Don’t Worry- Seoul Has 6 Familiar Dessert Chains you Know & Love!

There is no shortage of sugar to be found in Korea. Some of the most common Korean sweets include: sweet rice cakes, shaved ice (bingsu), hotteoks (fried pancake with filling), and sweet pumpkin & red bean porridges. Often, the dessert served after a meal at home would simply be fresh fruit: an expensive and delicious commodity in Korea.

Luckily for expats, Western desserts have become quite popular in Korea, too. We noticed Koreans of all ages (although the younger generations in particular) enjoying ice cream shops and donuts regularly.

If you are curious which familiar American (and/or Western) dessert chains you can find in Seoul, then read on below! We were always delighted to find a taste of home while living abroad…especially these sweet ones. 😉

1. Baskin Robbins

First up, Baskin Robbins! You can find 31 rotating ice cream flavors here, just like you’d expect back home!

Where American Baskin Robbins shops are rather small and focus on hand-scooped ice cream (and to a lesser extent on ice cream cakes or shakes), you can also find Baskin Robbins cafes in Korea. The cafes offer various coffee/ice cream combos, mochi ice cream desserts, macaron ice cream sandwiches, a large milkshake selection, slurpee-style beverage options, occasional baked goods…and lots of seating.

You can go to the @BaskinRobbinsKorea Instagram account to check out the latest & greatest.

Their ice cream is often scooped into PERFECT circles, and some of the cafe locations are DECKED OUT…I’m talking neon lights and bright pink walls and those really cool ice cream vending machines.

We had a small Baskin Robbins right next door to us, in the same building as our favorite grocery store (HomePlus I still adore you! Read all about our favorite Seoul grocery stores in this article.)

2. Krispy Kreme Donuts

Second on our list is Krispy Kreme Donuts!

Donut shops are all over Korea, and thank goodness for that! the Krispy Kreme donuts in Seoul were pretty similar to the ones in the States. The glazed donuts were covered in that thick and sweet glaze, and you could find ornately decorated donuts themed for the various seasons and holidays. Like, over-the-top new shapes, flavors and frosting situations.

The only bummer? There is no “HOT READY NOW” neon sign that lights up, and you can’t watch them being made. I never had a warm donut from a Korean Krispy Kreme, and I’m not convinced they are made in each shop. BUT… I’ll take a room-temp Krispy Kreme over no donut at all!

Follow @KrispyKremeKr Instagram account to check out their current flavors and offerings!

There’s currently 12 locations (but that changes regularly, so look it up before you go!).

Oh, and you can expect later opening hours in the morning (varies by location; some are 8, 9, 10, 10:30 am etc.) than you’d find in the States. When living in the hotel room in Gangnam, my baby would wake up VERY early. I’d take him on stroller walks and as we passed the local Krispy Kreme I would lament the fact that it was still 3+ hours before donut time was a possibility!

3. Dunkin Donuts

In case you need even more donuts, run over to Dunkin! You can expect donuts that are perfectly decorated and taste quite similar to the Krispy Kreme donuts in Korea- just a little less sweet.

The menus include lots of coffee beverages, glazed donuts, cream filled, jelly filled, and tons of rotating flavors at any of the locations. You can even find bagels and savory baked goods offered too!

Truth be told, I never had donuts at Dunkin’ in America, so I’m not sure how the taste compares! (I’m not a coffee drinker, and we usually go to no-frill strip mall donut shops like this one near Seattle). I missed maple bars while in Seoul, but you can definitely find choco/berry/glazed donut anything at these Dunkin’ Donut shops.

There are a LOT of these around Seoul. Like…more than 50. You won’t have trouble finding one.

Their store locator on their Korean website can be found here. The larger locations (like the above-ground one in Gangnam) are pretty cool, actually. Black tile walls, neon signs, HUGE selection, and tons of seating and decor. Major vibes happening.

4. Cinnabon

Fourth on our list, Cinnabon is the new kid on the block in Korea.

While I lived there, a pop-up shop opened in B1 of the Hyundai Department Store (adjacent to COEX mall). It was so fun to have a gooey, warm cinnamon roll! Many baked goods in Korea lean on the dry side, so this was a nice change.

Apparently the pop-up stores were successful, because they’ve since announced they are planning to open full-on stores at several locations.

Here is the (Korean) Cinnabon website where you can find more info!

They offer the following flavors of sweet rolls:

• classic Cinnabons
• caramel pecan Cinnabons
• choco (only offered as “minibons”)
• apple cinnamon (only offered as “minibons”)

5. Starbucks

Fifth on our list, Starbucks are eeeeverywhere in Korea. Here’s the link to a handy dandy store locator.

There are minor menu differences you’ll find here in Korea, but not many. There’s a bit more emphasis on teas and matcha flavors, less on the autumn pumpkin spice.

There’s still tons of coffee drinks (hot and cold) and (sweet and savory) bakery items to be found.

I missed having iced lemon pound cakes offered on the menu, but found the red velvet layer cake with cream cheese frosting a decent sweet alternative!

The real reason to visit Starbucks in Seoul is for the adorable Korea-specific merchandise! They have tons of beautiful mugs with hangul inscriptions or cherry blossom designs. I love the one I bought that says “Seoul” and has some of the famous buildings around it.

6. Ben’s Cookies

Come to think of it… this may (or may not) be a familiar dessert place! Originally opened in Oxford in 1983, Ben’s Cookies first spread to various locations around England. It’s now well established in various cities throughout Asia and the Middle East.

I fell in love with this cookie shop forever ago during a college study abroad in London, and was thrilled to find them in Seoul! I really really love these. Their chocolate orange cookie is maybe my favorite. These melty, thick, soft-centered cookies are in complete contrast to the typical thin and crispy cookies you find at local bakeries in Korea.

There are four locations in Seoul, which is fabulous news for anyone with taste buds. Here’s the info for each location:

D. Tower: 37 Jongro 3gil, Jongro-gu, Seoul

Garosu-gil (Sinsa-dong): 33beonji, Dosandaero 11gil, Gangnam-gu, Dosandaero 11gil, Seoul

Itaewon: 203 Itaewonro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Parnas Mall (COEX): Parnas Mall, 521 Teheranro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Aaaaaand there you go! Some familiar desserts you can find in Seoul, South Korea!

And… a quick Moment of Silence for these familiar dessert chains that used to thrive in Seoul, soaring to high heights…but whose journeys had to end unfortunately. RIP!

…. they fought nobly for their cause.

And for more info about food in Seoul, you can check out these recent posts:

Cover Photo by Crystal Jo on Unsplash