I often visit the Gyeongui Line Forest Park located between Hongdae and Sinchon.
One sunny day as I was taking a stroll, I noticed a large cafe with a beautiful outdoor seating area that I had to come back to for a visit.
Let's go on a picnic at this beautiful cafe in Hongdae!
Gyeongui Line Forest Park is a walking trail in Seoul located near Hongdae.
Along the railroad tracks that are no longer in operation, a beautiful walking trail has been created.
There are a lot of pretty cafes and accessory stores along the railroad so it's a very popular spot to go on dates and is a nice relaxing area for its residents.
If you walk along the green path of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, you will find a beautiful cafe peaking out among the bushes.
Its green grass and the pastel-toned building blend well with its atmosphere.
Picniq Cafe is on the 1st and 2nd floors of the building.
You can make your order on the 1st floor and find a cozy seat on the 2nd floor or the outdoor seating area.
The 3rd floor is used as a different store so don't be confused!
First, let me introduce the outdoor yard which is the most popular area at the cafe.
When we visited, there weren't many people because we went during the opening hours on a weekday.
But when I passed by on the weekend, it was full of people playing with their dogs.
It was cute to see children and dogs running around freely.
There were about 5 tables outside.
You can sit on these tables or even on the wooden deck at the back.
Before ordering, we went up to the second floor to look around.
The 2nd floor has a very beautiful and neat interior with pastel-toned walls that are the same color as the exterior of the building.
There are more than 10 tables here including some on the terrace so it can accommodate quite a few people.
There were pictures and props that were used as decorations all over the area to enhance the interior of the cafe.
It helped create a very warm and welcoming atmosphere and we felt that it would be good to spend some time relaxing here.
As soon as we entered the 2nd floor on the right, you could see the scenery of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park through this long window.
It looked like a beautiful picture frame.
There is also a terrace on the 2nd floor.
From here, you can look out to the yard and the Gyeongui Line Forest Park.
This is one of the very few cafes in the busy streets of Seoul where you can relax with a cup of coffee and sweet desserts while looking out at a beautiful view of nature.
We went down to the first floor to place an order.
There are no seats on the first floor, only the counter and some pastries on display.
As a lover of dessert, I couldn't just pass by this display of pastries.
There were egg tarts and various kinds of scones on display.
They said that all the pastries at the cafe are freshly baked each day.
They also said that they are constantly developing new baked items so I will definitely be making another visit to try their other menus soon.
All other menus can be found on the board at the front of the counter.
Beverages include coffee, latte, ade, fruit tea, and herbal tea.
The menus marked with green hearts are the signature menus so if you visit, you can try one of their signatures.
At the right of the menu is the soufflé menu, the signature desserts at the cafe.
There are a total of six different types of soufflés including picnic, strawberry, egg butter, chocolate tiramisu, banana granola, and orange soufflés.
The soufflés are made on the spot after an order is placed so it takes about 15 minutes for it to be ready.
You will receive a vibrating bell and you can wait at your seat.
We decided to sit at the wooden deck outside in the sun.
On one side of the 1st floor, you'll see a wooden cart.
There are picnic tables here for those who decide to sit outside.
Having a wooden tray and cushions laid out makes it look like a proper picnic, right?
Our order finally arrived!
We ordered the Almondspanner, Strawberry Latte, and the Picnic Soufflé.
The visuals looked so pretty we were very excited to taste them!
Almondspanner
5,500 won
The Almondspanner is a combination of almonds and Einspänner.
A regular Einspänner is topped with whipped cream, whereas this one is topped with a generous amount of almond cream.
As soon as I took a sip, I could taste the heavy and sweet flavor of almond cream.
The almond flavor filled my mouth and it was very delicious.
I could also bite the almond slices on top and if you enjoy nutty flavors, we highly recommend this!
Strawberry Latte
5,500 won
Strawberry latte is made with sweet and sour strawberries.
The strawberry slices on top are really cute, aren't they?
Stir it well with a straw to ensure that the whipped cream and strawberries are mixed properly.
To be honest, it was quite disappointing.
There was way too much cream in it that it felt like drinking cream instead of a strawberry latte.
It was too sweet that we could hardly have more than a sip.
If you love cream, you would love this but if you want to drink a strawberry latte, we recommend getting something else.
Picnic Soufflé
16,000 won
Two slices of fluffy soufflés are served with cream on top and delicious fruits around it such as bananas, green grapes, and oranges.
Cut the soufflé into bite-sized pieces, top it with cream, and eat it with some fruits.
The soft soufflé and the sweetness of fruits dance around your tongue.
It was very delicious and highly recommended!
After spending some time sitting in the yard while eating delicious dessert, it truly felt like we were on a picnic.
It was very early in the morning when we went so there were no people.
But even if we had visited on a busy day, the lively atmosphere of dogs running around and people chattering would have been exciting as well.
Try visiting Picniq Hongdae, a beautiful cafe in the middle of Seoul to enjoy delicious desserts!
Information
Address: 서울특별시 마포구 창천동 서강로13길 22 1층 2층
22, Seogang-ro 13-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Hours: 10:00-22:00
Instagram: @picniq_hongdae
How To Get There
You can get to Picniq after walking along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park for 15-minutes from Hongik University Station but I will let you know a closer route.
Come out of exit 7 of Shinchon Station on Line 2.
Right in front of exit 7, there is ELand, a building full of clothing stores and restaurants.
Walk towards the alley next to the building.
Walk straight along the road.
Continue walking straight and you'll find Gyeongui Line Forest Park on your right.
Follow the trail.
As you walk straight, you will come to a point where the trail splits into two.
Go towards the direction of the red arrow.
If you enter the alleyway through the bushes, you can easily find Picniq Hongdae.
We hope you enjoy a nice, relaxing day at Picniq Hongdae!
You won't find many cafes like this in the busy streets of Seoul.
