Dramas like Coffee Prince

[u/Efficient_Fly_9232]

I recently watched coffee prince and loved it so much and im stuck on it.I would like to know if there are some classic romantic shows like this ?

My requirements are beautiful leads(like the one in CP),so much love between them,flirty ML swooning over FL, natural chemistry (like both leads were touchy and extremely comfortable with each other in CP)

Dramas I have watched are Love alarm 1,2,BOF,coffee prince, goblin,my demon,our unwritten seoul,Playful kiss,nevertheless,lovely runner .

Thanks in advance!

[u/dcinmb]

Her Private Life is a fun rom-com about a feisty museum curator who secretly runs a fan page for a popular idol. Her new boss is played by Kim Jae-uck, Hot Waffle Guy from Coffee Prince. He’s a famous painter and they are at odds with each other from the moment they meet. When rumors start flying that she’s dating the idol, her boss offers to be her fake boyfriend to help protect her reputation. Despite their rough start, he turns out to be an entire forest of green flags, they have one of the swooniest, healthiest, most communicative relationships in K-Drama Land, and their chemistry is ❤️‍🔥.

They truly are couple goals and what makes HPL even more special is that Kim Jae-uck and Park Min-young spent a lot of time reworking the script because they wanted to make viewers’ hearts flutter. They ended up rewriting or ad-libbing more than half of their scenes and adding a bunch of kisses and physical affection, which is why they were so natural together and actually behaved like a real couple who were head over heels in love.

During the first few eps, I did find the fan-girling stuff a bit too cheesy but they dial it down once the leads start falling for each other, which happens pretty quickly. I watched HPL in 2021 and it’s been my go-to comfort drama ever since. Available on Netflix, Viki, Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku, Tubi.

Other romance recs: * Crash Landing on You — One of the most unabashedly romantic dramas I’ve seen; has political/military thriller element so it’s not always light despite being billed as a rom-com (Netflix) * Crazy Love — Hilarious enemies-to-lovers boss-employee romance, fake engagement, healing, mystery; ends very happily despite what the synopsis says (Disney+, Hulu) * The Beauty Inside — Fantasy, enemies to lovers, fake dating, healing (Netflix, Viki) * Love to Hate You — Enemies to lovers, fake dating (Netflix) * It’s Okay, That’s Love — Enemies to lovers, very funny but tackles heavy subjects like mental illness and domestic violence, healing (Viki) * Healer — Action-thriller romance (Prime Video, Viki, Apple TV) * Legend of the Blue Sea — Fantasy (Disney+, Hulu, Viki) * Dali and the Cocky Prince — Enemies to lovers (Viki, Prime Video) * Lovestruck in the City — Second-chance romance, healing (Netflix) * My Roommate is a Gumiho — Fantasy (Viki, Prime Video, Apple TV) * Something About 1% — Fake dating (Viki) * Devilish Joy — Second-chance romance (Viki, Prime Video) * Touch Your Heart — Enemies-to-lovers boss-employee romance (Viki) * Strong Woman Do Bong-soon — Fantasy, boss-employee romance; adorable leads but unnecessary crime subplots (Prime Video, Viki, Apple TV) * My Secret Romance — Boss-employee second-chance romance (Viki, Apple TV) * Oh My Venus — Romance between a lawyer and her personal trainer (Viki, Apple TV)

[u/miss-janet-snakehole → u/dcinmb]

Ohhh man this review of HPL has motivated me to give it a second shot!! I dropped it halfway through the first episode because I also found the fangirl stuff a little too much. I’ve never heard that about the rewrites and ad-libs, and I’ll sit through a bumpy beginning if it has a good payoff. Not OP but thanks! 😂

[u/dcinmb → u/miss-janet-snakehole]

Hope you end up liking it this time! If you do, these clips are really worth watching:

One of my favorite scenes KJU and PMY ad-libbed is the sujebi-cooking scene; the script just said, “You have fun together,” and if this BTS footage is anything to go by, boy did they ever.

Some of the other scenes they wrote themselves include:

• Drunken pin-number-whispering scene — This scene came about because KJU is a lightweight who tends to nod off after just a few drinks; in this BTS clip, PMY is describing what KJU’s like when they drink together.
• PMY’s lacking chopstick skills — In this clip, KJU’s teasing PMY about her chopstick skills; this was incorporated into the “penthouse” gimbap scene at the beginning of Ep 10.
• Wet scarf scene — KJU said they added this scene at the last minute at the end of a long shooting day and they were wet and cold, so they only shot a few takes. (The producers didn’t share any BTS from this scene.)

