Been in Korea long enough to start missing the food from your travels — like real Spanish churros dipped in thick hot chocolate? There’s a small specialty shop in Gangnam that does exactly that: Gluglu (글루글루), a churros café tucked in a back street between Samseong and Seolleung stations. My wife and I honeymooned in Spain, and one bite took us right back. Here’s what to know before you go.

What is Gluglu?

Gluglu is a Spanish-style churros specialty café on a quiet Teheran-ro side street. It’s a small red-brick standalone building — easy to spot among the office towers — and inside it smells like fresh dough and cinnamon. The interior, cream walls with green accents, genuinely feels like the little churrería cafés you find on side streets in Spain.

Porras vs churros — order the right one

Gluglu makes both styles, and this is the part most churros shops in Seoul get wrong. Cinnamon Porras (3 pcs, ₩8,000) are the southern-Spain style: thick, puffy, almost bread-like inside with a crisp shell — think of a lighter Korean kkwabaegi (twisted doughnut). Cinnamon Churros (4 pcs, ₩8,000) are the thinner, crunchier northern classic. If you want the “Madrid café” experience, go porras.

The chocolate is the point

Order the dark chocolate dipping sauce (₩2,500) — this is what makes it feel like Spain. It sits somewhere between drinking cocoa and melted chocolate: smooth enough to coat the porras, rich enough that it doesn’t taste like syrup, and not overly sweet. It’s very close to the chocolate a la taza you get with churros in Spain. We went three of us and dunked every last piece. There are 8 sauces in total (lemon, earl grey, apple cinnamon, ice cream and more) if chocolate isn’t your thing.

Coffee, too

It’s a proper café as well — espresso drinks and lattes pair nicely with the chocolate, and an iced americano cuts the sweetness if you’re sharing a plate. Churros + chocolate + coffee is the standard order here.

Quick facts

• Where: 33 Teheran-ro 79-gil, 1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — back street between Samseong and Seolleung stations, a short walk from COEX
• Order this: Cinnamon Porras (3 pcs, ₩8,000) + dark chocolate sauce (₩2,500)
• Also: Cinnamon Churros 4 pcs ₩8,000; 8 dipping sauces; espresso drinks
• Vibe: Small, cozy, Spanish-café feel; good for two or three people
• Good for: A sweet break near COEX, expats missing European churros, coffee-and-dessert dates

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between porras and churros?
Porras (southern Spain) are thick and fluffy inside; churros (northern style) are thin and crispy. Gluglu serves both at ₩8,000 a plate.

Is the chocolate like in Spain?
Close — it’s a thick dipping chocolate between cocoa and melted chocolate, similar to Spanish chocolate a la taza, and not overly sweet.

How do I get there?
It’s on a side street between Samseong Station and Seolleung Station (Line 2), walkable from COEX. Search “글루글루” on Naver Map.

Is it big enough for groups?
It’s a small café — fine for two or three, not for large groups.

Bottom line: if you’ve been in Seoul a while and find yourself missing churros con chocolate from a trip to Spain, Gluglu is the real thing — proper porras, proper thick chocolate, a few minutes from COEX.

Written by WY, a Seoul-based local sharing honest, first-hand guides to Korea. Every guide here is a place I’ve actually been to — written from my own visit, my own photos. More about me →