Dae-o Bookstore

Lovely little café in a former bookstore, that is one of the oldest in Seoul. Amazing atmosphere.

Come here for a beverage and to connect to RM & IU. The hostess is super nice and accommodating for photos. You must buy 1 drink per person to enter to support her building and it operation but it is like stepping back in time. Worth the visit.

Located in Seochon Village on the west side of Gyeongbokgung, the Palace of Shining Happiness, Daeo bookstore is the oldest in Seoul. It is named after a married couple, Cho Dae-sik and Kwon Oh-name, who founded it back in the 1950s. Nowadays, it is a second-hand bookstore as well as a little café. It is open in the afternoons and evenings. I had an iced yuzu and lemon tea for 6,500 won (£4). Cash only.

Do not be disheartened when it’s still closed- walk around the neighborhood and come back, it will be opened. The store lady is very accommodating to the flock of customers coming in. Greeted each one of us with warm smiles and like any Korean- with their kind gestures. Order some drinks and their candies too. Buy their merchs- the store bookmark at 1,000won only- buy few. But those postcards- to help them keep the bookstore. We come here for RM and IU perhaps, but also buy those merchs! Haha Borahae 💜🫰🏼

Cash Only. Sajangnim is quite nice. She patiently waited while I counted out my many coins to purchase a notebook and Yuja lemon tea. This is the oldest bookstore in Seoul, and a family owned shop, so please be mindful and respectful. Do not deface idol and other famous persons artifacts.

This is a bookstore turned cafe story. This is one of the places that offers experience which is different and unique from the many cafes that line the streets of Seoul. It is a dying scene, an extinct place where history is preserved and yet resides in private hands. I hope more places similar can pivot their dying trade into something commercially viable, giving them a chance to survive in this ever changing (is it even necessary?) world.

It's said to be the oldest bookstore in Seoul and I love that you can feel this vibe. They still have a lot of the old books and clutter in this old Hanok house, which attracted big stars like RM from BTS or IU. When I was there the cute lady was so friendly and we even had a little talk about how this cafe gained popularity again.

If you want to feel an authentic Korean feeling, visit this old bookstore. It's really cozy and nice. The songs they play in the shop are all old Korean Pop Song which I loved so much. You have to order a drink in order to get in to see the old house. It feels like going back to the old times. So many famous celebrities like IU have visited this place for album covers and etc. This place is a cafe now, but from long time ago, it was an old bookstore where it buys used books and resells them.