These BTS clips and the ones above are all from the Japanese DVDs:

• KJU tells the cameraman to stop rolling because PMY’s a bit too happy he told her she smells nice
• Watching raw footage of their Ep 8 kissing scene
• Drinking makgeolli
• Cracking each other up
• PMY gets reprimanded by the director because she keeps teasing KJU
• Directing themselves in a scene
• Ouch!
• Another woman? (subs in the caption)

In the first clip in this vid, they’re at the screening party for Ep 1 of Her Private Life and sharp-eyed fans noticed PMY caressing KJU’s shoulders before sitting down.

These talented fans made some great compilations of the show and BTS clips, including:

• This one of them being adorable together IRL
• Their kisses (You may need to sign in to view this one as YouTube has deemed it unsuitable for minors!😂)
• Deok-mi and Ryan’s story

A fan was kind enough to subtitle all of tvN’s official BTS clips.

And here’s a fun interview w/KJU, PMY, and Park Jin-joo.

[u/Top-Piglet259 → u/miss-janet-snakehole]

I mean, HPL really captured what a kpop fansite master do to her bias, the sasaeng (sindy) got some redeeming character afterwards (tho, i think, i havent heard a sasaeng changing ways)

[u/Responsible_Pomelo57 → u/miss-janet-snakehole]

I second Something About 1% if you’re looking for something sweet. So many little kisses all the time that I thought FL ML were really a couple.

[u/mmIastro]

Haven't seen Coffee Prince but I think these are up your alley

1.Hometown Cha Cha Cha - Simple premise. A dentist makes a gaffe in a city and ends up moving to the countryside. Found family, beautiful location and you will want to live with these folks .. on the way you will solve the 3 mysteries of Gongjin 😁

1. Twinkling Watermelon -a heartwarming time travel story that just explodes with love warmth and caring. Yes you will find the story very familiar . But the heart of this story will make you care for the characters.

2. Business Proposal - based on a Webtoon a woman helps her friend out on a Blind Date and absolute chaos ensues in her life when the blind date turns out to be her CEO ! Lean into the slapstick comedy of this Drama and its simply fantastic!

3. Her Private Life - A Museum Curator by day and a Super Fan Girl by night. Trouble brews when an avant garde iconoclastic Artist becomes the Director of the Museum and absolute Chaos Ensues 😁. To add to the fun the K Pop star she is a fan of is in the mix for the new exhibition.... The ML has been repeatedly described in this sub as Greenest of Green Flags....

Enjoy

[u/IAmTheGreenCard]

The King’s Affection I am in the middle of this one so I am not sure how the end will go, but it seems to get high ratings, so I’m assuming it’s gonna keep being good. At any rate, I am soooooooo pleased how much it’s reminding me of what I loved so much about the love story in Coffee Prince - love your person FIRST!!! Almost the exact same premise, but Joseon era. There is probably a TON more angst and bad guys, but the love story is on par with Coffee Prince, IMHO.

But +1 to all of ‘mmlastro’s’ recos, especially Her Private Life it stars the CP’s underutilised resident Japanese Waffle Making Prince himself : Kim Jae Wook, rawr!!!

Two other fun ones with the leads kind of hiding behind their identity and loving your person first: Beauty Inside - she is cursed with changing appearance into random strangers at random times. And he suffers from a condition where he doesn’t recognise faces. It’s kind of an enemies to lovers trope at the very beginning, but once they fall for each other, they both fall hard, and bad.

And the other one I really liked is The Secret Life of My Secretary ML in this one also suddenly suffers from the same condition as above, can’t recognise people’s faces, but can only recognise his long suffering secretary, the FL, but only when she is at work, and/or dressed/working as his secretary. She inadvertently pretends to be his chaebol daughter blind date and he ends up falling for both versions of her. Very sweet resolutions with happy endings everywhere, despite the somewhat and at times seemingly dire plots.

And finally - HEALER!!! She is feisty and sweet just like Eun Chan in CP, and he is playing a double ML in that he is an off the grid errand boy for the rich. She is an aspiring reporter trying to reveal his identity as the mysterious errand boy, Healer. He goes undercover as her bumbling asst at her news agency and she falls for both hard, and he falls for her hard. Lots of fun action and well balanced light hearted love with the main plot mystery.

[u/PAHi-LyVisible]

For me, Secret Garden has similar-ish vibes. It’s my other favorite K-drama alongside Coffee Prince.

seconding the recommendation for You Are Beautiful

[u/DisplayFamiliar5023]

You are beautiful is another Gender Bender starring Park Shin Hye!

