Seoul · #1

Seongsu

Seoul's Brooklyn: red-brick warehouses turned flagship cafes and pop-ups.

industrial-chictrendydesign-forwardinstagrammable

Seongsu was a district of shoe factories and auto shops before designers and roasters moved into its red-brick warehouses. Today it is Seoul's most-photographed neighborhood, a maze of concept stores, flagship cafes, and rotating brand pop-ups, with Seoul Forest's greenery a short walk away.

What makes Seongsu worth visiting

Warehouse cafes

Cavernous roasteries and dessert bars built inside old factories, the look that defined the Seongsu style.

Brand pop-ups

Fashion and lifestyle brands rotate experiential pop-ups here most weekends, so the street changes month to month.

Seongsu shoe street

The handmade-shoe makers that gave the area its name still line the main road.

Seoul Forest

A large riverside park for a breather between cafe stops, with deer enclosures and wide lawns.

Tips for visiting Seongsu

1.Weekends are packed and the best pop-ups draw lines, so come on a weekday morning if you can.
2.Pop-ups rotate fast, so check what is running that week before you go.
3.Pair a cafe crawl with a walk through Seoul Forest to break up the concrete.

Best for

cafe-hoppingdesign loverspop-up shoppingphotos

Nearest station

Seongsu (Line 2)