Gyeongju café with Daereungwon tomb views: Cafe Bonghwangdang
In short
Cafe Bonghwangdang is a floor-to-ceiling window café on Taejong-ro in Gyeongju, between Hwangnidang-gil and the Daereungwon royal tombs. From a second-floor window seat at Cafe Bonghwangdang you look straight out at the ancient burial mounds over the signature Bonghwang Coffee (₩8,500) and a Strawberry Smoothie (₩8,000), and the Sumaksae Cookie Set (₩26,000), shaped like Gyeongju's famous smiling-face roof tile, travels well as a gift. After a walk through Daereungwon, Cafe Bonghwangdang is the easiest place to rest in an atmosphere that feels genuinely Gyeongju.
Good to know
- Address
- 737 Taejong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
- Hours
- 08:30–22:00 (last order 21:30)
- Closed
- Every Tuesday
- Parking
- Public parking lot near the café
- Bonghwang Coffee
- ₩8,500
- Strawberry Smoothie
- ₩8,000
- Sumaksae Cookie Set
- ₩26,000 (₩5,000 each)
- Seating
- Floor-to-ceiling window seats on the 1st and 2nd floors, outdoor camping zone
- Price reference
- ₩8,500 ≈ $6.3 · ₩8,000 ≈ $5.9 · ₩26,000 ≈ $19.5 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 13, 2026
One of the can't-miss spots on any Gyeongju trip is the Daereungwon and Hwangnidang-gil area. This time I visited Cafe Bonghwangdang (카페 봉황당), a place where you can enjoy a truly Gyeongju atmosphere along with dessert.
Where is Cafe Bonghwangdang, and when is it open?
Cafe Bonghwangdang is located at 737 Taejong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, between Daereungwon and Hwangnidang-gil. It's open 08:30–22:00 (last order 21:30) and closed every Tuesday. Parking is available at the public lot near the cafe.
It sits right between Daereungwon and Hwangnidang-gil, so it's easy to reach from the entrance of Hwangnidang-gil, and also a great stop for coffee after a walk through Daereungwon.
Outdoor camping zone and window seats on both floors
Outside Cafe Bonghwangdang there's a camping zone with camping chairs set out, and the interior is split between the 1st and 2nd floors. I honestly thought at first that people had brought their own chairs for a picnic haha. It really is a great spot to enjoy that picnic vibe.
The inside is split into 1st and 2nd floors. Nearly all the front-row view seats were taken. With a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window like this, no wonder there's no room!
Traditional decor and the mother-of-pearl restroom
The interior of Cafe Bonghwangdang has a traditional cafe concept that fits the Gyeongju atmosphere perfectly.
Playing up the character of the region, you'll spot traditional-style objects and relic-like decor pieces throughout. Exploring the inside of the cafe is honestly half the fun.
I fell for the restroom interior so hard.. it's decorated with that exact style of mother-of-pearl wardrobe and mother-of-pearl vanity you'd see at your grandmother's house. Restroom photo-zone angle? >_< The mother-of-pearl cabinet looked so luxurious 👀
The Daereungwon tomb view from the second-floor window seats
The biggest draw of Cafe Bonghwangdang is the Daereungwon view from the 2nd-floor window seats. The weather was so good that day, the 2nd-floor view looked like a framed picture.. Just looking at the scenery from the window seat at Cafe Bonghwangdang was healing 🖼️
Cafe Bonghwangdang menu: brunch, wine and beer too
After admiring the interior, I checked out the menu first. They also sell brunch dishes, wine, and even beer!
They also sell the Sumaksae Cookie Set and Bonghwangdang Yeonhwagwa. The packaging is fancy enough to make a great gift, so I picked up a Sumaksae Cookie Set.
They also carry mini cheesecakes, tiramisu, and other baked goods, plus parfaits, brunch, wine, and beer. We stopped by before lunch, so we decided to just order drinks and go. We ordered the signature Bonghwang Coffee (₩8,500) and the Strawberry Smoothie (₩8,000) and grabbed a seat on the 2nd floor.
Signature Bonghwang Coffee, ₩8,500
The cream on the Bonghwangdang coffee is amazing..! You know cream coffee, right? The thing you're supposed to try drinking without a straw first!! As always, I never skip ordering a cafe's signature coffee haha.
Sipping coffee while looking out at the autumn sky~ I really felt like I got to relax and heal at Cafe Bonghwangdang. It's the perfect place to escape the noise of the city and soak in some quiet beauty.
Since it's open from early morning until night, watching the sunset from a front-row seat would probably be pretty wonderful too!
Sumaksae roof-tile cookie set, ₩26,000: the gift to take home
Once home, I gave my mom the Sumaksae Cookie Set (₩26,000, also sold as singles for ₩5,000). These cookies are shaped exactly like the face-pattern roof-end tile, one of Gyeongju's most iconic cultural heritage pieces. The taste was good, but she was even more amazed by the packaging haha. Turning the 'Smile of Silla' — something you can really only find in Gyeongju — into a cookie makes it a wonderful souvenir or gift from a Gyeongju trip!
This isn't just a cafe to grab coffee or dessert — with the floor-to-ceiling window view of Daereungwon's green burial mounds plus the traditional objects scattered throughout the interior, I really got to feel the mood of a Gyeongju trip properly!
I think it would be even lovelier to visit around November, when it's a bit more autumn-autumn than it is now. If you're traveling in Gyeongju, come to Cafe Bonghwangdang and enjoy some healing 👍
Where it is
737 Taejong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, South Korea경상북도 경주시 태종로 737
