Gyeongju Bomun bingsu café: pumpkin vs red bean bingsu at Bibibidang

Lots of people are visiting the Gyeongju Hilton right now for the Snoopy exhibition at the Uyang Museum, a cool indoor spot that's hot in Gyeongju at the moment : ) We were in Gyeongju this week too, so we saw the Snoopy exhibition, which is great to visit with kids, and then stopped by Bibibidang Gyeongju (비비비당 경주) in the same building : ) It's known as a café that pairs well with the museum visit, and I'd heard the pumpkin red bean bingsu (shaved ice) was really appealing, so I was looking forward to it : )

It's a brutally hot summer, so it's bingsu season anyway, but pumpkin red bean bingsu is unlike anything I've seen elsewhere, and I was curious what it would taste like.

Bibibidang Gyeongju location and parking: inside the Uyang Museum, Hilton parking lot

Bibibidang Gyeongju is inside the Uyang Museum in the Gyeongju Hilton building, so you can use the Gyeongju Hilton parking lot : ) The museum is currently running the Jean Jullien and Snoopy exhibitions together, so if you're looking for an indoor attraction in Gyeongju to stay cool in the summer heat, definitely give it a go. It was packed with great displays : )

The Bibibidang Gyeongju branch is right next to the Uyang Museum gift shop. Once you walk in, it's on the right-hand side, so you'll find it quickly : )

• Address: 484-7 Bomun-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
• Hours: 10:00–18:00
• Gyeongju Hilton parking lot available

The signature item here is the pumpkin red bean bingsu, advertised right from the entrance : ) It's an unusual bingsu, and lots of people order it haha.

What's the vibe of a café inside a museum? Gallery-like interior and outdoor space

As you'd expect from a café inside a museum, it's clean and modern, with artworks displayed here and there, and the atmosphere was lovely. Since it's in the Uyang Museum, such a popular indoor attraction right now, the café was full of people who had just come from the exhibitions~

It feels like a gallery : ) The atmosphere is so good haha.

There's an outdoor area too. Since it's inside the Hilton, which is so popular in Gyeongju, the landscaping is really pretty. When the weather gets a bit cooler, I'd love to try sitting outside haha.

Desserts and menu: Korean desserts, bakery items, and packaged pumpkin bingsu

Probably because many foreign tourists come here too, Bibibidang Gyeongju had a nice variety of desserts that bring out Korean beauty.

There's a good range of bakery items too, and they also sell pumpkin bingsu in a pack that's easy to enjoy on the go. Every dessert looked pretty and delicious. The staff and the owner were also super kind.

There's a drink menu, and set menus too that let you enjoy dasik (traditional Korean confections) alongside, so I think it would make a nice date course as well. Every menu item comes with a side dasik: the jellies were strawberry and orange flavored, as pretty as yanggaeng (sweet red bean jelly) and tasty too, so kids loved them. Besides bingsu, there's red bean bingsu and traditional red bean bingsu, plus jujube tea, Korean traditional teas, flower teas and more, a wide choice of drinks to sip in a nice atmosphere.

Pumpkin bingsu ₩13,000 vs traditional red bean bingsu ₩13,000: comparing the two flavors

Here's what we ordered : ) Pumpkin bingsu, one serving, ₩13,000, and traditional red bean bingsu, ₩13,000.

This is the traditional red bean bingsu. It's snow-flake bingsu made of finely shaved, soft milk ice with domestic red beans and honey, and the cool, soft, sweet snow ice is piled high with sweet red beans.

This was the bingsu I was looking forward to most at Bibibidang Gyeongju : ) The pumpkin bingsu looked so appetizing, and I finally saw it in person hahahaha. Turns out it's bingsu made by freezing pumpkin sikhye (sweet rice drink)! Sweet pumpkin sikhye is a summer snack everyone loves, and frozen and eaten like bingsu, it suited perfectly. It keeps that sweet pumpkin aroma, and with sikhye rice grains mixed in here and there, the chewy texture was great too : )

It must have a very generous amount of pumpkin, because the flavor is really rich! : ) Sweet pumpkin haha. I'd want to eat it again if I came back.

Free side dasik that comes with every menu item

This is the side dasik that comes with every menu item : ) It's provided free, and with dasik served alongside, everything somehow tasted even better. It feels generous, and since it's jelly, kids eat it well.

The red one is strawberry flavored, with strawberry jelly inside underneath. The yellow one tasted like orange, I think lol. Sweet and sour, with a nice chew, and cut into neat squares so it looks pretty too. At first I thought it was yanggaeng : ) The colors are gorgeous, and it feels like Korean traditional beauty is alive in it~~ ^^

Summary: who it's recommended for

Since Bibibidang Gyeongju is inside the Uyang Museum, I recommend it to anyone looking for a cool indoor spot in summer, and with its unusual pumpkin bingsu on the menu, it's an easy stop when you visit Gyeongju-! I recommend Bibibidang Gyeongju as a Gyeongju Bomun Resort café : )