Tucked off a sleepy stretch of Hapjeong is our favorite location of Anthracite (앤트러사이트 커피), one of Seoul’s most respected coffeeshops. Standing in stark contrast to the city’s plague of cutie-pie cafes, this sprawling, almost steampunk-like space retains the industrial feel of its original tenant: a shoe factory. (Even the pour-over bar used to be a conveyor belt.) Massive roasting machines are your tip-off that this place is deadly serious about coffee. Definitely pick up a bag—it’s the kind of light-roasted grind you sip, not slug. A tempting selection of baked goods (frosted matcha tea cake, hello!), ample upstairs seating, and soft natural light make this a fine place to catch up with friends or fall into an Instagram-induced FOMO rabbit hole. Can’t make it to Hapjeong? Anthracite also has outposts in Itaewon and Jeju.
357-6 Hapjeong-dong, Tojung-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea; +82-2-322-0009.

Additional photos courtesy of Cartogramme