Coffee And Cigarettes • 커피앤시가렛
Located on top of the 17th floor of the old Yuwon building (유원빌딩), Coffee And Cigarettes (커피앤시가렛) offers a resting place to those who need a break from their day. Originally started as a project for ‘Instant Vacation Club’, the space was transformed into a cafe that sells coffee, desserts and tobacco. It was officially opened to the public as Coffee And Cigarettes (커피앤시가렛) on November 5, 2018. The spacious cafe also offers a great city view along with the view of the foot of Bukhan Mountain (북한산), Inwang Mountain (인왕산), and Dobong Mountain (도봉산) all at once through the big windows they that have installed on one side of the wall.
Honestly, the first thing that popped into my mind the first time I found out about this place was ‘Do they actually let people smoke inside the cafe?’ because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a cafe that has the word ‘cigarettes’ in their name and I don’t think I’ve ever stumbled upon a smoking cafe either in Seoul. But regardless, the name itself and the photos I saw online were enough reasons for me to decide to check the place out.
The journey of getting to the cafe was an experience in itself. From arriving at City Hall station (which I don’t necessarily associate with hip cafe area), entering the old building that looks like an office, riding up the elevator (at this point I felt like I should have an employee ID of some sort hanging on a lanyard around my neck) and finally stepped on the 17th floor greeted by the view of the cafe through the glass door, the whole thing was a little unusual to me. Almost felt like I was suppose to go to the office but decided to play hooky and hang out at a cafe instead. It was interesting.
For a Tuesday, the cafe was pretty busy when I got there. Not to the point where you have to wait for a table kind of busy, but there were lots of people considering it was a weekday. The patrons themselves varied from younger crowd who were there to solely visit the cafe, to older office workers who seemed like they work around the area and were on their coffee break. Most people were keeping an eye on the tables next to the windows, ready to move over the moment the current occupants decided to leave. I can’t blame them though. The view outside the windows was refreshing. It’s rare to find a cafe in Seoul located on higher floors that offers a view of the city and the mountains all at the same time. I wished I could sit on one of those tables as well and just stare at the view. But honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood to compete with other people who has the same idea as me. So instead, I settled for an empty table near the entrance and ended up watching people playing some sort of musical chairs with those window side seatings while enjoying my milk tea. It was pretty entertaining.
And to answer my earlier question, no, this is not a smoking cafe. They sell cigarettes, tobacco and lighters but they don’t actually let you smoke inside. Last time I checked, if you want to smoke, you have to go to the rooftop to do that. I haven’t been to their rooftop before. Maybe on my next visit.
Here’s a video of the place:
Note: These photos and video were taken before the pandemic.
UPDATE:
In April 2020, a photomatic booth was installed at the cafe available for customers to use.
In November 2020, Coffee And Cigarettes announced on their Instagram that they have decided to renovate and expand their space. The new space was revealed in December 2020.
Coffee And Cigarettes • 커피앤시가렛
Address: 서울 중구 서소문로 116 유원빌딩17층 1706호
Telephone: 02-777-7557
Hours: Monday - Friday 08:30-21:00 | Saturday & Holiday 11:00-21:00 | Closed on Sundays
Instagram: @coffeeandcigarettes1706
