Mariage Coffee, Daegu

Daegu’s Apsan Cafe Street was eerily quiet the day after Seollal 설날, the Korean Lunar New Year.

After visiting Donghwasa Temple on the spur of the moment, I had a few hours until my train and was planning on going to at least two cafes on Apsan Cafe Street.

My first stop: Mariage Coffee.

Located on the second floor, Mariage Coffee is a small but welcoming cafe. There were more people in the cafe than I had seen on the street.

I ordered a hot cup of Costa Rica and the rare cheesecake, which were both delicious. (A “rare cheesecake” is one that is not baked, but rather chilled with gelatin.) The Costa Rica was honestly one of the best cups of coffee that I’ve had–floral, raspberry, a lovely and not overwhelming sweetness. It was one of those cups of coffee that make me pause and think, “Damn, why can’t I find someone to pay me to just go around and drink good coffee?”

The baristas were very nice. At one point, one of them brought out two small hot chocolates as service for the two children accompanying their respective set of parents. The other chatted to a guest while he made pour-overs.

I decided not to seek a cup of coffee elsewhere, but to drink another cup of coffee there. I ordered the Ethiopia, which was true to its flavor notes of orange and blueberry. It was a cup whose flavor improved as it cooled down, and in retrospect, I wish I had gotten it iced.

When the barista brought me the second cup of coffee, she informed me that when I was finished, I could just leave the empty cup on the table and they would grab it; I didn’t have to bring them the cup. I really appreciated this, as it can be hard to figure out if a cafe wants you to leave your dishes or return them. As a foreigner, I feel added pressure and I usually default to bringing them the dishes rather than assuming that someone will come behind me to clean up.

My second thought was, “Oh, they really think I can’t drink a third cup of coffee?” Unfortunately, I couldn’t, as I had already had an iced americano when I arrived in Daegu earlier that morning.

I finished my second cup of coffee, went to use the bathroom, and when I returned, the barista approached me with a piece of toast and some apple jam as service, which was super nice. I texted my friend that the barista probably thought that I needed some bread to help soak up all the coffee I’d had.

The coffee was delicious and I really liked the overall vibe of the cafe. The little description cards for the coffee featured beautiful artwork and there was nice instrumental music playing in the cafe.

It’s one cafe not to miss on Apsan Cafe Street!