[Hipple Hot Item] A Cup of Hot Tea with a View of Bukhansan... Open Run Essential on Weekends

Opening of The Bukhansan Branch at Bukhansan National Park Entrance
Starbucks Unique Store Featuring 'Mountain View'
Rooftop Bukhansan Panorama View, Diverse Bakery Selection

"Are you just waking up now?"

On the 15th of last month, the 'Starbucks The Bukhansan Branch' opened at the entrance of Bukhansan National Park in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Starbucks, which has been intensifying its unique store experiments recently, proudly introduced this location with a 'mountain view' as its highlight. During the first weekend after opening, the sleek building at the entrance of Bukhansan, bustling with hikers, was crowded with visitors from early morning.

What sets it apart from Starbucks stores in urban building forests is the spacious yard with a walking area against the backdrop of Bukhansan, a large goods exhibition zone on the left as soon as you enter, and above all, the comfortably arranged sofa seats where you can lean back deeply, and seats aligned side-by-side to gaze at Bukhansan with your companions. The store covers about 992㎡ (approximately 300 pyeong) with a total of 253 seats, allowing for a spacious use of the area, according to Starbucks. Due to the interest even before opening, an event giving away one Bearista keyring for purchases over 30,000 won ended early on the third day of opening.

Going up to the second floor, the breathtaking view of Bukhansan was visible through the double-sided floor-to-ceiling windows. The seats right in front of the windows were already fiercely contested as visitors tried to secure their spots. Even a gesture of someone about to leave triggered several groups nearby to quickly move in. One more floor up leads to the rooftop, where you can enjoy an unobstructed panoramic view of Bukhansan. Since the weather was still chilly for drinking coffee outdoors, visitors took 'drink certification shots' with Bukhansan as the background at the rooftop photo zone and hurried back inside.

Another feature of Starbucks The Bukhansan Branch is the variety of food items, including brunch menus. The store also offered a wide range of freshly baked bakery items. Prices were similar to or slightly cheaper than those at large suburban cafes. The ham & arugula croissant sandwich and fig ricotta open sandwich, priced in the mid-to-high 7,000 won range, were already sold out. Due to the high number of items ordered per person and the increasing crowd near lunchtime, the order waiting line grew long. It took more than 30 minutes from placing an order to receiving the items.

The popularity remains strong. According to Starbucks, even on weekdays, fans and curious general visitors, as well as hikers visiting Bukhansan, flock to the store, and on weekends, the number of visitors increases by about 1.5 to 2 times.

If you want to enjoy the spectacular view of Bukhansan and experience the vibe of a large suburban cafe without leaving Seoul, a visit is recommended. However, if you want a more relaxed time, it is better to avoid peak hours on weekends. The store has parking available, but if full, visitors can use the public parking lot right next door. For small to medium-sized vehicles, the first hour on weekends costs 1,100 won, and after that, 300 won is charged every 10 minutes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.