Magnate (메그네이트), Cafe Owned by BTS Jimin’s Dad in Busan

By popular demand, I finally visited Cafe Magnate after long hiatus of cafe tours due to COVID-19. If you recognized this cafe right away by its name, you bleed purple.

Location

135, Jinnam-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, South Korea

Direction

• Subway: Line 2 (Green Line), get off at Motgol station (못골/214), Exit 4 > Walk to Cafe Magnate. It will take about 13 minutes for 750 meters (about half a mile).
• Bus: Take No. 10, 101, or 138, and get off at Yeonpo Elementary School bus stop (연포초등학교/Yeonpo chodeunghakgyo.)
• Relatively ample parking space is available.

Hours

10 a.m. – 10 p.m. (everyday)

Contact

• Phone: +82-51-635-5005
• Instagram feed of Cafe Magnate
• Naver page of Cafe Magnate

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Cafe Magnate

Cafe Magnate would have different meanings to two groups of people. If you think it is a spacy local cafe with good coffee and bakeries, you belong to a regular group. If you are a member of ARMY, yes, this is a holy place you have to stop by when you visit Busan. Cafe Magnate has got its fame because a BTS member, Jimin’s dad owns the place. But, it would not be fair to say the cafe gets popular solely thanks to Jimin because it serves up good coffee and delicious pastries. 

Magnate is located in an area that is not quite popular among travelers. You need to walk a bit from Motgol station if you ride a subway. Or, the cafe is quite close to a bus station. If you drive, Magnate has a quite large parking lot unlike other local cafes in a residential area. In the picture above, the heavy metal doors (the right one) are the main entrance of the cafe.

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Spacious Inside

Magnate is spacious. The inside of the cafe is cozy. You can enjoy natural lights through large windows when you sit near the windows. You will see other ARMY guests here for sure. I visited the cafe at a not too busy time, but I saw quite a few international guests.

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Not Much About Jimin

You may expect Magnate is full of goods or things related to Jimin or BTS. Nope. If you are not an ARMY or a fan of BTS, you wouldn’t realize the cafe has anything to do with BTS or Jimin.

However, you will find a few hints that say this is a place worth visiting for ARMY. Among the items, the hat and cap collection on the cabinet is a must-see item. Those are hats and caps Jimin once wore. In the entrance area, you will see several plant gifts for Jimin and BTS as well.

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Artistic Interiors

Don’t be disappointed because you can’t grab and touch the love of Jimin. The cafe has quite artistic and unique interiors so it welcomes its guests in its own way. Even the facade of the restrooms is fancy. Plus, there is another restroom on the other side of the cafe.

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Menu at Cafe Magnate

Cafe Magnate serves up a good coffee and quality dessert. My wife and I had hand-drip coffee, Americano, cheese bread, and Hallabong black tea cake (한라봉 홍차 케이크). All we ordered was satisfactory, and you would like its offerings whether you are an ARMY or not. They bake all their pastries on the spot.

Just one thing I would suggest is that there are no English name tags for pastries and desserts. You can always say ‘this or that,’ but it would be better to know which is which when you order. There is a separate English menu for drinks, though.

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Manufacturing Plant to Cafe Magnate

Did you know that Cafe Magnate was once a manufacturing plant? This 50-year-old factory site was transformed into a handsome industrial cafe. Because of its history, you may feel the exterior of the cafe would be metallic or even rough. But, it has its own charm in that way.

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