# Yeongju brunch café with a spicy shrimp cream cutlet course: Café289

- By Soyeon (https://superchart.com/en/@gangwon-wooden-tray/)
- Written Sep 18, 2026
- Local places › Cafés › Yeongju, Gyeongbuk
- Sponsored: This post was written as part of a paid store visit sponsorship.
- English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@gangwon-wooden-tray/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/
- Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@gangwon-wooden-tray/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/index.md)

## In short

Café289 is a brunch spot on Guseong-ro in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk, that sits somewhere between a café and a restaurant. One ₩15,000 order of spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet (매콤새우크림돈까스) arrives as a full course: soup and garlic bread to start, the cutlet with rice and salad, then carrot cake and an americano to finish. Café289 is worth saving for a day in Yeongju when you want a proper meal and good coffee in one sitting.

## Good to know

- **Address**: 289 Guseong-ro, 1st floor, Yeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- **Ordered**: Spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet (매콤새우크림돈까스), ₩15,000
- **What it includes**: Starter soup and garlic bread, pork cutlet, rice, salad, carrot cake, americano
- **Other menu items**: Handmade Korean pork loin cutlet, pollack roe cream risotto, tomato beef risotto, cordyceps duck pilaf, lotus rice set meal (reservation required)
- **Seating**: Tables for 2–4, plus one long group table
- **Price reference**: ₩15,000 ≈ $11 · ₩17,000 ≈ $12.5 (2026-09-19)

*as written by the visitor on Sep 18, 2026*

![Full spread of spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet at Café289 in Yeongju](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-01-fx7ph-1200.webp)

I've traveled all over the country chasing pork cutlet spots — the ultimate soul food for guys, honestly. But I never expected to find pork cutlet this good at a café, of all places, near Yeongju Station. The atmosphere feels like an upscale Western restaurant or café, yet the food comes out at the level of a proper specialty kitchen. This time I visited Café289, located on Guseong-ro in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk.

Cutting to the conclusion: this place is not a café in name only. I ordered one menu item hoping to just grab brunch, and the flow from starter soup and garlic bread to the main cutlet, rice, salad, and finally dessert carrot cake and americano was genuinely touching. What I ordered was the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet for ₩15,000. I went in for brunch and walked out feeling like I'd had a full course meal. If you love the combo of cream sauce and crispy pork cutlet, this post is worth reading to the end. 🙂

![Exterior of Café289 on Guseong-ro in Yeongju](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-02-1bycr-m-966.webp)

![View around the entrance of Café289](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-03-xrxdc-966.webp)

## What kind of place is Café289? A brunch café on Guseong-ro in Yeongju

Café289 is a good-vibes café located at 289 Guseong-ro in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk. It's a place for both brunch and proper meals, and beyond the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet, the food menu is quite diverse — risotto, pilaf, a lotus rice set, and handmade pork cutlet. Personally, I'd describe it less as a simple café and more as something between a café and a restaurant.

![Café289's space, feeling like a mix of café and restaurant](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-04-4fid1-966.webp)

![Overview of Café289's brunch seating](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-05-tgeqs-966.webp)

If you're looking for a good restaurant-café near Yeongju Station while traveling, this kind of setup can be pretty practical. It saves you the trouble of finding a place to eat and then searching for and moving to a dessert café separately. On this day I wanted a proper meal but also wanted to sit and rest with coffee, and Café289 fit that purpose exactly.

![View near the interior entrance of Café289](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-06-fcr5g-966.webp)

## Inside Café289: atmosphere and seating

Walking into Café289, the interior was much more elegant and beautiful than I expected. As you can see in the photos, there's a lot of wood on the walls and ceiling, with chandeliers, framed art, lighting, and floral decor — really pretty. It's a completely different vibe from the minimalist white-wall, wood-table cafés you see everywhere these days. It's classic yet lavish, and fun to look around.

![Café289 interior with wood walls and chandelier](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-07-1l9gw-966.webp)

The ceiling design was especially unique — a mix of solid wood structure and various lighting fixtures, with large framed pieces and plant decor continuing along the walls. The tables varied in style too: tables good for 2–4 people, plus a long shared table where several people can sit at once. Since group gatherings are possible here, it seemed useful for family meals or larger groups too. ^-^ I came for brunch, and the seats and tables were more spacious than a typical café, which made eating comfortable — a nice touch.

