I first visited Daejeon in 2018 as a carefree student, and now fast forward 7 years, it was unbelievably nostalgic to return as a jaded working adult. Nonetheless, I was still as passionate as I was about café hopping, so I explored 3 different cafes with my friend within half a day. With the trip from Seoul to Daejeon taking just a little under an hour by the high-speed KTX train, Daejeon made a great option for a day trip from Seoul. I also appreciated the fact that Daejeon was less crowded and had more wallet-friendly prices.
- Leafful Coffee 대전카페 리풀
Our first stop was the furthest from the central train station, about an hour commute by public transport. This spacious café exudes European vibes and is characterised by warm yellow tones, wooden furniture, whitewashed walls and purposefully placed decorative items and trinkets.
On a sunny morning and afternoon, you can expect the space to be naturally lit through the large windows, casting lovely shadows across the front counter of the café especially. We just had to grab the window seats despite being thoroughly exposed to direct sunlight.
We had coffee – the Flat White (KRW5000, SGD4.6) which was their version of a “short latte”, and the Latte (KRW5000) which came in a bigger cup. No non-dairy milk options when I went, but I got an update that they have an oat milk option now.
The desserts on display were visually tempting. I had the Pistachio Berry Mousse (KRW9000, SGD8.3), which comprised an inner core of tangy and sweet strawberry and rhubarb compote, enveloped in nutty sweet pistachio mousse. The pistachio dacquoise base added a good crunchy texture to the tart.
40 Jukdong-ro 279beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34127
11am – 9pm daily, closed on Tue
2. Seosew Café & Shop 서소우
With a completely different theme from our first café, Seosew was a café and vintage select shop we hopped over to as our next stop. The mixture of rustic wood furnishing and DIY metal shelving and racks gave the space an edgy, raw industrial look, boasting cool tones. Like Leafful, the space received lots of natural light in the afternoon.
My friend had the Latte (KRW5000), which I felt was on the milkier side, while I had their Chamomile Tea (KRW6000, SGD5.5). While waiting for your orders, you can browse their collection and shop for vintage clothing and goods, as well as items from their own brand, such as tea coasters.
If you’re feeling peckish, they have 2 simple desserts – the Pistachio Tiramisu (KRW8000, SGD7.3) and Strawberry Tiramisu (KRW8000).
1F, 457, Dosol-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon
12pm – 10pm daily, closed on Wed
3. Ordinary Project Café & Showroom 오디너리프로젝트 쇼룸, 카페
Near Daejeon Lotte Department Store was this café and furniture showroom that might be easily missed because of the lack of a conspicuous signboard and of the fact that it is located on the second floor of the building.
This is where you can enjoy sipping on an afternoon drink while (window) shopping for furniture. The showroom featured mainly hardwood furniture in varying shades of oak, against a backdrop of white walls, an exposed concrete ceiling and a wood panelled floor. The entire look was very clean and minimalistic. On one end of the café were large windows – a pity that it was winter when we went and missed out on the view of greenery.
Since we already had coffee and tea from the previous cafes, we opted for something more refreshing – the Iced Grapefruit Ade (KRW7000, SGD6.4) and the non-alcoholic Iced Lime Mojito (KRW7000). It felt weird to be sitting on chairs and placing my drinks on tables that were furniture going on sale for at least $1000~$2000. I suppose they will get brand new pieces for customers who wish to purchase them.
Don’t forget to remove your shoes and change into the indoor slippers they provide before stepping in – we totally overlooked the sign (oops).
12pm – 8pm daily, closed on Thu
574-1, Gyeryong-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon 35269
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 