Yeongju gallery café for late-night fries and ice cream crêpe: Café289

Café289: a Yeongju café for late-night snacks and dessert after dinner

Café289 is a café on Guseong-ro in Yeongju where we stopped for a late-night snack after dinner during our Yeongju trip. The private parking lot was roomy, so parking was easy, and it was no hassle to visit even late in the evening.

After dinner on our Yeongju trip, we wanted something cold and sweet and were a little peckish, so we went looking for a place for a late-night snack and found this café by chance. On trips, parking is the first thing I worry about, and Café289 has a generous private lot, so parking the car was easy. Being fine to visit late was a big plus too. :)

What is the interior of Café289 like?

The interior of Café289 feels like a gallery, with artworks displayed throughout. The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was that gallery atmosphere. Artworks were on show everywhere, and with the stylish interior and the large space, it felt less like an ordinary café and more like a small exhibition hall.

The tables were spaced widely, so it never felt cramped, and the interior was kept clean, a comfortable place for families to stay. It was summer and we had come in to escape the heat, and the air conditioning was running nicely, which was just right for tired travelers.

What we ordered at Café289

We ordered french fries, a chocolate pistachio cake, black sesame red bean bingsu (shaved ice dessert), and a crêpe topped with ice cream. The food also came out faster than expected, so there was no waiting, which I loved ^^

French fries: a side that kids and adults kept reaching for

The fries at Café289 came out freshly fried, warm and crispy, and nicely salty, so the kids loved them. We tried the fries first, since they are our youngest's favorite. The plate was piled high, yet it vanished in no time. I thought of them as a simple side, but they were better than expected and the adults kept grabbing them too. They would be great with a beer, I thought! ^^

Ice cream crêpe: cinnamon aroma and melt-in-your-mouth ice cream

The ice cream crêpe at Café289 was delicious! The cinnamon powder lifted the aroma just right, and with the drizzled syrup and cold ice cream on top, you got sweetness and smoothness at the same time. It melts away. The chewy texture typical of a crêpe met the softness of the ice cream, a dessert that satisfied kids and adults alike.

It has a different kind of sweetness from the bingsu, so it is a good one to order alongside. We finished it in no time.. Only after ordering did I find out that you can get the crêpe for free if you write a Naver receipt review T_T!

Black sesame red bean bingsu: the best of the day

The best dish of the day at Café289 was clearly the black sesame red bean bingsu. Black sesame, red beans and rice cake sit on top of milk snow bingsu. The generous look alone made us gasp, and one spoonful showed why it is a popular item.

The rich, nutty flavor of black sesame blended with the cold milk ice for real depth, and the pairing with sweet red beans was excellent. Yum yum yum, black sesame and red bean bingsu really.. oh right, snow bingsu! Because it is milk snow bingsu, it melts so softly, and it goes well with the black sesame.

There was plenty of rice cake too, which added a fun chew. The nuttiness of black sesame, the sweetness of red beans and the chewy rice cake came together into something like art. Our whole bingsu-loving family raved about it, and it was the most memorable dessert we had in Yeongju.

How was Café289 as a break during a family trip?

Best of all, every single dish we ordered at Café289 was good. The kids ate happily and scraped their plates clean, and the short break turned into a happy memory of the trip. A space decorated with beautiful flowers, gallery sensibility, a spacious and pleasant interior, tasty desserts and a friendly atmosphere: a perfect café in every way!