Gilpost · Seongdong-gu, Seongsu-dong 1-ga
RPM
알피엠 Alpiem RPM as in engine revolutions — the shop is dressed as a building site, under the motto “we are all under construction”
Other · Seongdong-gu, Seongsu-dong 1-ga
Updated · Published
RPM is an espresso bar in a lane near exit 7 at Ttukseom station. It opened in April 2025, dressed as a building site — one post records the motto: we are all under construction. The cups are small and the prices low: an americano is ₩1,800 to take away, an espresso under cream ₩3,000. Two posts note the ground floor is RPM and the floor above is a bakery called Nesene.
The basics
| Address | 서울특별시 성동구 왕십리로4길 24-33, 1층 (성수동1가) 24-33 Wangsimni-ro 4-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul |
|---|---|
| Phone | 0507-2085-3502 |
| Typical spend | ₩2,000 – ₩3,000 |
| Floor area | 38 m² |
| Status | In business |
4 posts say it is walkable from the station.
When it opens
| Open | Daily | 17:00–02:00 3 of 5 posts last seen 2026-07 |
|---|
Counted from what bloggers wrote in their posts; we did not confirm it with the restaurant. Where the values differ, it may be a change over time rather than a disagreement, so we show when each one was written.
What sets it apart
- Three of the six call it cheap. An americano is ₩1,800 to take away; one writer, paying ₩2,000, remarks that they did not think this price was still possible in Seongsu. Another reports being told the owner keeps prices low to back people who are still building themselves — the same motto as the sign. No post calls it expensive.
- It is small. Two say so: one that a single group fills it, another counting about four seats inside. Two mention seating outside, one of them calling it a sort of spacecraft. A third says you may as well treat the place as takeaway.
- Two posts describe something arriving unasked. One writer, caught deciding between two drinks, was brought the other one as well; another, curious about an unfamiliar machine, was given a taste while the owner explained it. A third records espresso two-for-one when it rains.
What 6 bloggers said
We read all 6 in full. The most common claims are “Not expensive” (0) and “Friendly staff” (2).
What they liked
Things you can check on site
| Reachable by transit | 4 of 6 posts |
|---|---|
| Takeout | 3 of 6 posts |
| Large windows | 3 of 6 posts |
| Second floor | 2 of 6 posts |
| Discount offered | 1 of 6 posts |
These are raw counts, not percentages. Someone who did not mention something is not someone who disagreed.
What people order
The prices here are what bloggers wrote down in their posts, and they may have changed since. Check Naver Place for the current menu and prices. This list is not a menu board — it counts what bloggers actually ordered and ate. Check on Naver Place
Who came, and with whom
| Solo visit | 1 of 6 posts |
|---|---|
| Group visit | 1 of 6 posts |
Getting there
Naver Map has a full English mode — Settings → Language → English. In Korea it gives better walking and transit directions than Google Maps.
Getting inside
| Second floor | 2 of 6 posts |
|---|
No post says whether a wheelchair or a pushchair gets in. The ground floor is mentioned; a step at the door, or room to turn inside, is not. Several describe a small room of about four seats. One writer means to come back with a pushchair, but had not yet. The bakery above is reached by stairs, one post notes.
No one mentioned: In a basement · Lift to the floor · Ramp at the door · Step at the entrance · Step-free access · Toilet inside · Accessible toilet · Separate restrooms. That is not the same as there being none — it means we could not confirm it. Worth calling ahead, and do tell us: we will put it here.
How to read these posts
- Posts saying they paid themselves1 of 6 posts
- Posts saying nothing either way5 of 6 posts
When the posts appeared
Month by month
| Month | Posts |
|---|---|
| 2025-04 | 2 |
| 2025-06 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 1 |
| 2025-10 | 1 |
What we do not know
- We read six posts, and two of those are a sentence or two long. Every count on this page is out of six. The shop opened in April 2025 and the writing has not accumulated. Of the fifteen posts we collected, nine were not about this shop at all; the reason is below.
- One of the six was written by a friend of the owner. The writer says so outright — five years' friendship — and adds that they paid but got plenty thrown in. It is not sponsorship and it is not hidden, but it cannot carry the same weight as a stranger's account, and it is one of six. None of the other five discloses payment or any connection to the shop.
- Nine of the fifteen we collected are not about this shop, so we removed them. The name brought two kinds of stranger. One is rpm as engine speed: three motorcycle reviews and a power-tool write-up, where phrases about four thousand rpm were read as the shop's name. The other is Seoul's other RPMs — three posts about a cocktail bar in Apgujeong and one about a café in Sinsa-dong. We have not deleted them; they are listed below.
- The hours and the phone number differ between posts. April 2025 gives 08:00–17:00; June gives weekdays 08:00–17:00 and Saturday 10:00–19:00; October gives Wednesday to Friday 08:00–19:00 and Saturday 10:00–19:00. Two agree it closes on Sundays. Three phone numbers appear; two differ by a single digit and look like a transcription slip, the third is something else entirely. The shop is new enough that this is probably still settling.
- Not one of the six mentions a toilet — whether there is one inside or you use the building's. All we know is that this is a small place people mostly carry their coffee out of.
- No post describes queueing. One guesses, from the look of the place, that weekday lunchtimes bring a line of office workers in for an espresso — but that is an inference, and that writer got a seat. Two note the eight o'clock opening and think of it as a stop on the way to work.
- Few posts say who they went with. One says it is perfectly fine on your own; one came with a friend. The other four do not say, which fits — three of them carried the coffee out. On whether it suits a date or a family outing, we have nothing to go on.
Sources (6)
Every number above was counted from the posts below.
- 성수 카페 에스프레소 커피 맛집 알피엠 RPM 2025-10-04 · 사적인공간
- 성수동 알피엠 2025-08-24 · T의 리뷰 · via Daum
- 6월 1주차 2025-06-11 · EVIHCRA · via Daum
- 뚝섬역 카페 알피엠, 산미 있는 에스프레소 맛집 2025-06-06 · 소소하지만 완벽한 오늘 · via Daum
- [성수] 아침에 에스프레소 한 잔, 아이스브루라는 특이한 커피를 파는 힙한 카페_알피엠 2025-04-28 · 리홀릭의 식도락기행 · via Daum
- 2000원에 고퀄리티 커피를 맛볼 수 있는 성수카페 RPM(알피엠) 내돈내.... 2025-04-27 · 라리쓰닷컴
We opened all 258 candidate posts and kept 6 as evidence.