Rooftop café-pub in Sejong: honey tomato juice and tiramisu, Apere

What kind of café is Apere in Sejong?

Apere is a big Sejong café sitting right in front of Ieung Bridge, one of Sejong's landmarks. You can take in the Geumgang River, Sejong Lake Park and the Korea National Arboretum Sejong in one sweep. It's a real view spot!

🌞 By day, it's a stylish café with fragrant coffee and a relaxed brunch! ⭐️ By night, it turns into a charming pub where you can have a drink with the night view. Same spot, two completely different moods, which makes it a rather unusual café.

Apere's 4th-floor rooftop terrace at River Picnic and the Ieung Bridge night view

Apere is a rooftop café on the 4th floor of River Picnic, near Sejong City Hall,

The whole floor is set up as a rooftop, so it feels wonderfully open! The outdoor terrace in particular is nicely decorated, a great place to sit back with a cup of coffee.

Just spending time looking out at that open view is healing in itself! At night, the Ieung Bridge lights are so beautiful, as anyone from Sejong will know. You can take in the sparkling night view in one glance, so Apere may honestly be the prime spot.

Now I'm so jealous of everyone who watched the Sejong fireworks from Apere last week, haha. If I'd known earlier, I'd have grabbed a seat at this Sejong rooftop café and enjoyed the fireworks properly! Next time there's a fireworks festival, I'm definitely coming back to claim a front-row spot.

Indoor seating and the kids' annex at Apere

The inside is nicely done too. Cozy lighting, a stylish yet clean atmosphere, totally my style!

There's a variety of seating plus spacious big tables, perfect for a leisurely tea time or a group get-together with friends!

Best of all, as befits a big café, the main building and the annex are split left and right, which makes great use of the space!

The annex even has a few small toys and picture books for children. The kids can have fun while the parents relax more comfortably, so I felt this place is well suited to family visits.

Apere menu: brunch by day, highballs and bar snacks by night

The Apere menu is wide: Pororo drinks for kids, healthy fresh fruit juice, fragrant coffee, hot tea, cool smoothies and ades, and bingsu (shaved ice dessert).

Among the brunch options, the pasta and risotto caught my eye. Someone nearby had ordered aglio e olio, and the savory garlic aroma drifting over made my appetite jump before I knew it! This time I enjoyed coffee and dessert, but I promised myself I'd come back for the brunch menu.

Another of Apere's charms is its alcohol menu, great for the evening. There are highballs, wine and beer, with snacks such as nachos, dried pollack with dried persimmon, brie cheese with nuts, and an assorted platter.

How was Apere's honey tomato juice with no ice?

At Apere you can order the tomato juice as pure fruit, without ice or honey. I had mine without ice but with honey, and it was the item I loved most this visit. We'd stopped by for a light tea time after lunch, so we ordered coffee and tomato juice!

The fresh, plump tomatoes lined up in the display case looked so tempting that I found myself picking the tomato juice!

And if you want it healthy and pure, they'll leave out the ice and honey too. If it had been syrup, I'd have given up the sweetness for sure, but it's healthy honey, so O.K.! Just, no ice!

The result? Haha, I totally fell for the tomato juice at Apere. With no ice it's pure and healthy, and since they adjust the sweetness with honey instead of syrup, it felt like a proper vitamin recharge! I came for the view but got hooked on the drink too, and I'd love to come again.

Nutty Americano and tiramisu cake at Apere

For the Americano at Apere, you can choose between a nutty roast and a bright roast. My sister said the coffee tasted great too. She's a nutty-roast person, so she picked it without hesitation. The result: exactly her taste 👍

The tiramisu cake went quite well with the coffee. The first bite was a moist coffee sponge with soft, rich cream melting away, and a bittersweet flavor lingered at the end, which I found quite charming.

We both came away properly refreshed for the first time in a while! Gazing at the open Geumgang view in the middle of the city, zoning out watching the water, with warm autumn sun and a gentle breeze, could anything be more relaxing?

Head over to Apere, a big Sejong café and pub that has everything from a relaxing cup of coffee to a drink with a beautiful night view. It's appealing for family outings, get-togethers with friends or an evening date.

How does parking work at Apere in Sejong?

Apere offers up to 6 hours of free parking, and you can also use the Sejong City Hall parking lot for free. For Apere's parking support, though, you must register yourself on the tablet.

• Up to 6 hours of free parking (but self-registration on the tablet is required!)
• Free use of the Sejong City Hall parking lot: free all day on weekends and holidays, and only after 7 pm on weekdays