Why Perplexity built a low-key coffee shop in Seoul’s most upscale district

There's almost nothing about Cafe Curious that suggests it was created by a Silicon Valley AI startup.

Located in Cheongdam-dong, one of Seoul’s most upscale neighborhoods, the space opened on Sept. 3. From the outside, it looks like just another sleek coffee shop with glass doors, dark stone walls and a small sidewalk sign. The name Curious appears modestly on the corner of the building.

But this is not a typical cafe. It's the first physical location operated by Perplexity, the generative AI company best known for its conversational web search engine. The space doubles as a coffee shop and a soft landing point for customers to interact with the company’s core product, Perplexity Pro, without being told to.

There is no prominent Perplexity logo, no mention of artificial intelligence, and no visible screens drawing attention.

The cafe occupies two floors of the building that also houses Artist Company, the agency founded by Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, a recent face in Perplexity’s marketing.

On the first floor, customers order coffee and browse branded merchandise. On Sunday afternoon, the cafe was quiet, with a few visitors chatting or working on laptops.

There was little to indicate that this space is part of a tech experiment.

Perplexity’s presence becomes clear only after a visitor is asked a simple question at the register: Are you a Perplexity Pro subscriber?

“About half of the visitors know it’s a Perplexity cafe when they arrive, and half don’t,” the store manager told The Korea Herald. “But we ask every customer if they’re a subscriber, because subscribers get a 50 percent discount on drinks. So even if people didn’t come here for that reason, they leave knowing about it.”

Non-subscribers are offered a QR code at the counter that links to a one-month free trial of Perplexity Pro, which gives users access to the company’s full-fledged AI search engine. After signing up, they receive the same 50 percent discount.

Downstairs, the basement level of the cafe presents a clearer view of the AI company’s identity. On a white circular table sits a laptop running Perplexity Pro. The screen is mirrored onto a wall projection, allowing customers to ask the AI assistant questions in real time. There are no staff guiding the process. The space encourages casual interaction and self-directed use.

“We wanted people to feel like they’re discovering something on their own,” said June Morita, general manager of Perplexity Asia Pacific, on the opening day. “It’s not about technology being front and center. It’s about making curiosity part of an ordinary experience.”

The futuristic-looking installation sits next to a softly lit lounge area, where deep armchairs, low tables and warm colors create a quiet, semi-private atmosphere.

Founded in 2022 by former engineers from OpenAI and Google DeepMind, Perplexity has grown rapidly, reaching more than 30 million monthly active users globally, according to company data cited in recent media reports.

In South Korea, usage has more than doubled since January this year, growing from about 330,000 to over 820,000 monthly active users, based on August data from local analytics firm IGAWorks Mobile Index.

The Seoul cafe follows a short-lived coffee truck promotion in New York in June, but it's the company’s first permanent retail space. Unlike typical tech showrooms, the branding here is subdued. Even the AI-generated music playing throughout the space is easy to miss.

Perplexity says the choice to launch in Korea was strategic. High smartphone penetration, widespread use of AI-powered translation and writing tools, and strong interest in digital trends have made Korean users a key early audience.

“The goal isn’t to promote AI as something overly futuristic or intimidating,” Morita said. “It’s to integrate it into spaces where people already spend time, doing things they already enjoy.”