Angel-in-us
엔제리너스
Most Instagrammable café in Hongdae?
Angel-in-us is a massive coffee chain by Lotte with a presence in South Korea, China, and Indonesia. I visited the Hongdae location purely “for the gram”, and it reminded me what that expression truly means.
In photos, Angel-in-us can be captured in a highly aesthetic way, thanks to its elegant arches, round lights, and pink-green tones. In reality, however, don’t look too closely at the floors—they're quite worn from age and lack of maintenance.
I couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like to visit this establishment in 2006, when it first opened. Despite the stained floor and walls, the entrance still had a certain charm.
As a photographer, it was a fun challenge to find pleasing angles while avoiding less appealing textures. I hope you enjoyed the ethereal edits above—it was mostly to mask the imperfections. 👼
One thing I’ve noticed about the café scene is how quickly trends rise and fall in Seoul. You can see it reflected in the numbers as well: Angel-in-us had 800 locations in 2017, but by 2024, that number had dropped to just 373. I’m sure the pandemic from 2020 to 2022 played a significant role in that decline.
The coffee was decent. If you’re visiting Seoul, I’d recommend stopping here just to take photos—if that’s your hobby.
Angel-in-us
141 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Check out their Instagram.
