Twosome Place, the South Korean coffee-and-dessert chain that has been building out a storefront at 404 King St., announced Thursday that its Old Town Alexandria café will be its first location in the United States, with an opening expected in mid-October.
Alexandria Living first reported the project in July, piecing it together from City of Alexandria permit records that listed the King Street space as “Twosome Place” and classified the use as a bakery and café. At the time, neither the company nor the city had publicly confirmed the location.
The company now says the roughly 2,600-square-foot café will seat 78, including outdoor seating, and that Alexandria is the first step in a broader American expansion — two more U.S. locations are set to open soon. Details on opening celebrations are expected in the coming weeks.
“Our debut in the Washington region is an important milestone for Twosome Place as we look ahead to future growth in the U.S.,” said Jay (Young Joo) Moon, CEO of Twosome Place Korea, in the announcement. He said the company wants to introduce American customers to a café culture built around quality, hospitality and gathering over coffee and cake.
Coffee and cake, together
Twosome Place is built around the pairing that gives the chain its name: specialty coffee alongside dessert. The brand opened its first store in Seoul in 2002 and has grown to more than 1,750 locations in South Korea. It was acquired in November 2021 by the Carlyle Group, the Washington-based investment firm.
Its best known item is the Strawberry Chocolate Cream Cake, which the company says is the only trademark-registered cake in Korea and sells more than 3 million units a year. Also making the trip: the Ice Box Cake, a Korean take on the American icebox cake that is layered, chilled and eaten with a spoon, and which the company says sells more than 6 million units a year. Both will be available whole and by the slice.
What’s on the menu
Alongside classic espresso drinks, the Alexandria café will pour a set of Korean-inspired beverages the company says were developed specifically for the U.S. market: a Dalgona Cream Top, a nod to the whipped, caramelized coffee that had a global moment in 2020; a Black Sesame Latte; a Misugaru Frappe, made with the toasted multigrain powder that is a longtime Korean breakfast staple; and a Korean Apple Cinnamon Tea.
The all-day food menu includes K-Toast with bulgogi and egg, a K-Chicken panini and a Bibimbowl.
The third storefront
Twosome will be the last of three food-and-beverage tenants to fill the ground-floor retail on this stretch of King Street, adjacent to the Alexandrian Old Town Hotel at King and South Royal streets.
Life Alive Organic Cafe, the plant-forward chain founded in Lowell, Massachusetts, opened at 402 King St. on June 9. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the New York brand known for its custard-style and vegan scoops, followed on June 18.
Twosome and Van Leeuwen are already partners overseas. Van Leeuwen signed a master franchise agreement with A Twosome Place at a ceremony in February, making the Korean company the operator that brings the ice cream brand to South Korea. The first Seoul store opened near Gangnam Station in early July. Come October, the two will be neighbors on King Street as well.
Sep. 03, 2026
6:16 p.m.