A few years ago, paying an entrance fee to go play with dogs and cats at a café was a thing to do on a date or a day out with friends. This trending phenomenon grew so popular, that many forgot to see how stressful the situations these animals faced each day. Later on, these cafés became the target of harsh criticism as more people became aware of the changes that had to be made for the animals' well-being and safety. The Galápagos café located in Hapjeong is newer animal-friendly cafés that reflect the growing awareness on the ethical treatment of animals. Here, unlike many of the animal cafés, merely 'touching' animals is not the main activity; offering decent café menus and an earthy, relaxed atmosphere complete with its high ceilings, wide open space and plant decors, the café is usually filled with animals freely roaming around the space, along with different types of guests looking for The Galápagos' well-known speciality coffees. Some of the guests read or get their work done in silence, while English study groups can also be spotted here. Their MSG Latte (which does not, in fact, contain MSG) made with fermented coffee and sugar as the base and Africano made with African blends are two of their popular coffees.
As the name of the café suggests, the animals that this café takes care of are from the tropics. The resident creatures include a tortoise that slowly roams around the café, the adorable sugar gliders flying around and a cool-looking iguana. The representative pet of the café is the 17-year-old tortoise, who is asleep most of the time but does walk around once in a while. The sugar gliders are usually hanging out in a cage, but the staff would at times let them out (visitors can feed them sunflower seeds). The owner is always happy to talk to the visitors and answer any question they may have. If you're looking to find a special connection with animals, The Galápagos would be a nice place to visit.