Are you a fan of Kakao Friends? We are! This is a long-postponed post, but I’m so glad to finally be able to share all of our experiences when we visited Kakao Friends Flagship Store and Ryan Cafe in Gangnam (Seoul, South Korea). Yes, we love all the characters of Kakao Friends from KakaoTalk 카카오톡, Korea’s number 1 mobile messenger for smartphones with free text and free call features. Everyone uses KakaoTalk in Korea, including old people and kids; yes, you hear me, everyone! We’ve been using it since the app was launched in March 2010, and it’s been our mandatory chat app until now, to communicate with our family and Korean friends. So of course, visiting Kakao Friends Flagship Store on our first day in Seoul (on September 20, 2017), was on our top list for things to do in Seoul. 
If you’re new to Kakao Friends or the KakaoTalk app, I’ll share a bit of their background story. There are eight Kakao Friends in all: Ryan, Muzi, Con, Apeach, Frodo, Neo, Tube and Jay-G, each one has a distinctive style and personality. Once you entered the store, it’s hard to avoid them because all of the Kakao Friends characters are so adorable! There are some pop-up stores in Myeongdong and Sinchon, but we decided to come to their giant store located in Gangnam. 
As you can see from the pictures in this post, RYAN is dominating the other characters! RYAN is the newest member of the Kakao Friends and is a male lion born without a mane. I love RYAN so much, so I quickly hug and pose with the giant Ryan figure at the entrance door! Ha-ha… 
From their website, I know that Ryan has the heart of a lamb, which is a part of why the Kakao Friends quickly adopted him as their loyal leader. Ryan was prepared to ascend to the throne as the ruler of Doong Doong Island, but he decided island royalty wasn’t for him. The other Kakao Friends claim they would be lost without Ryan’s wisdom and guidance.
Located on the main Gangnam Street, this 3-story high building Kakao Friends Flagship Store is dedicated to RYAN, the lovable lion character and packed with all my favorite characters. They have all sorts of merchandises, everything you need from toys, stationery, mobile accessories, home decor, travel, pouch, plushes dolls, beauty tools, pillows, and other fun items. Kyaaaa!
Within 20 minutes, I was stuck in the jewelry section on the 2nd floor where there’s a cute face of Kakao Friends character on it, and finally, I bought MUZI and Con silver ring for me. Ha-ha… Not only that, but we also brought home RYAN Summer Pool Village – Mini Plush Doll (12,000 Won), Little Friends Con and Apeach (6,000 Won each), some cup figures (6,000 Won each), toothbrush holder, Mini Figure – Angry Tube (9,000 Won). Unconsciously, I’ve taken so many cute things in this shop and spent 65,100 Won for all of the Kakao Friends stuff, but I was so happy feels like a kid! Haha… 
Another favorite: the RYAN Cafe which is located on level 3! Yes, Ryan has a cafe! This is a place where you can hang out and relax with friends while enjoying some of Ryan’s specialties in the cafe. Delicious pastry goods and drinks available on the menu, and we ordered some of them: Apeach Cake, Chocolate Macaron, Choco Banana Macaron, and Iced Cafe Latte, total = 17,000 Won.
Look at that! Even the little buzzer that lets you know when your order is ready for pickup looks adorable, oh my gosh! For a themed cafe, the food at RYAN Cafe by Kakao Friends was much better than what LINE cafe has. Just like in other character cafes, it’s a bit pricey, but all of them are worth to try, especially the Peach Cake. The cake was so delish with Lil’ Apeach on top, and surprisingly, both macarons tasted good too. Happy!! 
Overall, it was a great shopping and refreshing time at Kakao Friends Store and Ryan Cafe in Gangnam, Seoul (South Korea). Be prepared to be overwhelmed with cuteness! Whether you love the Kakao Friends, just like us, or if you just know them, you will go crazy in this store. It is very worth to visit, definitely!
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I’m still compiling the full itinerary for your reference, meanwhile here’s some stories of our fun experience of our SOUTH KOREA trip October – November 2017
and from our recent trip to Seoul 13 November 2019 – 1 December 2019 as follow:
~ [KOREA] Instagramable Hanok-theme Cafe Must Visit in Seoul
~ [KOREA] 2D Cartoon Instagramable Cafe Must Visit in Seoul
~ [KOREA] JEJU Island 3 Days Itinerary Guide – Best Places to Eat & Top Attractions
~ [KOREA] Ihwa-Dong Mural Village in Seoul, Famous K-Drama Filming Location
~ [KOREA] Playful Raccoons and Welsh Corgi at Blind Alley Cafe, Seoul
~ [KOREA] Mr Holmes Bakehouse, The Famous Cruffin in SEOUL
~ [KOREA] Cuteness Overload at Line Friends Store & Cafe Flagship Store at Garosugil, Seoul
~ [KOREA] Autumn at Nami Island (NAMISEOM) Travel Guide
~ [KOREA] Street Food You Should Try at BIFF Square Busan
~ [KOREA] Rent Korean Traditional Dress Hanboknam and Explore Gyeongbokgung
~ [KOREA] Food Guide – Top 15 Food Must Try in Seoul
~ [KOREA] Things To Do in Gamcheon Culture Village, Busan
~ [KOREA] Oryukdo Skywalk Busan, Walking in The Sky (오륙도 스카이워크)
~ [KOREA] Busan Complete Itinerary & Guide – Top Things to Do & Best Places to Eat
