Songjeong café with a ₩500 tea-of-the-day discount: Suwolgyeonghwa

After a big Chinese lunch, we went for coffee at a café near Songjeong Beach. The name alone sounds like a traditional tea house. Since we were traveling, I wanted to try somewhere we hadn't been — so I picked Suwolgyeonghwa (수월경화).

Where is Suwolgyeonghwa, and where do you park?

Suwolgyeonghwa is a café on the 3rd and 4th floors of a building near Songjeong Beach. The parking area has a piloti structure so you can park underneath, and there's a staircase off to the side leading up.

The entrance has real presence. Even on the stairs going up, the sound of waves playing was already stuck in my ears. The vibe was good before we'd even walked in.

4th-floor picture window seats where the beach train passes

The full-window ocean view — whoa, it's amazing. I figured the window seats would be taken, but nope, there was one open, so I quickly claimed it with our stuff haha. One of the best things about Korea: you can leave your bag and go order without worrying about it getting stolen.

Right in front runs the track where the beach train passes, so the scenery is wild. The weather was clear too — completely blue sky, blue sea, and then this toy-like beach train rolling through, so cute and pretty. Honestly good enough that even if the menu had been a letdown, I'd have been fine with it.

Suwolgyeonghwa's menu: American-style gabae and gabae-ore

I grabbed the menu board from the counter and scanned it first.

True to a tea café, there were tons of tea options. The flavor descriptions were detailed, so picking was easy. Americano is called 'American-style gabae,' and caffe latte is 'gabae-ore.' I've been late to getting into the drama Mr. Sunshine, so the word 'gabae' (old-fashioned term for coffee) felt familiar.

After picking, we ordered at the 4th-floor kiosk. In front, tea leaves were displayed so you could smell them, and they said choosing the tea of the day gets you ₩500 off. We ordered the Dalbodeure Box, an iced gabae-ore, and a mint shock.

3rd floor or 4th floor: which seats are better?

After ordering, we started exploring the café properly. The picture-window layout faces the beach, and the high ceilings made everything feel open and spacious.

On the right side they were also selling loose tea, and the decor and props throughout had that traditional feel — every corner was pretty. I imagine international visitors would love this place.

The 3rd floor has tables like a tall island counter, a bit dimmer than the 4th floor with quieter music playing — more of a moody atmosphere. You could still see the beach train passing from here.

On the right side there were floor tables with a round window that looked great for photos.

On the left there was a space divided off by curtain partitions, which seemed good for quiet conversations. It felt like every detail — the layout, the props — had been thought through.

What's in the Dalbodeure Box at 13,000 won, and how it tastes

Right after we finished touring the café, the buzzer went off, perfect timing. The dessert looked even better in person than in photos — so delicious-looking. The Dalbodeure Box at ₩13,000 comes with gamtae myeongnan financier (seaweed and pollock roe financier), red bean anbutter monaka, ganache monaka, black rice sulbbang (steamed rice cake), and an injeolmi skewer. The descriptions were detailed, which I appreciated.

Honestly I started with the ganache monaka without expecting much, but it was genuinely delicious. The white chocolate had a rich powdered-milk flavor — so good. The red bean anbutter monaka wasn't too sweet, and the buttery, savory flavor paired with chewy rice cake and bits of nuts was great. The injeolmi had crunchy brown rice crunch bits, which was a fun touch.

The gamtae financier had a slightly savory, cracker-like taste, probably from the seaweed — a familiar flavor somehow. I already love sulbbang, but this one had red bean inside, making it even better. One bite in and I wanted more haha.

Mint Shock, 8,500 won: how it tastes served warm

Mint shock, ₩8,500. I picked it from the caffeine-free options in the Premium Tea Collection. Iced was available too, but somehow it felt right to drink it warm, so I ordered it hot. I think this was my first time having mint served warm.

The steeped tea leaves on the leaf plate aren't for eating — they're there for the aroma. A fresh, sharp mint scent rose right up.

Drinking it warm felt calming, and the aroma steeped out more deeply — I loved it. Definitely different from a regular tea bag haha. After a heavy lunch, that refreshing hit felt great in my mouth. A different kind of charm from the iced version.

Gabae-ore, 7,000 won

Gabae-ore, ₩7,000. The beans were on the strong side, with a nutty flavor and no sourness — a classic latte kind of taste. Drinking the latte made me curious about the American-style gabae Americano too. Not just teas — the coffee here is good as well.

The guestbook stamp at the entrance, and coming back for the night view

On the way out, I noticed people stamping a guestbook by the entrance, so I left my own mark too. Little touches like this made the whole visit feel more relaxing and fun. 100% repeat visit for me. Since they're open until 11:30pm, I'm curious what it's like at night. Maybe next time I'll go see the night view.