Fig tart and apple mango smoothie at Lapins, an Icheon dessert café

A review of Lapins, a handmade dessert spot in Jangho-won, Icheon

A clear, sunny Sunday afternoon that put me in a good mood just by looking outside. My husband and I decided to head out for a day trip to Icheon. We first stopped by Ruffwear in Jangho-won, Icheon, and had a blast browsing tempting dog gear for our dog Nurungi, then moved on to our next stop — the dessert café, Lapins. It was only about a two-minute drive from the Ruffwear store to Lapins, which was so convenient.

Lapins location and hours

• Address: 35 Seodongdae-ro 8830beon-gil 1F, Janghowon-eup, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Closed every Monday / Tue–Fri 12:00–21:00 / Sat–Sun 12:00–17:00
• Parking: Free ground-level lot in front of the store, shared with the building

And there it was — the Icheon Jangho-won café, Lapins. I heard the café used to be called '1/N' before changing its name to Lapins, and since the change happened recently, the old signboard still seemed to be hanging there. I'd checked the exterior on a map beforehand, so I found the café without much trouble.

Is parking convenient?

In front of the café there's a nicely spacious parking area like this. Next to Lapins there were other shops besides the café, so this seemed to be a parking lot shared by the whole commercial building. I much prefer a convenient ground-level lot like this over an underground one.

After parking comfortably in front of the café, we went inside.

The vibe inside the café

So you can get a full feel for the interior — camera, spin around!

Since it's run by a single young male owner, the space itself wasn't huge, but the café was kept very neat and tidy. The tables were spaced out generously, so even though it's a compact space, it never felt cramped. The overall interior was done in white and wood tones, with warm lighting installed throughout.

The vintage-feeling props scattered around in particular gave the whole place an upgraded atmosphere.

That white door on the left leads to the restroom. The counter on the right looked like the owner's baking station.

What we ordered

I looked over the menu board to order. Inlyeok coffee, a blend of milk tea and coffee, was marked as the house signature, and my husband wanted to try it — but unfortunately, on the day we went, they'd run out of milk tea, so inlyeok coffee wasn't available... T_T So my husband switched to an apple mango smoothie, and I ordered my usual iced vanilla latte.

The owner's handmade dessert cakes. Clockwise from the top left: fig & milk tea cream tart (₩8,500), Kirsch Forêt Noire (₩8,000), Basque cheesecake (₩7,700), classic tiramisu (₩8,000).

After ordering, we settled into a sunny window seat. The vases sitting prettily on the window-side table — there wasn't a single corner of this small space that hadn't been touched by the owner's hand. Lapins, a small Icheon café, has his care and affection woven into every part of it.

The apple mango smoothie — highly recommended

Finally our drinks arrived. My husband's apple mango smoothie, ordered in place of the inlyeok coffee... its color looked seriously good, so I stole a sip — and oh my gosh!!! My vanilla latte was tasty too, of course, but this apple mango smoothie was genuinely refreshing and delicious. I was enjoying it so much that my husband ended up drinking half and handing the rest completely over to me... lol. I highly recommend the apple mango smoothie at Lapins! It made me want to try their other smoothies too.

Desserts made with figs, a seasonal fruit, and the Kirsch Forêt Noire cake. Even at a glance, they looked moist and fluffy — mouth-watering. (Since I'd already stormed through the smoothie, my beloved apple mango smoothie had lost a bit of its top ranking... lol)

You pretty things are about to get eaten next~

Okay, the waiting is over. Time to finally take a bite of this delicious-looking dessert!

How did the cakes taste?

The cake is really soft and moist. I'm someone who doesn't usually like overly sweet desserts, but this place's cakes weren't overly sweet at all, which suited my palate really well. It's honestly surprising how much delicate skill this young male owner has, whipping up such pretty handmade desserts using seasonal fruit. After that, my husband and I dove in for a full-on dessert time!

Looks like they also make a strawberry tart as a seasonal menu item. I love strawberries, so I definitely want to try this one when strawberries are in season.

Final thoughts on Lapins, an Icheon dessert spot

• It's very close to the Ruffwear Jangho-won store, so I'd recommend pairing a Ruffwear visit with Lapins!
• The young male owner is not only skilled at making desserts but also very friendly, leaving a great first impression.
• On top of that, parking is very convenient!

After a fun day trip to Icheon, it was time to head home. The Icheon dessert café Lapins — really, really good.