9 Must-See Quirky Coffee Shops In Seoul

Themed coffee shops in Seoul are generally whimsical in nature, though some do involve creepy dolls and cookies shaped like disembodied fingers. You'll find no North Korea-themed dining here, but it's not unlikely that an Amsterdam-inspired café will pop up, especially in the trendy Hongdae area, where so many of these coffee shops are located. 

Cat and dog cafés are so passé. The mammals that roam the inside and small courtyard of Thanks Nature Cafe are much fluffier: they're sheep. The café has experienced a recent upsurge in popularity because 2015 is the year of the sheep, according to the Chinese zodiac.

People study in cafés all over the world, but May Island, with its classroom-style rows of desks, strictly enforced quiet policy, and for-rent conference rooms, is the kind where you might actually get work done.

Conveniently located near Ewha Womans University, the unabashedly girly Princess Diary Cafe lets you rent a wedding dress, evening gown, or traditional Korean hanbok for an hour while you drink your coffee. 

One of the most bananas things about Banana Tree café is how some of its drinks are topped with medicine ball-sized poufs of cotton candy. Warhol-style banana motifs and small flower pots pepper this space, which was inspired by New York's Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding.

Aircafe is where travel-lovers can truly nerd out. Model airplanes, flight-style seating, clocks showing the time in multiple cities, and exotic souvenirs decorate the café, which serves coffee, alcohol, and various "in-flight menus" (economy and first-class) from actual airlines.

At Mustoy Cafe, a chain with locations all over Seoul, you order a porcelain doll that comes in various sizes and shapes and is yours to keep. Coffee is on the house.

A;t Fox is just as alternative as its spelling: an afternoon high tea joint that also sells makeup. The ingredients that go into the house-made teas, like bergamot and jasoyup (an aromatic leafy herb), are the same that are used in the cosmetics, so you will be beautiful inside and out.

While they do subvert the stereotypical whimsy of cupcakes by etching frosting in the image of veiny eyeballs, bloody knives, and crows pecking on human guts, Monster Cupcakes still manages to be very cute. In addition to the usual café fare, they serve "Monster Blood," which is essentially artisanal Kool-Aid. 

This museum café (note: it's a museum of stuffed animals) on the outskirts of Seoul, in the small artist's village of Paju, is modeled after the polar outskirts of the world. Some of the baristas at Polar Bear Cafe are human, and the rest are large mechanical bears who serve drinks from a vending machine.