Photos and review by Lisa Chang, ETA ’16-’17
City: Cheongju (청주)
Restaurant Name: Monopot (모노팟)
Restaurant address: 충북 청주시 청원구 주성동 248-1
248-1 Juseong-dong, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do
Food Served: Coffee, teas, smoothies, dessert
Price: On the pricer side. Approximately 4,500-5,500 won for lattes and cappuccinos, and over 6,000 for specialty drinks.
Monopot is a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing cafe to spend hours in. It has two stories–the first of which houses a flower shop and seems like you can also take floral arrangement classes there. The second story is where the cafe is located. In addition to your regular Americanos and lattes, you can also order their seasonal signature drinks, including a Shrek Latte, a Summer Latte, and Vanilla Pompuccino. When I went, I ordered their Toffeeccino, which turned out to be a sweet, caramel-flavored drink with a frothy top layer with crushed toffee bits sprinkled over. The drink was pleasant, though a bit on the sweeter side. The atmosphere of the cafe was great, with plenty of seating. It’s the perfect Instagram-worthy place where you can sit and chat with friends, or get some work done. Since I went on a week-day, the cafe was not filled but I have a feeling that it is probably packed on the weekends, and often chosen as a hot spot for a date. I personally did not attempt to speak English to the staff, so I’m not sure about their English abilities. I enjoyed my experience here and would come back here. The only downside is that it is quite far from the center of Cheongju so it might take a while for you to get there, but it is certainly possible to get there via public transportation.