Ulju forest café for omija tea and squid ink red bean bread: MUG

A story about MUG, a large café in Ulsan that's a must-visit in Eonyang before autumn fully sets in.

Sunday afternoon, a friend and I decided on a whim to go for a drive, and that's how we ended up at MUG, a large café in Ulsan. "Friend, this is the most amazing café I've ever been to!!" A place that made me thank my friend for bringing me over and over. We went there on a sudden impulse, and it felt like stepping into a hidden paradise — nothing short of another world.

MUG / 90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan / open year-round / open 10:00 · close 20:00

MUG's back garden seats, with the forest as a backyard

I took a shot in MUG's back garden. I loved the outdoor tables set with the forest as a backyard — it felt like being on a picnic, and the forest was so dense it seemed to erase time entirely, washing away all the grime of the city in one go.

The scenery reflected on the café's exterior wall blurred the line between what was nature and what was structure. Just gorgeous.

10 minutes from Eonyang: MUG's scale shows in the parking lot

MUG sits about 10 minutes by national road from Eonyang, tucked away as if hidden in the forest. Following the navigation, the first thing we arrived at was the parking lot. Facing that vastness, haha, you get a sense of the café's scale right from the parking lot. You'll probably never have to worry about parking here.

MUG. The building is black, sitting low as if crouching down. Photos make the building hard to gauge, but that's mostly because the forest is so massive it makes the building look relatively small — the inside is genuinely spacious.

The sky was so pretty I kept taking photos of it, and from the parking lot on, I was letting out exclamations and snapping pictures nonstop.

What impressed me was how mirrored walls were used throughout to make the space feel even bigger. It's an optical illusion, but such a pretty one. That's me in the mirror~~~ haha

If you're looking for a large café in Ulsan, somewhere worth visiting in Eonyang, I definitely recommend stopping by MUG. It's located at 90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan~~

What we ordered at MUG: cinnamon roll and squid ink red bean bread

MUG's signature bakery item is the cinnamon roll. The place was so packed you could barely find a seat, so we grabbed the good stuff first. Blueberry cream cheese cinnamon roll, ₩6,800.

There's also apple cinnamon roll and salt bread.

Almost everyone was grabbing a white roll, so I grabbed one too, haha

The beautiful things in the refrigerated display case, I only took photos of.

The squid ink red bean bread seemed to match MUG's vibe perfectly, so we decided to try one.

Two omija teas at MUG, one iced and one hot

For drinks, we simply ordered two cups of omija tea (schisandra berry tea). My friend went cold, I went hot. Don't expect pretty coffee cups at MUG, a large café in Ulsan — since you can move freely between indoor and outdoor seating, they seem to just give you a basic takeaway cup by default. Whatever, the omija tea was really refreshing and delicious.

Two hours in a floor-to-ceiling window seat

We got a seat with a floor-to-ceiling window looking out onto the natural scenery across the way.

My friend, shouting and gasping about how amazing it was. I noticed later she had a thumbs-up going the whole time.

Lost in forest-gazing, two hours flew by. As it got later in the afternoon, a few seats opened up, so I snapped a few more shots.

The seat we sat in was the window seat. A great spot to sit side by side, chatting while taking in the view, haha

The forest behind MUG's back door, a playground for kids

Let's go through the back door into the forest. From here on, it's a wonderland for kids. A wide space unfolds where they can run around freely.

In the outdoor area, green tables and green chairs blend so well with the scenery and background that anyone who sits down becomes the subject of the shot. In this season, with the cool breeze, I can't think of a better place to enjoy nature.

On the way to the viewpoint, I took some video of MUG. The weather right now is neither too cold nor too hot, late summer easing into early autumn. There couldn't be a better time to fully enjoy the forest.