Suwon café with red Tolomeo lamp seats near Ajou Univ: Jo Hui-tak

My friend and I went to Jo Hui-tak Coffee for coffee and dessert near Ajou University. When you're hunting for a good café near Ajou Univ, it's not just about the coffee — you kind of want to know about the cake selection, how big the place is, and whether it's comfortable to sit alone too.

Jo Hui-tak Coffee turned out to have a much bigger interior than it looked from outside, with a wide variety of cakes and desserts in the display case. We ordered a tak latte, an iced Americano, and a fig cake. What made me especially happy as a coffee lover was that after drinking the signature tak latte, we could get an Americano refill with a one-menu-per-person order. Haha.

If you're looking for a good dessert spot near Ajou Univ and want to drink proper coffee too, let me show you everything from the menu I tried to the café's vibe.

Where is Jo Hui-tak Coffee, and where do you park?

Jo Hui-tak Coffee is at 12 Ajuro 47beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, 1st floor. We used the Uman-dong public parking lot, and after parking it wasn't hard to find the café by walking up the alley.

• ☕ Menu ordered: tak latte, iced Americano, fig slice cake
• 🛜 Wi-Fi: there was FREE WIFI signage inside the store.
• 🚻 Restroom: located inside the café.

Jo Hui-tak Coffee is far roomier inside than it looks from the street

We visited Jo Hui-tak Coffee around 11:30am. When I first saw it from outside I thought, 'Is this place a bit small?' but once we went in, the space stretched surprisingly far back.

There were more seats than I expected, and quite a few spots that were good for sitting alone. It looked like a fine place to bring a laptop and spend time solo, or study while drinking coffee.

It was quiet when we walked in since it was still early, but by the time we'd been chatting over coffee and cake for a while, the seats were almost all filled.

Why we picked the seat with the red Tolomeo lamp

The reason we picked our seat at Jo Hui-tak Coffee? This red light, haha. The Artemide Tolomeo Micro table lamp caught my eye right away, so I told my friend, let's sit here. So pretty, so pretty.

The overall look is calm wood tones, but one red lamp made a real accent point.

There were also posters and small props related to Suwon on the walls and around the store, so it was fun to look around while waiting for the coffee.

Cakes and desserts on offer at Jo Hui-tak Coffee

I'd been curious about this place for a while since I kept passing Jo Hui-tak Bakery Lab nearby. Once inside Jo Hui-tak Coffee, the display case had cakes and various desserts lined up. What we picked was the fig slice cake!

Layers of fresh figs were tucked between plain cake layers. The figs were nice and fresh, and paired well with the soft cake. It wasn't a heavy dessert, so it was good to eat in between sips of coffee too.

If you're looking for a good dessert spot near Ajou Univ with a variety of cakes, take a look at the display case before you order.

Signature tak latte: rich peanut cream on top

We ordered a tak latte and an iced Americano for coffee. The tak latte is Jo Hui-tak Coffee's signature menu, topped generously with peanut cream.

I first scooped up a bit of the cream on its own with the spoon that came with it. There was peanut powder mixed in, so even the cream alone had a pretty rich, nutty taste. I didn't mix everything together from the start — I ate the cream little by little first, then stirred it into the coffee below later. It gave a different feel each way. If you like peanuts, this is a menu worth trying at Jo Hui-tak Coffee.

How the iced Americano tasted: smooth, no burnt edge

With the iced Americano, my first thought was, 'Wait, is there a bit of acidity?' but the more I drank it, the more it leaned nutty. What I liked especially was that it didn't have the burnt taste you sometimes get from cheaper coffee. It was smooth to drink and went well with the fig cake too.

When ordering coffee, you could also check bean options like decaf or a dark roast blend, and the café also sold beans separately.

Americano refills with one menu item per person

This was personally my favorite part! Ordering one menu per person at Jo Hui-tak Coffee meant we could get an Americano refill.

I usually like Americano, but since it was my first time here, I was curious about the signature tak latte too. So I drank the tak latte first, then refilled with an Americano afterward. :) If you want to try the signature but can't give up your Americano, doing it my way works out fine, haha.

When I visited, the signage said the refill Americano couldn't be taken out. Seems best used when you're planning to sit and linger in the café.

Is Jo Hui-tak Coffee comfortable for solo coffee drinkers?

Jo Hui-tak Coffee had FREE WIFI signage, and the seating ranged from single seats to long tables. It's nice to come chat with a friend, but it also seemed like a fine place to drink coffee alone or bring a laptop and spend some time.

Having the restroom inside the store was convenient too. It even smelled nice when I went in, which stuck with me for some reason, haha. When you're sitting a long time, having the restroom inside definitely beats one outside.

Tak latte, fig cake and an Americano refill: the verdict

My friend and I ended up chatting for a long while over the tak latte, Americano, and fig cake. The inside was bigger than we expected from outside, and the dessert case had enough variety that it was fun to browse before ordering.

What stuck with me most was of course drinking the signature tak latte first and then refilling with the Americano, haha. If you're looking for a good café near Ajou University where you can have coffee and cake together and sit comfortably alone, check out Jo Hui-tak Coffee too. Next time I'd like to pick one of the other cakes I didn't get to try this round. :)