Goblin: Canadian restaurant featured in tvN drama is not what you think it is!

The Canadian restaurant, often shown in Goblin, is not Canada at all but it is a cafe in Paju city.

Goblin
Actress Kim Go-eun in a scene from episode 5 of 'Goblin,' featuring the South Korean cafe 'Zino.' youtube.com/tvN DRAMA

Gong Yoo's 'Goblin' recently ended its successful run on tvN but fans and viewers can't stop talking about the fantasy drama. New things about the production of the drama are being revealed even after the last special episode was released on 4 February. One such detail was revealed recently about the Canadian restaurant that was often a haunt for the Goblin and his bride.

Though the story of 'Goblin' centred in South Korea, there were quite a few scenes shot in the beautiful Canadian city of Quebec. One of the most important threads in the drama involved one Canadian restaurant where Kim Shin saw his and Eun-tak's future; where they often dined together. Now it has been revealed that the restaurant is not in Canada at all. It is a cafe in South Korea.

As noted by Allkpop and Koreaboo, the location and building of the restaurant were revealed on the February 14 episode of 'One Night of Entertainment.' Called Zino or Chocolatier Zino, it lies in Gyeonggi province's Paju city, North-West of Seoul, South Korea. This is strange because many scenes were actually shot in Canada.

However, it is understandable that due to budget restrictions or otherwise, they were only able to film on exterior locations. Filming inside a real restaurant in Canada would pose a logistical problem for the crew, which was solved by finding the perfect replacement near home. As Koreaboo notes, many fans of 'Goblin' who had visited Quebec to look for the locations of Goblin's filming were disappointed to find out that the iconic mansion-like restaurant did not exist in Canada at all.

The South-Korean cafe was actually created to resemble a British Museum, with polished woodwork, oil portraits of the rich and famous of sepia-tinged eras. Now, of course, the cafe has seen a sudden influx of customers after they discovered its significance. To acknowledge their connection with the drama, the restaurant now features photos of Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun as well as other cast members from 'Goblin.'

After seeing the success of 'Goblin' not only in Asia but in European nations as well as the US, one thing is for sure that this particular South Korean classic-themed restaurant will remain etched in memories of hardcore 'Goblin' fans for sure. Now, hopefully, the food is good there as well.

This article was first published on February 17, 2017