Namyangju river café, 3-bean tasting with parents: Waltz and Dr. Mahn

What kind of café is Waltz and Dr. Mahn?

Waltz and Dr. Mahn is a Bukhan River café at 856-37 Bukhangang-ro, Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi, open daily 11:00-21:00 all year round. If you love coffee, you've probably heard of it, and it's a must on any Namyangju drive route! I'd wanted to go for ages, and this time I finally made it with my parents~

It's not just a place to drink coffee: you get the beautiful Bukhan River scenery and a coffee museum too, a special Dumulmeori-area café, so my expectations were high before we even arrived!

The Bukhan River view and space at Waltz and Dr. Mahn

Waltz and Dr. Mahn sits in the middle of nature, with the wide-open Bukhan River and mountains right in front. Namyangju is famous for good drives, and after the ride, the café felt special from the entrance~

It had a relaxed atmosphere that's hard to find in the city, and the river view out the window was truly beautiful. This is what the Bukhan River view right in front of this big Namyangju café looks like, and with the river and mountains wide open, all my stress just flew away!

The coffee museum is closed on Mondays

There's a coffee museum on the 2nd floor of Waltz and Dr. Mahn, but it's closed on Mondays, so we couldn't see it. If you visit on another day, you can go in!

Overall the classic, European-style interior was impressive, and the outdoor space is well kept too! Stepping inside, the faint scent of coffee greets you first, and besides coffee there's a restaurant with meal menus as well!

A Bukhan River café with plenty of window seats

Sitting at a window seat in Waltz and Dr. Mahn, you can look down over the whole Bukhan River, and just gazing at the view feels healing! It was a truly wonderful space, as a Namyangju café should be. With so many window seats, I figured each season would have its own charm, so this Bukhan River café felt like a Namyangju drive stop I'd want to visit all year round!

Waltz and Dr. Mahn also holds concerts on Friday evenings. A poster said a guest trio was performing, so I'd like to catch a concert next time!

Go up half a floor and you can eat while enjoying this kind of view, and there's a separate space one floor down, so you can choose to suit your taste. Having two spaces with different charms is a plus. We came down half a floor and, of course, took a seat right by the window, and the Bukhan River view is right in front here too, so pretty.

It felt like a place with the kind of rest that's hard to get in a busy daily life, which made this Namyangju Bukhan River café even more memorable!

Waltz and Dr. Mahn menu: what did we order and for how much?

A big draw of Waltz and Dr. Mahn is that you can pick from a variety of beans yourself. I'd always wondered how beans differ in taste, so this time we ordered coffees with different personalities and compared them~

• Kilimanjaro AA ₩17,000 (African Kilimanjaro Tanzanian coffee)
• Honduras ₩14,000 (Honduran SHG top-grade coffee)
• Café Royal ₩18,000 (French brandy enjoyed with an espresso lungo)
• Blueberry cheesecake ₩9,000

After ordering and settling into our seats, the view right in front of us was absolutely ridiculous! As expected, the strength of this big Namyangju café is the view looking down on the Bukhan River! Looking out the window with my coffee, I lost track of time and had such a relaxing stretch.

What is Café Royal?

Café Royal is said to be coffee made by first burning off the alcohol from French brandy and then adding it to espresso. When our order finally came, it was served in a really elegant cup, which added to the mood. Since Café Royal has brandy in it, a staff member helped by explaining how to drink it~

Café Royal is a must-order, since many people order it at least once when they come to Waltz and Dr. Mahn! Once the alcohol in the French brandy burns off, you can enjoy a warm espresso lungo, and it definitely felt different from ordinary coffee.

They say Napoleon loved to drink Café Royal. I had to drive, so just in case I didn't drink it, but my dad tried it and said the taste was really refined~

He said the brandy's deep aroma and the coffee's rich flavor blended naturally, as if he were in an old European café.

When we asked about coffee, the staff explained kindly, which made the time even more satisfying. On a day when you want to enjoy coffee in a slightly special way, it's worth trying once!

Does the blueberry cheesecake go with coffee?

The blueberry cheesecake at Waltz and Dr. Mahn balanced the rich cheese flavor with the freshness of blueberry, and it paired really well with coffee. It wasn't too sweet, so it didn't overpower the flavor of the specialty coffee, and its softly melting texture made it a perfect dessert~

Personally, the blueberry cheesecake went especially well with the acidic Kilimanjaro beans!

How does the Honduras coffee taste?

The Honduras is an Americano brewed from SHG top-grade beans, with gentle acidity and a nutty flavor. It was the second coffee we ordered and had a different charm. The sugar served with it was slightly unrefined and felt upscale, so I added a little sweetness with it!

Drinking it, the soft acidity and nutty flavor made it an easy taste anyone could enjoy without effort.

The aroma was subtle, good for sipping slowly, and I was impressed that you could enjoy the coffee's deep, true flavor!

How does the Kilimanjaro AA taste?

The Kilimanjaro AA was the coffee my mom ordered: a bright acidity on the first sip, then a clean sweetness rising gently toward the end. True to a representative African bean from Tanzania, the aroma was very attractive from the start.

The coffee aroma is on a whole other level of strong! If you usually like acidic coffee, the taste and aroma will satisfy you. It doesn't leave your mouth dry, and the finish was really clean and rich, which impressed me.

Waltz and Dr. Mahn also gives you a guide explaining each bean, and I think it would have been even better to look around the coffee museum too. I usually just drink coffee, so it was fun to experience firsthand how coffee changes with the bean!

How are the photos and the walk?

Waltz and Dr. Mahn is a photo-worthy river view café. Natural light comes in nicely, so photos turn out atmospheric from any angle~

After finishing our coffee, we walked along the bike path right in front of Waltz and Dr. Mahn. There's a really nice walking route there, which made it even more enjoyable~

It was a great Bukhan River café for dates, for visiting with parents, or for stopping by on a drive with friends! Looking at the Bukhan River right in front, there's even a spot for swan paddle boats, so you could make one more memory~!

Who is Waltz and Dr. Mahn recommended for?

If you're looking for an atmospheric café in Namyangju, do visit Waltz and Dr. Mahn once. The beautiful view of the Bukhan River, a variety of specialty coffees, tasty desserts and, if possible, the coffee museum, all in one go, make it a special experience unlike an ordinary café~

On a day when you want to relax on a drive near Seoul, or enjoy coffee a bit more deeply, Waltz and Dr. Mahn is an excellent choice! I'd also like to come back when the seasons change and enjoy a cup of coffee with a different view~!