Cheonan café where you can bring your own birthday cake: Siyudang

Siyudang is a large café in front of Taehaksan Natural Recreation Forest (태학산 자연휴양림) in Cheonan.

Why we picked Siyudang in Cheonan for Dad's birthday party

We decided to celebrate Dad's birthday before our Japan trip. My husband was leaving for a business trip abroad the next day and the rest of us girls were flying out too, so we almost left Dad all alone on his actual birthday, haha. We'd just booked the trip dates and nearly caused a Dad-is-sulking incident. Anyway, for Dad's birthday we visited Siyudang, known for its brunch menu.

Since we always go to Korean set-menu restaurants or buffets, we wanted to try something different, so we came to Siyudang in front of Taehaksan Natural Recreation Forest. It's right next to Pino Café, so make sure you check the parking lot carefully! The boundary between the two is pretty blurry, haha.

Ordering on the first floor: seating differs on every floor at Siyudang

Siyudang is a three-story large café, and you order on the 1st floor! When the weather's nice, it'd be great to take your food out to the terrace to eat. By the time we finished and left, the terrace was already packed.

Since it's a brunch café, there's a huge variety of options — brunch dishes plus bread and coffee too >.< The brunch menu keeps getting new additions, and it's a perfect spot to chat for hours. My mom said she was full but would still want more bread if there were room.

With kids, take the second-floor floor seating at Siyudang (up to 8)

The charm of Siyudang's 2nd floor is the floor seating that families with kids love! The space looks like a mini room, so most families with very young children were sitting and eating here. It fits up to 8 people even if your group is big, and since lunchtime gets crowded, I'd recommend grabbing a seat first before ordering 🙂

This is the 3rd-floor seating, and the terrace decorated with pretty flowers gave off a totally different vibe, haha. We went up to see the windmill they said was on the rooftop.

The rooftop windmill photo zone and the second-floor piano

While waiting for our food, we went up to check out Siyudang's rooftop, and it was decorated really uniquely. It's not a space for sitting and eating, but a photo zone! There's a piano on the 2nd floor and a windmill on the rooftop, so it's a great spot to snap a photo with the kids 🤍

There are so many menu items that you have to bring them up on a cart via the elevator, haha. Carrying it all by hand would take forever, so using the cart is the pro tip ⭐️

Dad's birthday spread at Siyudang: the pizza was the best dish

My dad's birthday spread. I'm not much of a cook, so I decided to just buy him something delicious!! Everyone dug in the moment it arrived, and the pizza turned out to be the tastiest, haha.

Octopus ink risotto with a whole octopus leg on top

Siyudang's octopus ink risotto surprised us again with its plump octopus leg, haha — who knew such a big piece would be on top??? We cut it up with a knife like a steak. It had a savory flavor and the seasoning was a bit on the strong side, so it might be good to mention beforehand if you want it adjusted!!

Thick, creamy ragu cream pasta 🍝 and ricotta cheese salad 🥗

Shrimp oil pasta is spicy: a warning if you can't take heat

And the shrimp oil pasta is quite spicy, so it's a tough dish for kids... haha. Our whole family can't handle spice well, so we were huffing and puffing as we ate, but it was still delicious. If you're someone who can't eat spicy food well, it might be good to ask them to adjust it.

My daughter Jeje only ate the ink risotto, nom nom. She had zero interest in the pizza or anything else — just this risotto 🦑. They have separate kids' tableware too, so you could just bring your kids along without worrying.

Can you bring an ice cream cake into Siyudang? Yes, but it melts fast in summer

Maybe because it was such a hot day, the ice cream cake 🍦 we brought melted within just 30 minutes of arriving. I asked the owner if we could bring in an ice cream cake, and they said it was fine. Even though it melted a lot, we still had a fun birthday party — the end!

After eating, we played a bit at the forest playground next door, then went for a walk and stumbled upon a temple, so we looked around there too. It's a great large café on the outskirts of Cheonan whether you're taking your parents or going on a date — worth a visit 〜

Siyudang hours, parking and address in Cheonan

• Location: 99-18 Hyuyangwon-gil, Pungse-myeon, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan / Taehaksan Natural Recreation Forest
• Parking: spacious, two lots, plenty of high chairs
• Hours: 10:00–21:00 (last order 20:00)