![Café289's ceiling with wood structure and mixed lighting](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-08-1s5ge-966.webp)

![Café289 wall lined with framed art and plant decor](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-09-14t7i-966.webp)

![Table at Café289 good for 2–4 people](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-10-1h6x7-966.webp)

![Long shared table at Café289 for larger groups](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-11-odhva-966.webp)

![Spacious dining hall at Café289 with generous seat spacing](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-12-6uoxv-966.webp)

## The Café289 menu: how many main dishes are there?

The first look at Café289's menu reveals a lot of choices. Coffee, drinks, and cake are the café basics, but there's also a wide range of full-meal options — handmade pork cutlet, risotto, pilaf, salad, and the lotus rice set. Checking the menu, they also sell handmade Korean pork loin cutlet, pollack roe cream risotto, tomato beef risotto, and cordyceps duck pilaf. The lotus rice menu requires advance reservation. But what caught my eye first on the menu was the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet. Not just plain pork cutlet — crispy handmade cutlet topped with spicy cream sauce and shrimp! Honestly, the name alone had me half-sold already.

![Café289's food menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-13-oow30-966.webp)

![Café289 menu listing handmade pork cutlet and risotto](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-14-iarup-966.webp)

### What does ₩15,000 get you at Café289?

The menu I ordered was ₩15,000. But the key point is that this isn't ₩15,000 for just a plate of pork cutlet. My order included soup, starter bread, the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet, carrot cake, and americano — all of it. So thinking of it as a full brunch at a café, the price felt pretty reasonable. Where I live in Incheon, and where I've mostly been active in Seoul, a single pork cutlet alone tends to run around ₩17,000...

![Starter soup and garlic bread at Café289](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-15-1mv3r-966.webp)

## First course: warm soup and garlic bread

Before the main dish came out, soup and garlic bread arrived first. This start alone sets a different tone from a typical pork cutlet restaurant. The soup was quite smooth and creamy in texture. Warm and savory flavor wraps around your mouth first, and the consistency wasn't too thin or too heavy. It properly warms your stomach before the pork cutlet arrives. ^-^

The garlic bread served right alongside paired especially well with it. The outside was golden and crispy while the inside kept its soft bread texture. It's tasty on its own, but I preferred dipping it lightly into the soup. That moment when the crispy bread soaks up the soft cream soup and turns moist is really delicious. Even before the main dish, I already felt like I was properly having brunch.

## The main event: spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet

And finally, the main dish! My first thought when the plate arrived was, 'this pork cutlet is bigger than I expected.' A thick cutlet takes up one side of the large plate, generously covered in ivory-colored cream sauce. Rice, salad, and sides are neatly arranged on the same plate.

You'd think the cream sauce would make it heavy, right? But the real point of this dish is the word 'spicy' in front of the name. The first taste opens with the smooth, savory richness typical of cream. But as you keep eating, subtle spicy notes cut through in between, haha. This turns out to be more critical than you'd expect. Cream pork cutlet can easily get heavy after a few bites due to the sauce's fat content and the fried coating, but that spicy edge keeps cutting through the richness. So even with this much sauce piled on, your fork never really stops moving.

![Plate of spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet covered in cream sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-16-enpyq-966.webp)

### How thick is the pork cutlet?

The pork cutlet itself was pretty impressive too. Cutting into it, it's not just a thick coating with thin meat inside — the pork itself has real thickness. The outside is fried with coarse breadcrumbs for a crunchy bite when you cut with a fork and knife, and the meat inside was tender, not dry.

What's interesting is the texture difference between the sauced part and the un-sauced part. The center, soaked in sauce, goes down soft and rich as the cream mixes with the fried coating, while the edges keep a strong crispy presence to the very last bite. Within a single piece you get crispiness, moistness, and the meat's chew all at once. Dip it generously in the cream sauce for one bite and the savoriness gets so much richer!

### The shrimp adds one more layer of texture

And true to its name, the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet does have shrimp mixed into the sauce. Eating a piece of pork cutlet with sauce and shrimp together makes it even more fun. After the heavy texture of the pork, the springy bite of the shrimp keeps each mouthful from feeling monotonous. Looking closely at the photos, you can see herbs and various ingredients packed densely into the sauce. Thanks to that, the flavor isn't just simple cream richness — savoriness, saltiness, and a subtle spiciness follow one after another. This dish would suit pork cutlet lovers, of course, but also anyone who likes rich sauces like rosé or cream pasta.

