[Gwanghwamun Restaurant] Cafe Ima - A Favorite for Nostalgic Japanese-Style Hambagu Steak and Ice Cream Waffles! Recommended for Lunch.

Baeckwonjang rating ★★★★☆

Hello.

This is Baek, head of LeB Dental Clinic, the dental clinic of dreams.

It had been a while since I had a chance to go on a date with my wife, so we went to a restaurant we’d been wanting to visit. Since we had a child, it’s not often that the two of us get to go out together, so we took a little trip to Gwanghwamun~

Cafe Ima

It was my first time there, but my wife had been a regular for more than 10 years at this Gwanghwamun hambagu steak restaurant.

From what I hear, it’s a longtime favorite among refined married ladies :)

Location: 1st floor, Ilmin Museum of Art, 152 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Parking: None.

When you come out Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5, you immediately see the Dong-A Ilbo building!

On the first floor is the Ilmin Museum of Art.

The cafe is inside that same first floor. I’ve passed by here countless times, but this was actually my first time going in. haha

In fact, parking is not available, so you’ll need to park nearby on your own.

We parked with valet service at Four Seasons Hotel Gwanghwamun and walked over.

Exterior

On a rather gloomy day.

I managed to take a photo in front of the stylish building while avoiding the many people around.

It feels like looking at a building from the Japanese colonial era in a drama.

My wife said she had been coming here often since college.

She seemed happy, so I took a photo of her in front of the ice cream waffle menu ^^

The sign says CAFE IMA, and the business hours were listed.

The closing time is as early as 6:30 p.m.... I now understand why there were so many women there... (middle-aged...)

Interior

The interior has a clean, modern atmosphere.

And I was surprised that it was larger than I expected!... What you’re seeing now is only about half of the entire store. haha

As soon as we went in, we moved to the right and quickly found a seat.

We were handed Cafe Ima’s menu as soon as we sat down.

Somehow... even though it isn’t colorful, I really like the font and design ^^

Since we visited during weekday lunchtime, we could enjoy the lunch special.

If I remember correctly, we had to place our order directly at the counter.

Still, we just ordered the individual meals ~~ (We also needed to have something to go with the drink at the place where we parked...)

Originally it’s known for its classic hambagu steak, but for some reason I wanted something spicy, so I ordered the tomato chili hambagu steak...

My wife ordered the ice cream waffle full of memories.

Lunch begins!!!

It came out pretty quickly.

The visuals are lively and fresh. “Fresh” is a word that doesn’t usually suit hambagu steak, but that’s how it felt...?

Tomato Chili Hambagu Steak (18,500 won)

A price that comes close to 20,000 won. And it’s 1,000 won more expensive than the classic hambagu steak~

It really has a spicy-looking appearance...

The tomato was pleasantly fresh and tangy, which I liked!

It felt like I was eating a really good tomato sauce for the first time in a while...

And the hambagu steak inside was of very good quality.

It wasn’t one of those things like the “germ protein steak” (?!) I ate in high school..

It was truly a thick beef patty made from ground beef, like the one inside a high-end handmade hamburger.

It surprisingly went well with rice, so I happily devoured it.

Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Waffle (19,000 won)

This is an ice cream waffle topped with two flavors of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

Looking at it again, the price was... quite something...

I heard they opened the shop because they wanted to bring over the waffles they had in Japan, and back then it was truly very popular.

It was really a nostalgic ice cream waffle that reminded me of my college days. haha

To be honest, there are so many even more delicious waffles these days... but this is the taste of nostalgia.

The Häagen-Dazs ice cream was the unquestionably delicious chocolate and green tea flavors!!

It was a good place to eat well, work on a laptop, and relax.

It was a somewhat hot summer day, and there were a few people like me who were working on their own in this open space.

To wrap up, we had a cup of coffee at the Four Seasons Hotel lounge where we had parked our car ^^

This was my first Irish coffee there, and personally, it wasn’t all that amazing. haha

The food at Cafe Ima was better...ㅎㅎㅎ

We ate well and enjoyed it today too.!!!

Conclusion

The hambagu steak is tasty, but the waffle is ordinary~

There are really so many good restaurants these days.

At this point, it feels like we’re grateful if even a decent restaurant just gives off an ordinary impression...

Now it seems hard to make something taste good just by preparing it well; in Korea, it feels like food is considered delicious only if the ingredients themselves are good. Since we’ve become a developed country..!

In that sense, Cafe Ima’s hambagu steak was a wonderful meal with high-quality ingredients and great taste. I really liked how the hambagu steak, which melts in your mouth, went down easily with white rice.

Next time, I plan to try the original hambagu steak.

However, I thought the ice cream waffle was far too expensive.

It felt almost like I had to think of it as paying for the seat itself, which was disappointing.

A plain, wide waffle and two scoops of Häagen-Dazs ice cream is a bit underwhelming, haha

Taste: ★★★★☆

Value for money: ★★★☆☆

Accessibility: ★★★★★

Facilities: ★★★★☆

Parking: None.

Because it’s a difficult place to park, I think you’ll need to park at a nearby Kyobo Book Centre or at the Four Seasons Hotel. Or, since it’s right in front of Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station, I recommend coming on foot!

I recommend it for anyone who wants to enjoy a classy version of the hambagu steak they ate as a child in a stylish space. It is definitely a hambagu steak restaurant!!

Thank you for reading my own-expense restaurant review today as well,

I’ll always strive to be a restaurant coordinator you’ll want to visit. :)

This was Baek, the dental clinic head who dreams of becoming a master of implants and a gourmet.

Thank you.!!