Gangneung café with a big parking lot and group tables: Cafe Giwa

I was looking for a nice-vibe café in Chodang-dong, Gangneung and ended up at Cafe Giwa! The quiet hanok (traditional Korean house) atmosphere combined with a lush green view was pretty, but honestly what stood out most here was how good the desserts were...!!

Where is Cafe Giwa, and what are its hours and parking like?

• Location: 15 Chodangwon-gil 54beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: Closed every Wednesday / Thu-Tue 10:00-21:00
• Parking: Parking lot in front of the store

A hanok café to visit after sundubu in Chodang-dong

Cafe Giwa is located in Chodang-dong, Gangneung! When you travel to Gangneung, you probably visit Chodang-dong a lot looking for sundubu (soft tofu stew) or other good restaurants, right?? If you're wondering where to go for coffee after your meal, this place works great as part of a course visit!

These days there are so many pretty cafés in Gangneung, but Cafe Giwa had a different charm from the big modern cafés — that quiet, distinctive hanok atmosphere. The parking lot in front of the store was also spacious, so parking was easy!

The outdoor area at Cafe Giwa in Chodang-dong, Gangneung was seriously gorgeous ,, I wanted to sit outside and have coffee once the heat cools down a bit! It was so pretty my eyes were treated haha

Cafe Giwa menu and desserts: what we ordered

I already knew Cafe Giwa was known for its desserts, but everything looked so good I had trouble deciding — ended up going with the mugwort injeolmi gateau, and wow... this is genuinely delicious!!! I want to come back and eat it again!

We ordered an iced Americano (₩5,500), a Giwa black latte (₩6,500), and a mung bean flower latte (₩6,500) hahaha

Inside Cafe Giwa: seating for 2-4 and group tables

This Gangneung hanok café has old everyday-life items placed around as decor, which gave it the feel of stepping into a small old house.

They blended so naturally into the café space that it was fun just looking around! Thanks to these antique pieces, the space itself felt like it had depth, and the distinctive hanok atmosphere really came through — I could properly feel that quiet, understated sensibility unique to Gangneung's hanok cafés haha

The interior was quite a bit bigger than it looked from outside! There were plenty of tables, and along with seats good for 2-4 people, there was also group seating for several people at once!

It seemed like a solid choice whether you're traveling to Gangneung with friends, visiting with family, or using it as a small gathering spot. Above all, the tables weren't packed too tightly together, so it felt a bit more relaxed to eat haha

Personally, one of the things I loved about Cafe Giwa was the view. The scenery outside the window was all lush green and really pretty !ㅠㅠㅠ There's something about the calm hanok atmosphere paired with that fresh green view — just sitting there quietly made me feel at ease~~~

How the Giwa black latte and mugwort injeolmi gateau taste

Among what we ordered, the Giwa black latte had me curious just from the name — but simply put, it's a latte topped with nutty black sesame cream! The black sesame cream on top was rich, thick, and really nutty!!!

Eaten alone, the cream has a deep black sesame flavor, and mixed with the coffee below, the coffee's bitterness balanced it out so it wasn't just sweet — the balance was better than I expected! If you like that nutty black sesame flavor, I really recommend this one.

And as mentioned earlier, the star of the show — the mugwort injeolmi gateau!! This is the reason I want to come back to Cafe Giwa. I already tend to like mugwort desserts, and the fragrant, slightly bitter flavor of mugwort paired so well with the nutty taste of injeolmi (glutinous rice cake)~~~

If you're looking for a quiet café to relax in Chodang-dong, Gangneung, I'd recommend Cafe Giwa! From the calm hanok atmosphere to the lush green view outside the window to the spacious interior tables where you can sit comfortably, the space itself was really charming.