조수정한지그림갤러리
About
Hanji-paper art gallery above Gangnam — traditional Korean paper painting in a quiet respite.
# A Respite Above Gangnam: Encountering Tradition at Jo Sujeong Hanji Gallery Cafe In the tower-lined expanse of Gangnam near Samsung Station, where office workers navigate endless meetings and congested lunch hours, Jo Sujeong Hanji Gallery Cafe carves out something rare—a genuinely quiet space to exhale. Located on the twelfth floor of a nondescript building, it remains unknown to most passersby, which suits its tranquil purpose perfectly. The gallery itself draws you in with hanji artworks displayed along sunlit windows. These aren't watercolors but painstakingly composed pieces of traditional Korean paper, torn and layered by hand, where each fiber's texture becomes visible. The work feels meditative simply to stand before. The cafe proper sits enveloped in this contemplative atmosphere; you sip while naturally absorbing the art around you, whether ordering signature shwangwhachae—a wellness tea recipe drawn from traditional medicine texts with notes of warming spice—or choosing from moguachae, omija juice, ginger tea, or coffee. The rooftop garden at the fifteenth floor transforms the experience entirely. Past the traditional wooden pavilion housing the interior seating, you emerge into an improbable landscape: fruit trees bearing apples and kiwis, flowering plants, actual growing things in the sky above Seoul's density. Here the cafe's quiet formality gives way to something almost domestic—the owner tending these plants, creating a small refuge from the surrounding concrete. The service mirrors this unhurried sensibility. Teas arrive in glass teapots for steeping, not rushed into cups. Fresh flowers accompany your table. Simple rice cakes or ginger confections emerge unbidden. The presentation feels studied without performing, more like someone sharing their carefully considered world than operating a commercial venture. For Samsung Station office workers or those passing through Coex, this becomes less a destination than an escape—a place where the morning's urgency dissolves over a single cup.
Menu
- Ssanghwa Tea
- Omija Juice
- Ginger Tea
- Pink Dianthus Tea
- Coffee
- Lotus Leaf & Root Tea
- Bingsu (shaved ice)
- Dandelion Tea
- Quince Tea
- Pu-erh Tea
Details
- Samseong
Opening hours
- Sunday
- Closed
- Monday
- 11:00–19:00
- Tuesday
- 11:00–19:00
- Wednesday
- 11:00–19:00
- Thursday
- 11:00–19:00
- Friday
- 11:00–19:00
- Saturday
- Closed