Paju Warm Pane · 19 stories

A Warm Window in Gapyeong

She writes about small cafes she visits around Gyeonggi Province. · Writes about: Cafés · Restaurants

Gongdeok Station Korean lunch with a friend: bulgogi bibimbap, Horangi

Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch (호랭이곳간) is a Korean restaurant specializing in bone broth (sagol) dishes, beside the Gongdeok Elementary School wall near Exit 4 of Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul. Over a catch-up lunch with an old friend, two adults shared beef bulgogi bibimbap, hongdukkae bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold kudzu noodles, ₩10,000) and nurungji tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork with scorched rice, ₩10,000). The soy-sauce bibimbap, bone broth, spicy kudzu noodles and meat-packed tangsuyuk were all satisfying, making Horangi Gotgan a good choice for a hearty, healthy Korean lunch near Gongdeok Station.

Written Jul 9, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Gongdeok Station café: 8 bakes by the Snoopy window, Fluffy Bake Shop

Fluffy Bake Shop is a baked-goods dessert café near Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul, that bakes madeleines, financiers, canelés and salt bread in-store. After lunch with a friend, the writer plated 8 desserts, including a vanilla canelé and a melon financier, at a window seat decorated with Snoopy figures, with bakes in the 3,000 won range each, and had the leftovers individually wrapped as snacks for the kids. Fluffy Bake Shop is a good stop near Gongdeok Station for a chat with a friend or for picking up family treats.

Written Jul 9, 2026Sponsored

PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju Unjeong dumpling restaurant, family of 5 with kids: Bubyeokjeong

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu (부벽정평양만두) is a Korean restaurant specializing in Pyeongyang-style dumplings and buckwheat noodles on Jimok-ro in Paju, Gyeonggi. On a weekend revisit, a family of 5 shared a mild Pyeongyang mandu hot pot for 2 (₩28,000) plus Pyeongyang cold and spicy mixed buckwheat noodles (₩12,000 each). They finished with kalguksu noodles and the free dessert zone. With kids' tableware and widely spaced tables, Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu is an easy choice for a family meal with children and grandparents.

Written Jul 14, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Hongdae café with open-faced chimney bread brunch: Chimney Mansion

Chimney Mansion (침니맨션) is a chimney-sweep-themed bakery café at 14 Jandari-ro 6-gil in Mapo, Seoul, between Hongdae and Hapjeong. On the first floor the writer picked a Czech-style chimney bread, made by wrapping dough around a wooden rod and baking it, and ordered the signature coffee. At a round second-floor window table, the writer cut a generously filled open-faced chimney bread with antique scissors. Chimney Mansion is a good pick for a Hongdae or Hapjeong date if you want an unusual space and chimney bread together.

Written Aug 4, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Mother-daughter dinner at Hey Joji, a Yeonnam-dong steak restaurant

Hey Joji is an American home-meal restaurant in an alley off Donggyo-ro 46-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. On a dinner with her daughter, the writer ordered the duck steak cream risotto at 17,000 won and the house steak at 31,000 won, and the kitchen agreed to cook the steak more well-done so the two could share it. With its green interior, an American-living-room photo zone and free cookies at the counter, Hey Joji is an easy pick for a family meal or a date in Yeonnam-dong.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored

PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju café with a Chillin blend heart latte: Pound Coffee Unjeong

Pound Coffee Unjeong Main Branch is a Melbourne-style specialty coffee and baked goods café near Unjeong Health Park in Paju, Gyeonggi. The writer stopped in after a meal with her husband for an iced americano and a heart latte made with the nutty Chillin blend, then split a Udo peanut financier (₩3,600) and a salty choco financier (₩3,500). With floor-to-ceiling park views and more than 15 kinds of baked goods on display, Pound Coffee is a café worth becoming a regular at.

Written Sep 26, 2026Sponsored

PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju bakery café with melon bottle cake and salt bread: On the Rail

On the Rail is a train-themed outdoor bakery café on Imjingak-ro in Munsan-eup, Paju, Gyeonggi-do. A family of five took a corner window seat and shared a fruit bottle cake, salt bread and an angbutter (red bean and butter) croissant with an iced café latte and a Pororo drink, and the melon was fresh and very sweet, so everyone finished it happily. With baby chairs, roomy parking and a second-floor outdoor terrace, On the Rail is an easy pick for a family day out in Paju.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored

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