This study aimed to analyze the process by which modern cafes were introduced to colonial Korea via Japan, and how cafes and tea houses (tea rooms) were transformed and adopted during this process. In Japan, coffee culture had spread in modern times, and cafes and tea houses coexisted. However, after the Great Kanto Earthquake, a differentiation emerged between cafes, considered decadent spaces, and tea houses, which were primarily coffee-oriented. In contrast, cafe culture, which wasn't even clearly defined in Japan, was imported into Joseon, effectively obscuring the distinction between cafes and tea houses. In particular, in the 1930s, Japanese-style cafe culture, represented by waitresses, became popular in Joseon, and the gap between social perception and actual operation became evident. This was closely related to the economic disparity between Japan and colonial Korea, as well as the structural limitations stemming from colonial conditions. Furthermore, this study reveals that cafes in modern Japan and Korea functioned beyond mere beverage consumption, serving as venues for cultural exchange, spaces embodying modern sensibilities, and even as hubs for the independence and socialist movements. This paper argues that modern cafe spaces acquired distinct social meanings and functions under the different conditions of empire and colony.