Character Cafes in Seoul: Cartoon Walls at Viva Salon, Pink Sanrio at Sanrio Lovers Club

Two character cafes in Seoul are worth building a stop around. Viva Salon at 84 Poeun-ro in Mangwon-dong is a toy-themed cafe whose walls are covered in classic cartoon characters. Sanrio Lovers Club at 18 Wausan-ro 19-gil in Mapo-gu is a pink Sanrio-themed cafe. They make the shortest list of the best character cafes in Seoul for a first trip, and they feel nothing alike: one runs on cartoon nostalgia and toys, the other on a pink, cute-overload afternoon.

Viva Salon in Mangwon-dong and Sanrio Lovers Club in Mapo-gu, side by side

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Use the quick comparison below to decide which one fits your day, or whether you want both. Details follow after.

Viva Salon's walls are a gallery of classic cartoon characters

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Viva Salon is a toy-themed cafe in Mangwon-dong, and the walls are the first thing that gets your attention. Sesame Street, Peanuts and Disney are among the characters.

The cast is mixed rather than built around one franchise. First-timers don't need to be devoted fans of any single character to enjoy looking around. If you grew up on American cartoons, you will probably spot a few old friends.

Sanrio Lovers Club dresses its lockers, lounge chairs and even the bathroom walls in Sanrio

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Sanrio is the company behind Hello Kitty, and this cafe is themed around its characters. The whole place is pink and cute from edge to edge.

The details are where it gets fun. There are pink and purple lockers covered in Sanrio stickers. There are also pink lounge chairs with Sanrio character plush sitting on them. Even the bathroom walls are covered in plush, so treat the restroom as part of the visit rather than a quick detour.

Skip the Hello Kitty cafe: the Seoul branch has closed

A Hello Kitty cafe once operated in both Jeju and Seoul. The Seoul branch has closed, so don't schedule a day around it.

You aren't giving up much. Since Sanrio created Hello Kitty, Sanrio Lovers Club covers the same cute territory with the wider Sanrio cast. And if you want something different from pink, Viva Salon offers a whole wall of other cartoon favorites.

Pooh and Wallace and Gromit coffee, plus toys to carry home

Viva Salon serves themed coffee built around Winnie the Pooh and Wallace and Gromit. It's a good excuse to sit down under the cartoon walls rather than just peek in and leave.

The toys aren't only for show, either. Customers can buy toys and take them home, which makes this a cafe that doubles as a small souvenir stop. If your suitcase is already full, pick one small piece instead of a pile.

Reading the two addresses on a map

In Korean addresses, a name ending in -ro is a road, and -gil is a smaller street branching off a road. Dong means neighborhood and gu means district.

Search each cafe by name in your map app, and keep the road address from the table above handy in case the name is spelled differently.

Which one to pick for your first character cafe

Don't plan around Hello Kitty: that Seoul branch has closed.