4 ms·

Visited Seoul a month ago and there are indeed a crazy number of coffee shops. Quite expensive and very chain-dominated: Starbucks and various clones, I assume

Visited Seoul a month ago and there are indeed a crazy number of coffee shops. Quite expensive and very chain-dominated: Starbucks and various clones, I assume because of the prestige factor of being American (completely the opposite to where I'm from, where Starbucks is regarded as undrinkable watery garbage). You have to look a lot harder to find a non-chain shop.

pcurve 11y ago
There are many, but they don't stand out and are out of the way. And it's impossible to tell which ones are good without trying. Regular ice americano was $4.50-$5.00 there, more than double what I pay in the states. I do ok here in the states riding the healthcare IT gravy choo choo train, and I don't know if i'd ever pay that much for a cup here. So I was shocked at the number of people that paid $4-$5 for a cup of coffee there.
- thejosh 11y ago
  Come to Australia, $4.00-$4.50 for a flat white/latte.
  - jackgolding 11y ago
    $5.80 for a medium macchiato at work here in Western Australia
  - Mandatum 11y ago
    To be fair the standard of coffee in New Zealand and Australia is substantially better than North America and much of Europe. I could only find on-par coffee in specialty cafes in Portland, Vancouver and San Fran on the west coast. You were paying upwards of $5 USD for an espresso, flat white or long black. Max you'll pay for an espresso or long black in Auckland is $3USD (usually around $2.7USD).
- seanmcdirmid 11y ago
  In Switzerland, I paid > 10 CHF for a drink and a croissant at Starbucks (and that was...8 years ago).
  - david-given 11y ago
    These days in Zürich you'll pay 5 to 7 francs for a coffee and probably 3 to 4 francs for a gipfel, so that's still pretty much dead on. Although that is at a real café, not a Starbucks. I haven't been into one for a couple of years so YMMV.
    - seanmcdirmid 11y ago
      Real European cafes don't seem to believe in plushy comfy chairs...it is one American cultural innovation that I'm greatly addicted to (but I'm also a seattlite).
  - pcurve 11y ago
    I know us yanks have it pretty good, with inflated wages and low cost of goods.
- cowholio4 11y ago
  Most places actually give you a $1-2 discount if you order "take away".
clairity 11y ago
koreatown in LA has even imported the caffe bene and tom n tom's chains from korea. bene is a little nicer, but neither place has great coffee. the korean cafe scene here is booming--i'd say document coffee bar is the best right now.
orthoganol 11y ago
Sounds exactly like Tokyo.

pcurve 11y ago

There are many, but they don't stand out and are out of the way. And it's impossible to tell which ones are good without trying. Regular ice americano was $4.50-$5.00 there, more than double what I pay in the states. I do ok here in the states riding the healthcare IT gravy choo choo train, and I don't know if i'd ever pay that much for a cup here. So I was shocked at the number of people that paid $4-$5 for a cup of coffee there.

thejosh 11y ago
Come to Australia, $4.00-$4.50 for a flat white/latte.
- jackgolding 11y ago
  $5.80 for a medium macchiato at work here in Western Australia
- Mandatum 11y ago
  To be fair the standard of coffee in New Zealand and Australia is substantially better than North America and much of Europe. I could only find on-par coffee in specialty cafes in Portland, Vancouver and San Fran on the west coast. You were paying upwards of $5 USD for an espresso, flat white or long black. Max you'll pay for an espresso or long black in Auckland is $3USD (usually around $2.7USD).
seanmcdirmid 11y ago
In Switzerland, I paid > 10 CHF for a drink and a croissant at Starbucks (and that was...8 years ago).
- david-given 11y ago
  These days in Zürich you'll pay 5 to 7 francs for a coffee and probably 3 to 4 francs for a gipfel, so that's still pretty much dead on. Although that is at a real café, not a Starbucks. I haven't been into one for a couple of years so YMMV.
  - seanmcdirmid 11y ago
    Real European cafes don't seem to believe in plushy comfy chairs...it is one American cultural innovation that I'm greatly addicted to (but I'm also a seattlite).
- pcurve 11y ago
  I know us yanks have it pretty good, with inflated wages and low cost of goods.
cowholio4 11y ago
Most places actually give you a $1-2 discount if you order "take away".

clairity 11y ago

koreatown in LA has even imported the caffe bene and tom n tom's chains from korea. bene is a little nicer, but neither place has great coffee. the korean cafe scene here is booming--i'd say document coffee bar is the best right now.

orthoganol 11y ago

Sounds exactly like Tokyo.