New trend alert! New trend alert! When in Korea, well, you know the last part. Since I live in one of the cafe capitols of the world, why not check out all that is offered to me? I absolutely love cafe hopping. No joke. Koreans love their cafes just as much as I do and as a result there are over (# of cafes in Seoul). Seoul’s cafes are great places to spend dreary winter or rainy days. The more unique a cafe is, the more I want to visit.
As many know, Seoul is very condensed, making it very difficult to keep a pet. To get my pet fix, I visited Wanggwan House and I was not disappointed. There were birds everywhere. Like beautiful brightly colored birds you see in Amazon rainforests. The best part? It only cost 5,000 won to get in and that included a drink. The point of the cafe is not to go for the libations but to spend your afternoon enjoying time with an animal.
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All animals are not created equal and have their own personalities and quirks. Be careful with some of the birds as they can be incredibly aggressive. One of them bit me (not hard enough to draw blood), and it made me incredibly skittish after. If you go into the cafe, bring a long-sleeved shirt so in case one decides to take a chunk out of your finger, you’ll be somewhat padded.
Also, wear a shirt you don’t really care about because birds are birds and they will poop on you.
Cafe Experience
When you walk into the cafe, you are immediately told to pay the 5,000 won entrance fee. The cashier takes your order for what juice you would like. When you sit down, go to the tables closest to the birds. There, you will be given a stand and you can pick which bird you’d like to pet and play with.
Along the walls, in front of the cage room, are ropes where the birds sit and play with each other. You can pick which bird you like and offer your finger. If they bend down to nip you, don’t even bother with that bird. I had awful luck with the first few birds being afraid or trying to bite me.
Once you find a docile bird that takes to you, you can offer your finger and bring him to the perch on your table. The birds have their wings clipped so they cannot fly far and some of them push each other off the ropes and land of the floor. Don’t be alarmed and just pick them up and put them back on.
The bigger and more tropical birds are kept on perches away from the other birds. I found an entertaining cockatoo who liked to bounce and say, “Anyeong.” Further down, there is a blue parrot. Be careful of him as he is very aggressive. He’s beautiful to look at, just don’t touch him.
Sometimes the cafe lady would come around with a small bowl of a bird snacks. If she’s feeling gracious, she’ll let you have it so you can feed the birds. I think you can also buy bird snacks at the cafe or bring organic sunflower seeds.
The cafe is kept pretty clean for the most part. The animals are in the same vicinity as your drink, so luckily they are covered with plastic lids. The birds poop on the floor and even though the staff quickly cleans this up, I think it would be better if they had cat litter boxes under the rope where the birds perch.
If you’re feeling like a cheapo and want to do something interesting for the afternoon, I definitely recommend coming to this cafe. I would give a thumbs down to one of the staff not being very friendly. (I’m hoping there’s other staff there who are cooler.) For 5,000 won you can have a great cafe experience and make friends with a colorful bird. I didn’t know my bird’s name, but I dubbed my feathery friend, Duke Henry. I hope you all find this cafe as awesome as I did! Have you been? How was your experience? If you haven’t gone, would you consider going?
How to Get There
Take the train to Ewha Women’s University 이대역 (Line 2) and walk out Exit 2. Walk about 5 minutes, down three rights until you get to a large intersection. You’ll see an NH Bank on your right. Walk past Cafe Drama. Walk down the street until you reach your second right. There will be a brown cafe building. Walk into the alley, look up, and Wanggwan will be on your right.
Address: Seoul, Seodaemun-gu, Daehyeon-dong 101-5, 2nd floor
서울시 서대문구 대현동 101-5, 2층
Hours: 11 am-7 pm
17 Comments on Wanggwan House Parrot Cafe in Seoul
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Hi Gina!
Oh my goodness! A parrot cafe! I am mad about all the crazy and cute cafe’s here in Korea (especially the raccon cafe I visited a few weeks ago) and now I simply must check out this one.
Thanks so much for sharing!
I love all the cute cafes in Seoul myself! I’ve been on a mission to cover all of them high and low! You have to go to this cafe! Just be careful because some of the birds bite. 😉
There are many certainties in life…death, taxes and themed animal cafes in Korea. Never seen or heard of the bird cafe but it looks like it’s a great opportunity to get up-close and personal with some birds. I’ll have to check this out next time I’m in Seoul, I think my daughter would love it! Thanks for sharing!
Is your daughter a bird lover? I noticed some people keep pets that are suited to their personalities. I’ve never owned a bird, but I think they would be great pets to have! 🙂
I wonder if they had or could have any food offered at the cafe, or would the birds watch you with envious eyes? haha. I’ve heard of sheep cafes in Seoul, but this one is a first for me. Glad you had fun and thanks for sharing!
I think the birds would be super envious! Lol. The drinks had to be covered so I assume no food 🙁
This is interesting! I didn’t know about this place until I read your post so thanks for sharing this! I’d be too scared to try out this cafe I think… not sure but parrots freak me out!
Birds are definitely not for everyone! I was a bit afraid because one bit me, but I found a nice one.
What an interesting cafe! I’ve been to cat, dog, sheep, and raccoon cafes in Seoul, but this must be a new trend. Were there other people at the cafe when you were there? Since pet ownership is still slowly growing, we always find the Koreans as amusing as the animals themselves when they are uncomfortable and nervous around the furry beasts. I’ve seen grown men run away from tiny little kittens, so a bird cafe seems an interesting choice. Now I guess we’ll have to add “bird cafe” to our itinerary next time we’re in the area!
I would have laughed so hard if I’d seen a grown man running from a kitten. I’m slowly starting to like cats the older I get. I hope you guys get to visit this cafe when you come up!
Oh no! Clipped wings. I’m sorry for being such a downer commenter but huhuhu, when will these animal cafes stop? Looks interesting but i feel for the birds:-(… I’m sure my children will love it but i will spare the birds from them hahaha.
I believe most pet birds have their wings clipped. Some don’t, but it’s common so they can’t fly up somewhere dangerous. Your kids would definitely love it, but birds are definitely not good pets for children!
Parrot cafe.. hmm.. That is definitely different. I own 4 parrots and it’s not a stretch to say they are still wild animals who are complicated and needy.., and those kept as pets/companions choose only one human to love and shun all others, hense the biting. Parrots really are intelligent and amazing creatures, but probably don’t do so well being passed around to hundreds of human strangers. Still, I’d still want to visit this place.. haha.. ^^
I didn’t know that about parrots. It’s good to know how some will react and how they bond with humans. My friend had a parakeet who loved her so much, he lived until he was 17 years old!
Is this cafe still operating?
Hi! We tried to go to this place when visiting Seoul in February and found the building, but unfortunately, it has closed down :(. If anyone is still looking for a cute animal cafe to go to there is a cat cafe close in the same area about a 5min walk, which is very cute, cheap, clean, and the cats are very well looked after.