Ulsan mountain bakery café for squid ink garlic baguette: MUG
In short
MUG (카페 먹) is a large mountain-view bakery café in the hills of Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju, Ulsan, about an hour's drive from Busan. After an Eonyang bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) lunch in nearby Eonyang, the writer stopped at MUG for the squid ink garlic baguette, a lemon cream cheese cinnamon roll, a MUG lemon smoothie and an iced caramel macchiato — by 2:30pm the most popular breads were gone and several trays sat empty. MUG stands on forest land restored after a wildfire, and the nature around the café, right through to the walking trail out back, is what stays with you.
Good to know
- Address
- 90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan
- Hours
- Daily 10:00–20:00
- Last order
- 19:30
- Amenities
- Kids care zone
- Parking
- Very large open-air lot (part of the access road is unpaved)
- What we ordered
- MUG lemon smoothie, iced caramel macchiato, squid ink garlic baguette, lemon cream cheese cinnamon roll
- Signature drinks
- MUG black latte, MUG lemon smoothie, MUG lemonade
as written by the visitor on Sep 13, 2026
MUG (카페 먹)
MUG BAKERY CAFE 90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, South Korea Daily 10:00–20:00 (last order 19:30) Kids care zone A place hidden deep in the mountains where you can find real rest
Driving to MUG from Busan: the Eonyang route
MUG is a large bakery café tucked in the mountains at 90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, close to Eonyang. It's a great next stop in Ulju, Ulsan after eating Eonyang bulgogi in Eonyang. Eonyang is only an hour from Busan, so it made for a nice day trip near Busan. We had lunch in Eonyang and headed to MUG next since it was so close by.
The weather was so nice that day and the scenery on the way to the café was gorgeous.
You climb up from the entrance to reach the café, and once you're up there it's an unpaved road. It's not that high up, but it has an open view all around. The outdoor parking lot was also huge.
The sky was so blue 💙 The landscaping was so well done too, with photo spots everywhere.
The mountains, sky and clouds were so amazing. I couldn't believe a café like this existed... I've been to a lot of large cafés, but this one really stuck with me. Before going inside, we wandered around taking photos 👀
It felt like Jeju Island. Ugh... so nice.
Even the path into the café was lovely. I hadn't been to such a pretty café in a while and got a bit excited.
Inside MUG: gallery-like entrance and high ceilings
Right as you walk into MUG, there's a space set up like a gallery displaying paintings. Push through the automatic doors and the café opens up in front of you.
It's a large café with really high ceilings and a wide floor. Even on a weekday afternoon, it was packed with people.
What bread is left at 2:30pm at MUG?
As a proper bakery café, MUG had a lot of bread on offer, but even coming around 2:30pm, a lot of breads were already gone ㅠㅠㅠ
There were quite a few empty trays. The popular breads had all sold out.
Still gotta grab whatever's left 🥺
What we ended up picking is coming up below.
MUG drink menu and signature lemon drinks
MUG's drink menu had plenty of options besides coffee, so it was fun to choose. The drinks marked with a ⭐️ seemed to be the signature ones:
- MUG black latte
- MUG lemon smoothie
- MUG lemonade
We ordered an iced caramel macchiato and a MUG lemon smoothie.
While waiting for the drinks, we walked around the inside too. Since the café is so spacious, there were plenty of seats and plenty to look at.
MUG's semi-outdoor area and window seats
Stepping outside, MUG also has a semi-outdoor space.
With the cooler weather, it was perfect outdoors. The building has a black concept overall, so it's in black tones.
The window seats were fiercely contested, so we grabbed one the moment it opened up.
The view outside was so pretty it was healing just to look at it. There were young kochia plants (Bassia scoparia) planted outside — they'll probably be even prettier as they grow. It'll likely be a spectacular sight if we come back then.
Why the café is named MUG (먹)
Our drinks arrived. True to its name, the MUG lemon smoothie was black, which made it stand out.
I was curious about the unusual name, and it turns out this place was built on a site that had been completely burned by a wildfire, restored and turned into a space to share with others. A café with a lot of meaning behind it.
How the squid ink garlic baguette and MUG lemon smoothie taste
What we picked at MUG were the lemon cream cheese cinnamon roll and the squid ink garlic baguette.
The squid ink garlic baguette wins!! The MUG lemon smoothie was so refreshing — since I love lemon, it was totally my taste.
The back-gate trail and viewpoint behind MUG
Out the back door of MUG, there's a path connecting to a walking trail and a viewpoint, and there's a lot of seating in the back area too. It's a café where you can quietly and leisurely enjoy nature.
So much phytoncide in the air. There's even a pond — a very nature-friendly café.
We didn't make it up to the viewpoint, and I regret not going. This isn't just a café — it's a place where you can enjoy nature in a spot that carries real meaning, and it made me realize how many beautiful places Korea actually has! It'll probably be even prettier in autumn. A café I want to come back to, MUG 🖤🩶
Where it is
90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, South Korea울산광역시 울주군 상북면 향산다개로 90
