Those familiar with Korean pop culture would be familiar with Knotted 노티드, a donut café that has kind of become a lifestyle icon.

First opened in 2017 at Apgujeong, the donut brand now has several locations spread throughout the city.

It first baked up a storm when it built its concept around vintage American cartoon characters, which attracted idols and influencers to visit.

You may have also seen some of their items in convenience stores around the city.

Later, Knotted developed their own mascot, the Sugar Bear.

Today, the Sugar Bear has again been swapped out for what is called the Yummy Smile, which looks exactly like the emoji.

The Cafe Knotted 카페노티드 on Dosan-daero is one of the biggest Knotted out there.

With a whole building to itself, the café can accommodate diners sitting throughout its multi-storey space.

The iconic areas are the pretty donut-filled counter and a long glass window to peer into the ever-busy bakery section.

There is even a merchandise area near the entrance, which carries simple knick-knacks that carry the image of the Yummy Smile or the Sugar Bear.

Most of the donuts are made in the style of a whole filled donut, while some are halved with the filling stuffed in between.

Some of the classics include the Classic Vanilla Donut (3,500 Won), Earl Grey Donut (3,500 Won), Raspberry Donut (3,500 Won), Milk Cream Donut (3,900 Won), Choco Pudding Donut (3,900 Won), and Cinnamon Munch Donut (3,900 Won).

These donuts are served in a cup with the Yummy Smile imprinted – make sure you snap a picture. Takeaways are served in a box, which is also extremely cute to look at.

There are new additions periodically, and when I visited, there was the Strawberry Cream Donut (4,200 Won) which sported fresh strawberry slices, and the Pistachio Cream Donut (3,900 Won) which had crushed pistachios covering the donut.

I was most attracted to the Strawberry Cream Donut (4,200 Won), also because strawberries were in season.

Indeed, this donut was fluffy and soft, filled with a generous amount of smooth strawberry cream. Okay, maybe a tad much as it was overpowering the rest of the flavours.

Surprisingly, even after the dusting of powdered sugar, it was overall not too sweet.

Next, the Kaya Butter Donut (3,700 Won) since it reminds me kaya toasts from Singapore.

This donut was filled with a generous amount of rich and creamy kaya and a thin layer of butter, which was balanced by the light and fluffy dough.

I preferred this as you could really taste the dough better.

Outside of donuts, there are croissants, cookies, and waffles, although you would be better off sticking to the donuts on your first visit.

When it comes to drinks, you may as well try out the seasonal drinks on rotation. At the moment, it is a Strawberry Chocolate (6,500 Won) or a Banana Cream Strawberry Latte (6,500 Won).

Otherwise, the normal coffee choices can be brewed in a jiffy.

Compared to the usual international donut brands, Café Knotted is on its way to become a competitor – and it has a different charm and cute packaging.

Cafe Knotted 카페노티드
15 Dosan-daero 53-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 강남구 도산대로53길 15 미래빌딩 1F
Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)

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* Written by Dean Ang and Daniel Ang. Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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