![흑임자 드레싱을 곁들인 카페289 샐러드](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-17-1wi3c-966.webp)

The salad served alongside was also quite unique. Instead of the usual cabbage with mayo and ketchup you get at most pork cutlet places, it came with a generous, savory black sesame–style dressing. Eating the salad after a piece or two of cream pork cutlet resets your palate, haha. This is a café brunch menu, but the actual meal size was on par with a proper restaurant.

## ₩15,000 and the course still isn't over

Here's the fun part: finishing the pork cutlet doesn't mean the meal is over. Carrot cake and americano still remain. When I first ordered, I expected something like a small freebie, but after finishing the main dish, I understood exactly why this setup works. Usually after a meal, you naturally start thinking 'where should I go for coffee?' and search again. But at Café289, you just stay seated. It starts with pre-meal soup and bread, moves through the main dish, and ends with coffee and dessert. That's exactly why I want to introduce this place not just as a pork cutlet spot but as a restaurant-café near Yeongju Station. It's a place where you can complete a meal and a café visit in one seat.

![Carrot cake served after the meal at Café289](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-18-1p22a-966.webp)

![Close-up of Café289's dessert carrot cake](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-19-a3adm-966.webp)

### Finishing with carrot cake and an americano

The carrot cake that came out last was a small size. After already eating soup, bread, a large cutlet, and rice, this size was just right. It had a gentle sweetness and some chewy texture from bits of ingredients, pairing well as dessert after the rich cutlet sauce. And then, a warm americano. This was personally my favorite moment. ☕

![Warm americano included with the brunch](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-20-voswu-966.webp)

Looking at the emptied cutlet plate, you feel pretty full, but a sip of coffee to rest lets the line between meal and café blur naturally. If I'd ordered coffee separately, thinking about the meal cost on top would have felt like a lot — but having dessert and americano included in the ₩15,000 brunch menu was Café289's clear edge.

![Café289 table after finishing the meal](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-21-16ou6-966.webp)

![Corner of Café289 with small items and signage on display](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-22-1hce5-966.webp)

## Is Café289 good for solo diners and groups?

I eat alone a lot while traveling, and Café289 didn't feel awkward to enter solo. On the other hand, as the photos show, there are wide tables that also work well for visiting with family or friends. Around the space there were various displays and small items beyond the café menu, so there was plenty to look at. Some products for sale were displayed on one side, and the interior itself is quite lavish, making it fine for photos too.

![Products for sale displayed inside Café289](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-23-1iu3v-966.webp)

## A meal and coffee in one stop in Yeongju

One thing I notice traveling around Yeongju is how much your day can change depending on how you plan your route. Eating, then moving to find a café, parking, then heading to the next spot — it eats up more time than you'd think. That's why I quite like brunch cafés while traveling. And Café289 was a restaurant-café near Yeongju Station that was full of upsides in that sense :) A setup where soup and starter bread, pork cutlet, rice and salad, carrot cake and americano are all included in one ₩15,000 menu. This isn't just about a large quantity of food — I liked that the flow of a meal, from start to finish, felt complete. In particular, the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet had a crispy handmade cutlet, rich smooth cream sauce, subtle spiciness, and springy shrimp texture, giving it a charm clearly different from an ordinary pork cutlet.

![Scene wrapping up a brunch visit at Café289 in Yeongju](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet/yeongju-cafe-289-spicy-shrimp-cream-pork-cutlet-24-12zlw-966.webp)

If you're looking for a good restaurant-café near Yeongju Station, Café289 is a great spot to handle both a meal and rest in one visit. Even just the pork cutlet alone came in a generous portion, and the visual of the cream sauce piled on is pretty striking. But eating it yourself, it doesn't stop at just being a good photo. Crispy coating, thick meat, smooth cream, spiciness that follows, and springy shrimp~! The fun of eating stays with you. On top of that, starting with soup and garlic bread and ending the meal with carrot cake and americano — ordering one brunch item made me feel properly treated!

If you're looking for a breakfast or lunch option while traveling in Yeongju, find it a hassle to visit a restaurant and café separately, or want something different from an ordinary pork cutlet, this one is worth trying yourself. If I visit again, I'm curious about the other brunch menus, but the spicy shrimp cream pork cutlet stuck with me enough that I'd want to order it again. If you're in Yeongju on a day when you want to have a proper meal and slowly enjoy coffee too, Café289 is worth saving. 😆

## Where it is

- Café289 (카페289)
- 289 Guseong-ro, 1st floor, Yeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
- 경상북도 영주시 구성로 289 1층
- 36.8189562, 128.6275949
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%B9%B4%ED%8E%98289/@36.8189562,128.6275949,17z

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