Housed in a structure that used to be a pediatric clinic, Coffee Hospital (커피호스피탈) adopted the history of the building and made a cafe with that same exact concept. The old building was originally built in 1982 and served as a local clinic for residents of Mangwondong (망원동) for over 40 years before it was remodeled to preserve the space.

The first time I passed by this place, it was three weeks after its grand opening in June 2019. Honestly, I was a little confused on what the place exactly is. There’s a glass window showing a coffee bar inside but the exterior of the building didn’t exactly screamed coffee shop vibes, especially with the large signage with the words ‘Pediatric Clinic’ hanging on the side of the structure. I remembered thinking maybe this is a new cafe corner for a hospital, especially with the large banner they have hanging on the building with the words ‘FREE OPEN 2019.06.01’ on it. But it seemed weird to have a cafe as an entrance to a hospital, you know. A quick search online on the words ‘Coffee Hospital’ I saw placed above the entrance door cleared up my confusion immediately. This place is indeed a cafe and I decided to check it out.

By now, there isn’t a shortage of cool hip cafes in Mangwondong (망원동) area and it seems like Coffee Hospital (커피호스피탈) is another addition to that crowd. Following their cafe’s name, they carry the hospital concept through out their space and branding design. There’s a cold sterile feeling but mixed with warmth that I felt the moment I stepped inside the cafe. Maybe it’s because of the combination of the cold steel grey coffee bar and the warm cream yellow lights and brick wall that occupy the majority of the space. The feeling intensified when I looked at the design details around the counter. From their menus, shopping bags, to candies and jellies inside vitamin bottles, everything reminded me of prescription labels, doctor visits and essentially hospitals (but without the dread of finding out what’s wrong with your body, obviously). It was interesting.

After I placed my order, I made my way to the second floor of the building via the backyard that has been transformed to an outdoor seating area. Climbing up the narrow stairs, I was expecting to see something similar to what I encountered minutes earlier, but the second floor has a completely different vibe than the coffee bar area. This part of the cafe felt almost like a vintage waiting room to a doctor’s home office. Gone was the sterile feeling, taken over by the warmth radiated within the space. It felt like stepping into a living room to a vintage house. The original old wooden wall panels contrasted with the newer vintage furnitures placed around the area give the place its own charm and definitely feels more inviting. Since the second floor is pretty spacious, there are other rooms as well that were more bare bones, giving off the opposite ambiance and more similar to what I experienced in the coffee bar area earlier.

Since its opening, Coffee Hospital has now evolved to a cultural space where you can enjoy good coffee, tea and dessert while enjoying different exhibitions, events, and performances.