Midnight Cafe Run — Inside a 24-Hour Pascucci in Korea

Pascucci's Daejeon Sintanjin drive-thru location is a 24-hour cafe that never closes — not even on holidays. It has a spacious free parking lot and a drive-thru lane, and you can order coffee, gelato, cake, and paninis even in the middle of the night. The kiosk supports English, Japanese, and Chinese, so ordering is easy for non-Korean speakers. The two-story interior has wireless phone charging built into the tables and free Wi-Fi, making it a solid spot to camp out late at night. Pascucci is an Italian coffee brand that dates back to 1883, now operated in South Korea by the SPC Group. This is my honest review after visiting at midnight and actually ordering food.

Finding Pascucci Sintanjin at Midnight

I couldn't sleep, so I turned to my wife and said, "Wanna go to a cafe?" She was up instantly. The problem was the time — it was nearly midnight, and every cafe near our place had already closed. I searched around but nothing decent was open, so we ended up heading to Pascucci Sintanjin since it's open 24 hours. This was actually my third visit. The first two were late at night too. When you live in the Sintanjin area — a neighborhood in Daejeon, South Korea's fifth-largest city — there aren't many cafes open past midnight, so this one keeps ending up on the shortlist.

The name Pascucci sounds like some quaint Italian cafe, and technically it is — the brand started in Italy in 1883. But Korea's SPC Group brought it over in 2002, and now Korea actually has more Pascucci locations than Italy does. It's a pretty well-established chain, though it doesn't have the same presence as Starbucks or A Twosome Place (another major Korean cafe chain). I got familiar with Pascucci years ago when I was stationed at a semiconductor plant construction site in Cheongju for a few months. I went to the nearby Pascucci three or four times a week — honestly, more times than I can even remember. So it's a brand I'm comfortable with, even if I don't go all the time.

The Exterior Glows at Night

From the outside, the floor-to-ceiling glass walls let the interior lighting spill out, and you could see trailing vines and floral decorations glowing softly behind the glass. My wife said "It really does look prettier at night" the second she got out of the car — same thing she's said all three times we've come here. During the day it just looks like a big cafe, but at night the interior lights reflect off the glass and it genuinely catches your eye from outside. The building is designed as a drive-thru location, so it's generously sized, which gives it this open, airy feel even from the parking lot.

Walking toward the sign, the drive-thru lettering was glowing bright under the lights, and around the side of the building, I could see a mural packed with flowers and fruit peeking through the vine decorations on the glass. Quick note: the drive-thru doesn't operate at night. It's only available during the day — at night you just park and walk in. Even at midnight, I could see a decent number of people inside, which confirmed that yes, this place really is 24 hours.

Inside the Cafe — Two-Story Ceilings with Floral Decor

Once you step inside, it's way bigger than it looks from outside. The ceiling opens up to a full two-story height, and flowers and trailing vines hang all the way down from above — it felt like a little garden tucked inside the cafe. The long tables by the windows were especially nice, with warm lighting filtering through wooden decorations. Even at midnight, I spotted someone sitting alone with a laptop open. In Korea, it's completely normal to sit in a cafe by yourself for hours. People work on laptops, students study for exams, others just zone out scrolling their phones — nobody bats an eye. I wasn't expecting this level of interior design from a chain cafe, but this location clearly had some thought put into it.

The Mural Wall and Seating Layout

One entire wall was covered in a mural of flowers and fruit — the sheer size of it gave it real presence. Seating ranged from long bench-style seats along the wall to tall bar tables, so whether you're solo or with a group, there's plenty of room. Past midnight, this section was almost empty, which made it easy to take photos. That said, the mural area is a bit brightly lit, so if you want a cozier vibe late at night, the window seats are the better call.

The Counter and Late-Night Dessert Display

The counter curves in a long arc, and that alone gives you a sense of how big this place is. Even at midnight, a barista was behind the counter making drinks. The menu is displayed on digital screens showing everything from coffee to granita and gelato. In front of the counter, there was a full display of pastries and desserts lined up by type. Most 24-hour cafes I've been to have empty pastry cases by this hour, but here, even past midnight, there was still a solid selection — that genuinely surprised me. If you show up late and you're feeling peckish, you'll definitely have options. That much I can say for sure.

