The first time Thanks Nature Café was mentioned, my first thought was natural food? It certainly did not sound too appealing. Thankfully that was not the case. The café was recommended by a friend and after some research, we decided to venture out to this café to see the 2 lovely sheep!
Yes, you read it correctly. Located 10 minutes’ walk away from Hongik University Station Exit 9, the main attraction of this café are the sheep. The café is situated at the basement of an apartment block area, where a small space is being turned into a barn-like area for the sheep to roam about, and for visitors of the café to view and take pictures with the sheep.
We were initially worried when we arrived to find the sheep missing. Fortunately for us, the sheep were brought to have a bath by their owner, so we settled down at the cozy café and ordered some food and drinks to share.
A menu with English wordings can be provided upon request and there was quite a good range of light food and drinks.
The main attraction seems to be the toast, thus we ordered a toast to share among 6 of us and a drink each. Taste wise, it was so-so and what we call ”˜normal café food’. Nothing fantastic but not disappointing either.
The hot drinks were more appealing with the Korean favourite of Sweet Potato milk, available in quite a few cafes around Korea and in this café also. Each hot drink came with some form of latte art, making it more presentable. The drink was quite sweet-tasting, but like their food, nothing stood out.
Around the café, you are able to see photographs of famous stars taken at the café with the shop owner and the sheep.
With free wifi and charging points provided, it was a good place to chill, relax and laze your afternoon away. On some special days, the sheep will be inside the café, ”˜interacting’ with the customers but unfortunately not while we were there.
After about 30 minutes, the sheep were back. Everyone rushed out to take some pictures with the sheep while we waited for the crowd to disperse first. We managed to have some quality time with the sheep, taking pictures, patting the sheep and feeding it some hay.
The sheep were very pleasant and added such a nice touch to the café. They were nice smelling, with a powdery fragrance and their fur certainly kept them warm during the cold winter period when we were there. However, there was some feedback from others that the sheep were not as pleasant smelling during other times of the day, so I guess it depends on the time of your visit!
This café would probably be one of those one time visits, and definitely not for their food. However, if you are a sheep-fanatic, or if you happen to be around the area or would just like to spend a lazy afternoon reading or chilling out in a quiet café, then this will be a good place for you!
Text by Hui En, Photos by Kee Sing and Rayson
