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Pandemic Travel Update: After two years of being largely closed to foreign nationals, South Korea finally has reopened to vaccinated and even unvaccinated travelers. However, pre-departure and arrival testing as well as other conditions apply. If you are not in Seoul already, be sure to check this helpful guide from Korean Air for up-to-the-minute details related to your specific departure location. Double check to make sure that specific attractions of interest are open for the dates of your visit, too.

Oppa, Gangnam Style. Odds are good that when Psy's YouTube breaking song first hit the Internet in 2012, few outside of Korea who didn't work in real estate knew that Gangnam (강남구) even referred to a neighborhood.

Although the Kpop industrial complex has moved onto newer groups, Gangnam remains one of the most expensive areas in Seoul. What Koreans also likely picked up on — and foreigners typically did not — is that Psy's hit song was mildly subversive and mocks the often ostentatious and superficial luxury that Gangnam can represent.

Of course, Gangnam is a gigantic area, and it isn't fair to stereotype everyone who lives in the district. For someone who grew up there in the 1970s or 1980s when it was just a fairly modest suburb overtaking what had previously been farmland, it must be quite surreal to have witnessed just how much property prices exploded — and how the people changed — in the subsequent decades. Meet someone who actually is from Gangnam and they often will express a quiet mixture of pride and embarrassment about it. Gangnam has many of the best schools, particularly for learning English; and no doubt there are plenty of people who live there not with the goal of appearing wealthier than they really are, but rather to try to give their kids the best start in life they can.

Nevertheless, even a short visit to the northern end of Gangnam most likely to be of interest to a tourist — Sinsadong (신사동), Apgujeongdong (압구정동), Cheongdamdong (청담동), or Samseongdong (삼성동) — is enough to have a better understanding of the song. With its metro stations plastered wall-to-wall in ads for nearby plastic surgery clinics, shiny buildings full of shops with often garish designer clothes, and fleets of expensive luxury cars, it isn't hard to see how Psy — who is from an affluent family in Gangnam — could view the district as fake and superficial.

Coffee Shops in Gangnam As a Cultural Reference

If you translate and unpack the lyrics to Gangnam Style, as the former My Dear Korea blog did well, the coffee references are particularly telling:

In the song, the narrator says he's looking for a classy lady who can afford a relaxing cup of coffee, and he's a real man who downs the boiling hot coffee in one go. I think some of you may be wondering why he's making such a big deal out of coffee, but it's not just your ordinary coffee; it's gotta be a cup of Starbucks coffee, if you will. In Korea, there's a joke poking fun at women who eat 2,000-won (about $2) ramyeon (Korean style ramen) for lunch and then unstintingly spend more than 6,000 won (about $5.30) on Starbucks coffee. Actually, the word Doenjangnyeo (된장녀) or "Soybean paste woman" was created to mock women who spend more than they can afford. . . But clearly, that you can afford a relaxing cup of Starbucks coffee doesn't make you classy.

If you spend even a day in Seoul, you quickly will notice many local meals are the same price or cheaper than a cup of coffee, not just at Starbucks, but at any number of local Korean chains like Ediya, Hollys, Tom N Toms, and the awkwardly named Twosome Place, as well. You also inevitably will notice that Seoul has a ridiculously large number of coffee shops. It is perhaps only a modest exaggeration to say that there is a coffee shop of one type or another on every block. Some blocks even will have two or three coffee shops, particularly in more expensive neighborhoods like Gangnam. Coffee has become a status symbol at least as much as it is a beverage. Of course, coffee's role as a status symbol isn't exclusively limited to Seoul, but it is particularly evident in the city.

The Best Street in Gangnam

In terms of Gangnam's built environment, although there are some other pockets of streets here-and-there in the northern end of the district that are nicely walkable in addition to malls that are directly integrated with metro stations, much of the area clearly is built with cars in mind. Main streets tend to be way too wide, high speed and unpleasant to cross on foot; whereas, side streets often are grimy and devoid of sidewalks so cars and people uncomfortably jockey for position in the narrow space.

However, there is one welcomed exception in Gangnam that travelgasm.com is particularly fond of, the famous Garosu-gil (가로수길). Garosugil, or Garosoogil, actually is a nickname that translates as "tree-lined street" after the attractive Ginkgo trees that shade the sidewalks along the nicely scaled street flanked by designer shops and expensive cafes. On online maps, this street commonly is labeled by its actual name — Dosan-daero 13-gil (도산대로13길) — and it sometimes is referred to as "Sinsa Boulevard" when translated into English.

Garosugil is a must visit for a walk and a coffee. Yes, the coffee is expensive, but there is perhaps no more proper "Gangnam" experience than enjoying a "relaxing" cup of coffee on this street. Just don't try to drink it all in one go, though. The point is to be seen drinking your expensive coffee, after all.

Our Seven Favorite Coffee Shops in Gangnam

In addition to a Starbucks and a Coffee Bean on Garosugil proper, there are also are unique coffee shops specific to the neighborhood.

The pandemic hit this area hard, and many places did not survive, but seven locally well-regarded coffee shops — both surviving and new — surrounding Garosugil include the following, organized in order on our map below:

1. Miya Gallery Cafe - A cute coffee shop and dessert cafe centered around those who want to create their own art; we look forward to visiting on our next trip to Seoul. Opens at 1 PM.
2. Cafe Kitsune - Known more for its attractive garden-like outdoor seating area than its coffee, but the vibe definitely is a nice one and unusual for the district.
3. Wet Coffee - A bit out of the way, but worth the trek for its good coffee and large, super sweet stuffed donuts. It opens at 10 AM — earlier than the other shops — and is a good place to visit in the morning, accordingly.
4. Conflict Store - This ultraminimalist, partially underground shop has a tight menu with a handful of changing options and very good coffee.
5. Milestone Coffee Roasters - Well known for its interpretation of tiramasu in addition to its coffee options. Opens at noon.
6. Lay Bricks - Alongside its coffee, this place is known mostly for its "Apple Pan" dessert, but we liked its Salad Bowl. Open until midnight during the week and 1 AM on weekends.
7. Cafe Grasse - Our favorite healthy brunch spot in the area with good coffee and an elegant decor that wouldn't look out of place in Paris.

The alleyways to the sides of Garosugil are depressingly ugly in comparison as they usually lack trees and sidewalks, but more local coffee shops and other charming local businesses tend to be tucked in and around the alleys where the rent is lower. If you enjoy shopping for unique clothes or want to try more local restaurants and bars, in addition to coffee shops, these back streets definitely are well worth the effort, but watch out for cars.

If you plan to stay out late, be sure to refer to the metro schedule and night bus options. Remember that the last train runs around midnight, so you will want to make sure that the N13 or N37 night bus can get you home if you stay out late. Alternately, you will need to take a taxi if you are out after midnight and are not staying nearby.

Below, along with the three big chains and seven local coffee shops, we have mapped out the short walk from Sinsa Station to Garosugil.

How to Get Here: Take the Orange Line (Line 3) to Sinsa Station. Use Exit 8 and walk straight. Garosugil (which is labeled by its actual name, Dosan-daero 13-gil on some online maps) is the first street on your left. To return to the metro, it is most convenient to walk back the same way you came.

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