The physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of commonly consumed espresso and regular coffees, at coffee shops in downtown Seoul, were investigated. Moreover, the characteristics between chain type coffee shops and owner shops were compared using t-tests. The serving temperature and volume of espresso were lower than those for regular coffees. Whereas, the pH and total acidity of espresso were higher than those for regular coffees. Coffees from chain shops, in particular, had a significantly higher pH and lower total acidity than those from owner shops. The L, a and b values of the regular coffees were higher than those of the espresso coffees. With the exception of the a value of regular coffees, all the color values of the coffees from owner shops were higher than those from the chain shops. The intensity of the brownness, soluble solid contents and total phenolic contents of the espresso coffees were about 7∼8, 8∼9 and 4 times higher, respectively, than those of regular coffees. In addition, the free radical scavenging capacities and antioxidant activities of the espresso coffees, using a chemiluminescence assay, were higher than those of regular coffees. Espresso coffees from chain shops, especially, had higher activities of free radical scavenging than those from owner shops. In conclusion, the characteristics of coffees from chain shops were significantly different from those from owner coffee shops.