The world famous “arch of Itaewon”. Suck it St. Louis!
Ah, Itaewon. The infamous foreigner district of Seoul. Well known for it’s eclectic international dining options, vibrant nightlife, and plenty of sleaze for those depraved enough to seek it out. I like it!
Now, I’m into the darting scene and I’d wager Itaewon hosts the greatest concentration of dart bars in the known world. But do you know what’s more ubiquitous than the pubs? Coffee shops! Korean’s surely do love their coffee.
Today I had occasion to be out and about in Itaewon during daylight hours and I decided to answer a question I’ve long pondered: just how far away are you from a caffeine fix should the need strike? Here’s what I discovered.
Starting at the arch pictured above, I walked 55 steps and encountered this bastion of a little known coffee chain:
It’s a long way from Seattle…
I ventured forward another 80 steps to find:
Ediya is a pretty large chain in Korea, but this is a rather small outlet.
And then I entered a coffee desert, walking around 140 steps before I arrived at:
I couldn’t be bothered to get a decent photo (I felt like a freakin’ tourist as was), but this coffeesmith is huge, the photo captures about 1/3 of its frontage…
Now, for those folks who can’t go that kind of distance without coffee, you might have the good fortune to encounter this:
The coffee ajumma and her cart of goodness…
Another 100 or more steps led me to a virtual coffee oasis:
Neal’s Yard Coffee on this side of the street…
And directly across the street there’s this:
A gigantic Tom N Tom’s coffee house…
And right next door to Tom N Tom’s:
An equally large Marley Coffee. Which strikes me as a more appropriate name for an Amsterdam-style coffee shop…
A short walk past the Hamilton Hotel and you encounter:
Holly’s Coffee, which appears to be larger than Tom N Tom’s and Marley combined…
And I think Holly’s next door neighbor is larger still:
Definitely giving Homestead the best signage award. I really dig that coffee cup!
If you don’t think bigger is better, you can just pop across the street:
To the second coffeesmith in Itaewon. Up until a couple of months ago, this was a Starbucks…
Onward we must go, and it isn’t far until we see:
A Nescafe cafe. Not to be redundant…
Or perhaps you like to dunk a donut in your coffee:
Have at it! Now, that NY Hotdog Coffee place is technically on a side street, and I’m limiting this expose to the main drag in Itaewon…
Less than a hundred more steps until you can quench your coffee hankering here:
The secret to a good cup of Joe starts with the bean, right?
I don’t know if this is German or not, but it’s next door to the establishment pictured above:
Hell, I don’t know what that is supposed to mean. Reminds me of the internet for some reason…
But wait, there’s more!
This is sort of a specialty dessert with your coffee kind of place. Or so I’ve been led to believe…
And then, right across the road you can get a coffee and chocolate craving satisfied…
And making like a bookend, Starbucks has also anchored the other end of Itaewon…
Another monstrous venue for coffee…
I’ve always considered the Cheill building to be the line of demarcation–Itaewon ends, Hannam-dong begins. Plus I used to live just behind the Cheil back in the good ol’ days…
So, there you have it. Roughly six city blocks and no less than 16 coffee houses. And that’s not counting places like McDonald’s and restaurants that will happily serve up some java upon request. Additionally, every alley and back street is replete with hole-in-the-wall style coffee shops..
And if you are broke and desperate, there’s always this option:
A taste of Joe for the Korean equivalent of 40 cents…
Now, I suppose regular readers may be wondering what the hell I was doing in Itaewon during daylight hours. The sad fact of the matter is I lost misplaced a key that I require, and the only place I know that makes American-style keys is in the heart of Itaewon. I figured if I was going to go through the hassle of making the trip in from Gireum-dong I’d at least generate a blog post while I was it.
And since I had to go on base to pick up some mail (what I hoped was a royalty check from my inherited oil leases, but alas, it was just the notice about Uncle Sam taking his fair share) I did a little shopping for some necessities.
Propane for the gas grill…
A resupply of diet Cokes. I squeezed 36 cans into my backpack, a new record, but quite the backbreaker. Why 36 cans all at once you ask? Because they were three 12-packs for ten bucks, or $4.50 each. Yeah, I’m a cheap bastard.
I also brought home an 8 piece Popeye’s chicken dinner and two Whopper Jr.’s (Jee Yeun loves them for some reason).
And so ends today’s big adventure.
Regarding the “dal.komm coffee” issue: it does look German, as “komm” is the imperative form of the verb “kommen,” i.e., to come. But the syllables “dal-komm” are probably a reference to the Korean adjective 달콤한 (“dal-kom-han”), i.e., sweet/sugary.