge, and they seemed to be pictures of people who had spent time at Café BonDn.

I’d been curious about this place ever since seeing photos people had posted of it, so I was really looking forward to finally visiting. It was surprising to find a café with this kind of old, worn-in feel inside a building like this, right in the middle of downtown.

I asked the owner which of the acidic coffees would be good, and he recommended the Ethiopian. It had a soft, easy-to-drink acidity, not too strong. Since I came early in the morning, he ground the beans by hand with a hand mill and made me filter coffee. He said it tastes different from beans ground with an electric grinder, and since things were quiet right then, he had the time to grind it by hand.

One cup wasn’t quite enough, so I had a latte as well. The latte was also soft and nutty — just right. He seems to have real skill at making delicious milk foam.

The café space itself is very distinctive. It makes use of the old building’s structure — there was even a piano and a table out in the hallway. Little objects like that are placed here and there throughout, and they make the space feel richer.

There are a lot of plants at the entrance, a lot of photos, a lot of posters — this place has a lot of everything. And I think that’s exactly what makes it such a good space.

There’s a real pleasure in slowly looking through all the photos covering the walls.

The inside is quite small, but apparently there’s more seating for enjoying your drink beyond just the ordering area.

The café looks like something out of a movie scene — like stepping into a café I’d only seen on TV or in films. The contrast between the turquoise-colored window and the red chair is stylish.

The shelf under the ceiling is packed with LP records. The owner seems to really know his vinyl.

He suddenly asked what kind of music I liked. I told him that since it’s winter, I’ve been into Sibelius lately, and he found the record and put it on the turntable for me. Hearing good music like that out of nowhere, it felt like being at a listening session.

The owner was a cheerful person and a great talker. He told me that after leaving his previous job and trying out different things, he realized he loved working with people, and he turned coffee — which had been a hobby — into his profession, opening this café. Photography and music, he said, were hobbies from his earlier working life — but they come across as far more than just hobbies; there’s a real professional feel to them. He said the café has only been open for about a year. Given the atmosphere, I’d assumed it was a much older place, so it was surprising to hear it was so new.

Asking him about how he brews coffee, and listening to stories about things that have happened at the café, I found myself thinking about how long it had been since I’d talked this much with a stranger at a café I was visiting for the first time.

The owner was making the café into more than just a place to sell coffee — a comfortable space where people can meet and connect with each other. Maybe that’s why, that day, it felt like I’d stepped into a scene from a faded old film, met the owner, fallen into easy conversation, and enjoyed a relaxed cup of coffee.

Lately I’ve felt a bit sad about how cafés seem to be becoming more and more alike, so it’s reassuring to know there are still owners out there running a café with their own thinking and their own values. And it’s a relief, too, to know that many people are looking for — and want to experience — spaces like this.

Info about cafe bondn

Opening hours: 9am - 7pm

Price range: 5,000won - 7,000won

Address: 28, Sejong-daero 18-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea