Seogwipo café with Valrhona chocolate cake: Forest Jeongbang

Whenever I go to Jeju, I always make a point of stopping by Seogwipo, and this time I visited the area near Jeongbang Waterfall for the first time in ages. While looking for a café to rest at after seeing the falls, I found Forest Jeongbang, an ocean-view café in Jeju :) It was great to have coffee with a sea view, and since the café itself is spacious, I could relax there without feeling rushed.

Where Forest Jeongbang is and where to park near Jeongbang Waterfall

Forest Jeongbang isn't far from Jeongbang Waterfall, so it's a good stop before or after sightseeing there. It's at 9 Chilsimni-ro 214beon-gil, Seogwipo-si, Jeju, and it's a fairly large café spread across both the 1st and 2nd floors.

There's also a parking space right next to the building, so it wasn't a hassle even while getting around Jeju by rental car. Above all, the view opens up toward the sea, so I felt that Jeju atmosphere the moment I walked in. If you're looking for a good café near Jeongbang Waterfall, this one's worth adding to your route.

The sunlit first floor at Forest Jeongbang

The first floor of Forest Jeongbang has high ceilings and large windows, giving the whole space a bright, airy feel. Green scenery and the sea are both visible through the windows, so just sitting there already felt like being on vacation.

The seats aren't packed too closely together, so it looked comfortable for families visiting with parents too. It also felt like a fine spot to work quietly on a laptop or just have a quiet coffee alone.

Seogwipo ocean views and Munseom Island from the second floor

The real charm of Forest Jeongbang was on the second floor. Being a bit higher up than the first floor, the view of the sea opened up much wider.

You can see all the way to the Seogwipo sea and Munseom Island in the distance, and on a clear day you just end up sitting by the window staring out. Some ocean-view cafés in Jeju get so crowded you can't really enjoy the view, but here the space itself is spacious enough to relax comfortably.

The terrace: a good spot for sea breeze

The indoor seating was nice, but if the weather's decent, I'd recommend stepping out onto Forest Jeongbang's terrace too. There aren't many buildings blocking the view in front, so you can take in the Seogwipo sea in one glance.

It feels different from the indoor view, so it's good for photos and for catching a bit of fresh air. I imagine it would be even prettier at sunset.

Looking for a dog-friendly café in Seogwipo?

Forest Jeongbang allows pets, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're traveling around Jeju with your dog. Besides the indoor area, there's also more relaxed space like the terrace, so it seemed easier to use than a cramped small café.

For anyone traveling in Jeju with their dog and searching for a pet-friendly café in Seogwipo, this could be a solid option.

Three things we ordered at Forest Jeongbang

• Iced americano
• Jeongbang Waterfall latte
• Valrhona choco cake

This time at Forest Jeongbang, we ordered three things: iced americano, Jeongbang Waterfall latte, and Valrhona choco cake. When you're traveling and hit up a café, a cold iced americano is a must haha. It was clean and easy to drink, which paired well with the sweet dessert.

The Jeongbang Waterfall latte, a Jeju signature drink

Since we came to Forest Jeongbang, the Jeongbang Waterfall latte caught my eye right away just from the name. It's a signature drink that evokes both the café's name and Jeongbang Waterfall rather than a standard café latte, so it seems like a good fit for anyone who wants to try something a little different than usual while visiting Jeju.

Ordering one americano and one signature drink also worked well for sharing sips back and forth.

Rich Valrhona chocolate cake

For dessert, we picked the Valrhona choco cake. Chocolate cake can get sickly sweet after just a few bites, but eating it alongside coffee was exactly right when you're craving something sweet.

It paired especially well with the iced americano, so I was glad we ordered the cake along with the drinks instead of just drinks alone :) It was a day with a lot of walking during our Jeju trip, so resting with a sweet choco cake felt like a proper recharge!

A good place to rest after visiting Jeongbang Waterfall

Forest Jeongbang was less a place to simply drink coffee and more a café to slowly unwind while looking out at the Seogwipo sea. The first and second floors are spacious, the terrace view is great, and it's close enough to Jeongbang Waterfall to fit easily between sightseeing stops.

Parking is available and pets are welcome, so it seemed like a good fit for various travel styles. If you're planning to visit Jeongbang Waterfall or looking for a recommended café in Seogwipo, it might be nice to enjoy the Seogwipo ocean view over an iced americano and a Jeongbang Waterfall latte :)