Jeju café for tasting oranda and gwajul: Cheongchuni Oranda

There is truly so much to eat at Jeju Dongmun Market. From meal options to snacks that are easy to eat while walking through the market, and desserts to take home as travel souvenirs, there are plenty of choices. Among the places I visited this time, Cheongchuni Oranda, which sells oranda and gwajul, really stayed with me.

Along the route I explored, I did not notice many places gathering such a wide variety of oranda and gwajul in one spot. Perhaps that is why this shop felt distinctly individual even among all the food around it. These were familiar traditional snacks, but the range of flavors, shapes, and packaging made choosing them fun.

Oranda and gwajul piled high beneath an orange sign

As you walk through the market, the orange “Cheongchuni Oranda” sign catches your eye. The entrance also says, “If you’re craving oranda, come on in,” so it is the sort of thing that makes you look twice as you pass.

The display was full of large gwajul and conveniently portioned oranda. I could also see a large pot and work area in the back, which made the market-snack-shopping atmosphere feel even more real.

When I visited, I saw quite a few international tourists as well as Korean tourists looking over and buying the products.

The menu board included information in foreign languages, too, so it looked easy for international visitors to compare the varieties and choose.

Try samples and choose what suits your taste

Personally, the part I liked most was the sampling.

Small samples of oranda and gwajul were set out in front of the display, so I could taste them before buying. When there are many varieties, it can be hard to decide what to pick, but being able to taste them first made it much easier.

Rather than choosing based on the name alone, I could check whether it was a flavor I liked, and it also gave me a better idea of what to choose as a gift. Traditional snacks can easily bring similar flavors to mind, but there were more options here than I expected. I thought it would be fun for a family to come and have everyone pick a flavor they liked.

Cheongchuni Oranda menu and options

The options listed on the in-store menu board at the time of my visit were as follows. Based on the menu board I photographed during my visit, prices and options may change.

The donut-shaped oranda came in many varieties, including Hallabong citrus, green tea, peanut, carrot chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, black sesame, yellow cheese, chocolate, and coconut. The colorful donut shapes on the display caught my eye. They also looked nice to pick out one by one for a snack.

The yuja gwajul (traditional puffed-rice snack) was listed in steamed rice, white rice, brown rice, and buckwheat varieties. Being able to choose gwajul as well as oranda was another advantage here.

Options suited to travel snacks and gifts

Personally, the prices felt quite manageable.

You can choose donut oranda individually, and gwajul is available in bundles starting at five pieces, so it is easy to make a light purchase. If you are looking for snacks to share with your family at your accommodation while traveling, the bulk-style options are worth a look, too. They seemed like good choices when quantity and price matter more than the shape of the packaging.

For gifts, on the other hand, the boxed four-flavor set looked like a great fit. It lets you include several flavors, and the boxes displayed in the shop looked neat, so I thought they would be nice to give to family or friends after the trip. It was convenient to choose both something to eat during the trip and something to take home from the same shop.

If you are looking for a distinctive snack at Dongmun Market

Dongmun Market has many desserts, but as I looked around, Cheongchuni Oranda felt like a shop that would be hard to replace with another. I liked that it focused on oranda and gwajul while preparing them in many flavors and configurations. Above all, I was pleased that I could sample them and choose according to my taste. Buying several items as gifts without knowing the flavor can feel a little hesitant, but tasting them yourself before choosing makes the purchase feel less daunting.

If you are looking for something to snack on during a Jeju trip or choosing edible gifts at Dongmun Market, it is worth stopping by. My visit to Cheongchuni Oranda was good for both sampling lightly and choosing pieces one by one, or putting together several flavors for a gift.