Ordering by Kiosk — English, Japanese, and Chinese Supported

We ordered at the kiosk. Pretty much every cafe in Korea uses kiosk ordering these days. You pick your items on a touchscreen and pay by card — the interface is intuitive enough that you get the hang of it after one or two tries. A cream tea buy-one-get-one deal popped up on the screen, which tempted me for a second. If you buy one of three cream teas, you get a free Americano — not a bad deal if you need two drinks. Below that, a new berry matcha series was displayed, but I ended up going with what I always get.

The kiosk supports English too. Since it's a nationwide chain, you can switch between English, Japanese, and Chinese, and the English interface was clean and easy to navigate. Even if you don't speak Korean, the screen lets you choose right away whether you're dining in or taking out, so there's really no reason to feel lost when ordering. One thing to know: if you choose "dine in," your drink comes in a ceramic mug instead of a disposable cup. Korea restricts single-use cups for in-store orders.

On the English screen, the categories are broken out with big, clear icons, making it easy to find what you want. Seasonal menu, coffee, beverages, cake, sandwich, bakery, gelato — it's all visible at a glance. Even if you can't read Korean at all, you could pretty much just tap the pictures. Once you pick a category and choose your item, it goes straight to the payment screen, so even first-timers shouldn't have much trouble.

Menu Prices and Payment Options

I tapped into the sandwich category and found a lineup of paninis — Philly steak, avocado chicken ham, egg melting bulgogi, Italian classic — all priced between about $5.30 and $5.40 (₩7,600–₩7,800). The cake section had a cassata series starting around $4.80 (₩6,900) and a soufflé cheesecake at about $4.40 (₩6,300). A whole strawberry yogurt cake was around $9 (₩13,000), and by the slice, the prices are pretty much in line with the average Korean chain cafe. The menu names and photos showed up clearly on the English screen, so it was easy to browse and compare prices.

The payment screen was fully translated into English too. Credit cards work of course, and they support a wide range of mobile payment options popular in Korea.

WeChat Pay support stood out to me — not many Korean chain cafes offer that yet. For international visitors, that kind of thing makes a real difference. And since they accept foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard, you're unlikely to hit any payment roadblocks here.

My wife paid with Samsung Pay. She just held her phone near the card slot at the bottom of the kiosk and it registered instantly. One tiramisu gelato, one iced cafe mocha, one Italian classic panini — the total came to about $13.80 (₩19,800). The Wi-Fi password was printed right at the bottom of the receipt. There are separate networks for the first and second floors, both with passwords listed, so you don't need to ask the staff. Most Korean cafes offer free Wi-Fi — usually the password is posted at the counter or printed on the receipt.

Cake, Paninis, Bread — The Display Case After Midnight

While waiting for our order, I browsed the display case. The cassata series was lined up neatly — blueberry yogurt and tiramisu sitting side by side caught my eye first. The blueberry yogurt had whole blueberries studded on top and looked genuinely appetizing, while the tiramisu had a thick layer of cocoa powder dusted over it in proper Italian style. Both were about $4.80 (₩6,900), and each slice looked generous enough that the price felt fair. Next to those was a cassata cherry chocolate at around $5.15 (₩7,400), piled high with chocolate shavings — that one looked like it'd be intensely sweet. Strawberry cake slices and other varieties filled in the gaps, and honestly, seeing the entire display case packed this full past midnight was unexpected.

Next to the cakes, there was a sandwich and panini section, and the variety here was no joke either. Each one was set up on a little wooden stand for easy viewing, and they all had red "HOT" stickers, meaning they heat them up when you order. The Philly steak panini had jalapeños on top of the meat, which suggested some kick. The one next to it — whole wheat bread stuffed with arugula and sauce — honestly looked the most appetizing of the bunch. The Italian classic panini was a straightforward combo of ham, olives, and tomato, and that's the one my wife picked. Prices ranged from about $4.95 to $5.80 (₩7,100–₩8,300). They were big enough that you couldn't hold one in one hand, which made them solid as a late-night snack. Below the paninis, they also had bottled water and juice, so you could just grab bread and a drink without ordering a coffee if you wanted.

The counter had its own separate bread selection too. There were two types of bagels — plain and basil, both with cream cheese, at about $3.15 (₩4,500) each. Beside those, salt bread and cube-shaped pastries ranged from about $2 to $3.40 (₩2,900–₩4,900). On another tray sat croissants and round pastries, and behind them I noticed a sign for a Naver receipt review event — write a review, get a free macaron. For this hour, having this much bread left is honestly impressive. That said, if bread is the main reason you're coming, a daytime visit is the smarter move.

