Hello Kitty Craze in Hongdae

I haven't been much for posting lately. There's just a lot going on, and I could not keep up with the writing. And there's this threat again from Pyongyang. Although day-to-day life in Seoul continues as normal, I cannot help but reflect upon the uncertainty of the times in light of the present situation. But things will continue to happen, even if I stop for a single moment. So time to get back to writing down this long overdue post.

To continue with my sister Pia's visit to South Korea…One of her must-see places was the Hello Kitty Café. We were teens during the Sanrio boom of the 1980s. Who among the teenagers of our time didn’t know Hello Kitty, Little Twin Stars and My Melody? And now the little girl in us was just as curious and excited to see what the Hello Kitty Café was like. So off we went to Hongdae.

Hongdae was our first home district before we moved to Jongno. It's a neighborhood alive with the energy of young people. The streets surrounding Hongik University are filled with trendy shops, nightclubs, restaurants, galleries and cafés. It's not surprising to find a Hello Kitty Café in one of them.

I am familiar with the Hongdae neighborhood, but this was my first time to get to Hello Kitty Café. I brought a tourist map and asked for directions. A local could not read my English map but he recognized the logo! 

Suddenly there it was; the vibrant pink building in front of me. It is located in a narrow, inconspicuous street at the center of bustling Hongdae. 

It's one of the seven official Hello Kitty Café franchises in South Korea. It was an early afternoon weekday, yet people keep coming in and out of the store. The café holds a sentimental appeal to both locals and foreigners, old and young alike.

Everything is in the usual hello kitty pink - from the exterior to the interior of the building, to the staff's uniforms. Only that they are wearing a black pullover in winter. The menu is bilingual.

 There is a wonderful selection of cakes, waffles, cookies, brownies and tarts. I went to grab a seat while my sister placed our order. 

The walls on the first floor have big Hello Kitty openings. This area is full so we headed on to the second floor.

The second floor is more spacious. As expected, it's a place where students hang out.

And there's wifi!

We were lucky to find these plush armchairs vacant. They were the best seats in the house!

Another picture of the big fluffy chair and the pretty chandelier. I'm sure fans are overwhelmed by the pink decors and the famous Hello Kitty icons.

Oops, there goes the buzzer! That means our order is ready.

These looked so cute we had to take a photo first before we touched them. Iced cappuccino for me and cafe latté for my sister.  I love the tiramisu -wasn't too sweet for my taste.

The kitty restroom. Look at that mirror! 

Kitty woman and kitty man restroom sign. 

With the famous kitty in almost every corner, everybody was picture-snapping happy!

There isn't much light on this area except on those souvenirs.

The more expensive items.

It was a fun, novelty experience! We were satisfied with the desserts, the coffee and the kitschy cute hello kitty art decor. I just had to pose for another picture before we left.

Location. It might be confusing to follow blog directions. It's a busy area with many side streets lined with shops that are often similar at every street.) How I got there. It's about a ten-minute walk from Hongik University Station subway line 2. I took exit 9. I walked straight until I reached the stoplight - the main road that leads to Hongik University, then turned left.  I showed a map of the Hello Kitty cafe to a street peddler (most likely to know every famous spot) and he pointed me to the right direction.

Hello Kitty Café Address:
358-112 1F Seogyo-Dong
Mapo-gu, Seoul, 150-881 South Korea
Phone: 02-334-6570
Business Hours: 11:00am - 24:00pm daily
Hello Kitty Cafe Korea Homepage Map