Myosa Seoul’s character monaka has become one of the clearest ways to understand the cafe’s playful approach to Korean desserts. Instead of presenting monaka only as a simple wafer sandwich, the Seongsu cafe gives it recognizable forms, including tiger, monkey, tree, bear, and fish designs listed on GAJA SEOUL’s store page at 4,800 won each. 1
That makes Seongsu Monaka a useful phrase for visitors trying to place this dessert in context: it is not just a sweet bite, but part of a broader cafe style built around Korean ingredients, cute shapes, and a modern reinterpretation of familiar snacks. Myosa Seoul is introduced in multiple travel and dining sources as a fusion Korean dessert cafe in Seongsu-dong, with its address given as 2F, 2 Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. 2 1
Myosa Seoul Character Monaka, Explained

The character monaka lineup is the most direct match for anyone searching for Myosa Seoul’s cute, shaped desserts. GAJA SEOUL lists tiger monaka, monkey monaka, tree monaka, bear monaka, and fish monaka, each priced at 4,800 won, while also describing the monaka series and shaved ice as major popular menu items. 1
Marie Claire Korea also highlights the cafe’s visual approach, noting monaka shaped as a bear, tree, monkey, and tiger in a feature on places known for yanggaeng-style sweets. 3 That repeated mention across sources matters because it shows the character concept is not a one-off detail. It is part of how the cafe’s dessert identity is being described publicly: charming shapes, Korean dessert references, and a menu that feels built for both the eye and the palate.
The fish version connects especially strongly with Myosa Seoul’s better-known dessert, “Bungeo.” KoreaTripTips describes Bungeo as a modern reinterpretation of bungeoppang, presented in the form of an an-butter monaka that resembles Bungeo Samanco. 2 The Republic of Korea Policy Briefing also introduced Myosa Seoul in a January 26, 2023 article on unusual bungeoppang specialty shops, explaining that Bungeo can be understood as an an-butter monaka and a modern take on bungeoppang. 4
So, if you are wondering whether the character monaka is more “traditional” or more “cute cafe dessert,” the answer from the available sources is both. The format draws from monaka and red bean dessert culture, while the shapes and presentation give it a lighter, more contemporary cafe feeling.
A Modern Korean Dessert Cafe Near Seoul Forest
Myosa Seoul’s setting also helps explain why these desserts fit so naturally into the Seongsu area. GAJA SEOUL registers the cafe as being near Seoul Forest at 2F, 2 Seoul Forest 2-gil, while KoreaTripTips introduces it as a fusion Korean dessert cafe at the same Seoul Forest 2-gil address. 1 2 Siksin similarly places Myosa Seoul at 2F, 2 Seoul Forest 2-gil, describing it as an Eastern-style dessert cafe in an alley near Seongsu High School. 5
Those descriptions point to a cafe that sits between neighborhood dessert stop and destination cafe. It is not presented simply as a bakery, nor only as a traditional tea house. The repeated wording around fusion Korean desserts, Eastern-style desserts, and modernized bungeoppang helps define the mood: familiar Korean flavors reshaped into cafe-friendly forms.
That is also where the wider menu becomes important. Marie Claire Korea says Myosa Seoul serves handmade yanggaeng and monaka instead of cake, and identifies “Ang Cube” as a signature handmade yanggaeng made with beet, chocolate, mugwort, and red bean. 3 Elle Korea, in a January 31, 2023 feature on Seoul bungeoppang spots, also mentions Ang Cube, mugwort latte, and injeolmi latte alongside the cafe’s Bungeo. 6
In other words, the character monaka is not floating alone on the menu. It belongs to a dessert language built from red bean, butter, mugwort, injeolmi, yanggaeng, and monaka wafers. For readers who like Korean dessert flavors but want something more whimsical than a conventional plated sweet, that combination is the core appeal.
What Makes the Fish Monaka Stand Out
The fish-shaped dessert deserves its own attention because it links Myosa Seoul’s character idea with Korea’s familiar bungeoppang culture. Elle Korea explains that Myosa Seoul sells its bungeoppang-style dessert under the name “Bungeo,” describing a crisp exterior with butter and red bean paste in a sweet-and-salty combination. 6 Siksin also lists the crispy monaka-style Bungeo and mugwort latte as popular menu items, describing the combination of sweet red bean and salty cheese. 5
The available sources do not provide a full ingredient list for every character monaka shape, so it is best not to assume that each version has the same filling or flavor profile. What can be said is that the fish-shaped Bungeo is consistently described as a monaka-style reinterpretation of bungeoppang, and that Myosa Seoul’s broader monaka series includes several character forms.
That balance is what makes the cafe’s dessert concept easy to understand even if you have never had monaka before. A monaka often reads as crisp and delicate; bungeoppang reads as nostalgic and street-snack familiar; an-butter adds a rich, sweet-savory cafe dessert layer. Myosa Seoul’s version brings these ideas together in a form that is easy to recognize and visually memorable.

For anyone mapping out a Seongsu dessert stop, Myosa Seoul’s character monaka offers a compact snapshot of the cafe’s identity: playful shapes, Korean dessert ingredients, and a modern take on familiar sweets near Seoul Forest. The strongest source-backed picture is simple but appealing: tiger, monkey, tree, bear, and fish monaka on one side, and a wider menu of handmade yanggaeng, Bungeo, mugwort latte, and injeolmi latte on the other. That combination is why Seongsu Monaka feels less like a single product name and more like a small, edible introduction to Myosa Seoul’s dessert world.
References
- GAJA SEOUL | 묘사서울 (GAJA SEOUL)
- 묘사서울 음식점 정보와 주변 관광 명소 및 근처 맛집 여행 정보 (대한민국 구석구석 / KoreaTripTips)
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