Wireless Charging and Wi-Fi — Why This Cafe Works for All-Nighters

Our drinks weren't ready yet, so we grabbed a seat first. We chose the long table by the windows, where flowers and lemon decorations dangled from above — this was easily the spot with the best ambiance. Looking more closely at the table, I noticed power outlets embedded into the surface at regular intervals, plus wireless charging pads built right into the tabletop. Just set your phone down and it starts charging. I used the wireless charging at the Cheongju Pascucci location years ago too. I'll be honest — the charging speed is slow. If you're in a hurry, just plug into the outlet. But if you're just having coffee and setting your phone on the table anyway, it gradually trickles up, and over an hour or two that's good enough. If you're going to camp out at a 24-hour cafe all night, keeping your phone charged is basically essential. And how many cafes actually have wireless charging built into every table?

Second Floor Sofas and the Late-Night Vibe

I headed upstairs to check out the second floor. This is where the real space was. There's a "PHILOSOPHY" inscription on the wall, and in front of it, sofa seating stretches out in every direction. Green, red, yellow, gray — every chair is a different color, but somehow it all works together. The tables are these rounded, bean-shaped things that keep the whole area from feeling stiff, and the sofas are cushy enough that for long sits, this floor was way more comfortable than the first-floor tables.

Walk over to the glass railing and you get a full view of the first floor below. At this height, the floral decorations and lights hang right at eye level, which gave a totally different perspective. Outside, the Pascucci logo reflected in the glass, and inside, you could see the counter and customers down below — the open feeling was great. Even past midnight, there were people on laptops and a few couples talking quietly on the second floor. Combined with the first floor, I'd say there were easily over 10 groups. For midnight, that means this 24-hour cafe is doing exactly what it should be. The second floor is a bit dimmer than the first, though, so it's more suited for relaxing and chatting than getting work done.

Tiramisu Gelato, Cafe Mocha, and Italian Panini — The Verdict

Our order was finally ready. We set the tray down at a railing seat on the second floor, and with the floral decorations and lights hanging behind it, the backdrop basically styled itself. The iced cafe mocha had a generous heap of whipped cream on top — that was my wife's. The tiramisu gelato had a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on top of the cup — that one was mine. The first sip of the gelato hits you with a slightly bitter coffee flavor. But as the ice cream melts, it gradually turns smoother and creamier, and toward the bottom it swings back to a stronger coffee taste. If you just chug it you might miss it, but sipping slowly, I could feel the flavor shifting as I went.

The Italian classic panini came sliced in half, with clear grill marks on the outside and cheese oozing from the inside. One bite and I could tell the ham was layered in multiple folds, with tomato and melted mozzarella coming through together — it was solid. The bread itself was on the crispy side, giving it a nice chew, and there was more filling inside than I expected. I hadn't set the bar high for a chain cafe panini, but as a late-night snack, it delivered. The only downside was splitting one with my wife — it left us both wanting a little more. We'd eaten dinner before coming out so it was fine, but if I'd been actually hungry, I would've ordered a second one. Also, the panini was already a bit lukewarm when it arrived. They say they heat it, but it wasn't exactly piping hot when I got it. Eating it right away might've been fine, but by the time I carried it up to the second floor and took photos, the coolness was noticeable.

Self-Service Return and Parking — On the Way Out

Korean cafes are self-service when it comes to busing your table. Staff don't come to clear your seat — when you're done, you bring your tray to a return station like this one. If you're not sure what to do, just watch someone else do it once. Place your empty cups and tray on the rack, then toss straws, napkins, and other trash into the separate recycling bins next to it.

We hung around for about an hour and then headed out. It was around 1 AM, and the parking lot was nearly empty. There are quite a few spots, so even during the day I doubt you'd have trouble finding a space. The cafe sits right on a main road, making it easy to reach by car — and honestly, it's much more of a driving destination than a public transit one.

I'll be straight with you: Pascucci isn't the kind of brand people in Korea go out of their way to visit. But this particular location is different. It's 24 hours, it's spacious, the interior is clearly well thought-out, and even past midnight there are more than 10 groups hanging out. We came because we had nowhere else to go at that hour, but I have a feeling we'll be back. If you're in the Sintanjin area of Daejeon and looking for a late-night cafe, give this one a try.