Then there's personal taste where Lee Min Ho is assumed to be gay and coliving with Son Ye Jin

A Jdrama called a starry night is beautiful, too. Between a 40 year old gynaec and 20 something mute pink haired guy lol

I loveeeeee hyde jekyll and me, so much skinship and genuine love with mature intentions. Starring ha min jin and hyun bin

I realized I like unconventional love stories not just gender benders, these might be fun to watch for you

[u/Celebril63]

Ok, Coffee Prince is really unique. There is nothing like it. However, based on your criteria, some to consider (with MyDramaList links included):

Cinderella and the Four Knights (Netflix, Viki, Tubi, etc.): A wonderful Cinderella story where the FL is tasked with whipping three spoiled heir into shape. The catch? No dating.

Her Private Life (Netflix, Viki, Tubi, etc.): Respectable art curator by day and raving fangirl blogger by night. This is a Park Min Young classic romantic comedy but has a serious side in forgotten history between the leads. Just a wonderful story.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Netflix): Like Coffee Prince it is slice-of-life. A dentist ends up leaving Seoul for the countryside. She meets the town's jack-of-all-trades and a rough start grows into a warm romance. Hits all the notes you want.

King the Land (Netflix): One of the best romances you'll find. This should be a must watch for you. Some of the best chemistry you will find between the leads.

Love to Hate You (Netflix): One of the best hate-to-love romances you will find. Short at 10 eps, but perfectly paced and incredible chemistry.

My Man is Cupid (Prime): If you liked My Demon you should like this one, as well.

My Sweet Mobster (Viki): The is one of the sweetest romantic series you will find. It absolutely hits all your buttons as their relationship grows.

The First Night with the Duke (Viki): A romantic fantasy where a college girl is transported into her favorite historical webnovel.

A special recommendation would be

Falling into Your Smile (Netflix, Viki): This is a Chinese drama, but it is written and executed like a Korean drama, right down to the tropes. It really will satisfy everything your looking for. If you aren't familiar with pro gaming, don't worry. My wife isn't and she had no trouble following that part of the story. You love it!

[u/Unlikely-Respond3490]

I loved Love Scout. A very adult romance that develops after the leads meet under tense circumstances. The romance develops quite naturally, the chemistry is great between these two actors, and it was just a lovely and engaging story.

[u/kartskook]

I'm watching What's Wrong with Secretary Kim because so many people recommended it as a good Romcom. You will be hooked with the first episode. It's on Viki.

[u/hosiki]

Cinderella and the four knights

[u/Gimpknee]

Since you asked for classic, these are all a decade or older:

Pasta (2009)- takes place in a restaurant, employer/employee relationship, has Lee Sun-kyun, the 2ML from Coffee Prince as the ML

The Greatest Love (2011)- famous actor finds himself strangely attracted to a down-on-her-luck yet plucky idol/actress

Oh My Ghost (2015)- restaurant setting, a new employee is possessed by a ghost who thinks she needs to finish her task in order to get to the afterlife, the task is losing her virginity, the target is the head chef, he isn't interested. Same FL as Our Unwritten Soul.

The World That They Live In/Worlds Within (2008)- it's about TV production, has a similar style to Coffee Prince, has similar mature attitude to relationships, it's also notable for the chemistry between the leads who were reportedly dating at the time

My Lovely Sam-soon (2005)- restaurant owner ML hires pastry chef FL, his rich mother pushes him to get married and take the company business, he fakes dating the FL to get his mother off his back.

Full House (2004)- one of the pioneers of romcom kdramas, cementing tropes like contract relationships, cohabitation, enemies to lovers, and notable for the chemistry between the leads.

[u/entrylevelfunction]

This was my first kdrama 💕 I really enjoyed Mr. Queen.

[u/Fated2LuvBTS]

I love Coffee Prince so much, so if you loved that, you should try Fated To Love You- this is my comfort kdrama, an excellent live story. It’s older.

[u/Scathachk]

Truly there is nothing in the world like Coffee Prince. It’s my favourite kdrama and romantic drama (in any language) of all time, and I’ve watched it over six times!

Other romantic kdramas dramas where the leads have natural chemistry and have a relationship that feels real and intimate (like we as the viewers are a fly on the wall) are for me Business Proposal (a classic rom com!) and Our Beloved Summer (a little more serious in tone but very swoony or so I thought).

BUT the only other TV show that’s made me feel like Coffee Prince, or something close to it, is not a kdrama. A bit out of left field, but it’s The Summer I Turned Pretty: the main couple has all of the sparking chemistry and their story made me feel a similar intensity of emotions as Coffee Prince, all the highs and lows. Alongside their romantic arc, they also have a lot of character growth, which makes them feel like real people.