Songpa café with stroller seats and gold cream latte: Cafe The Venezia

Cafe The Venezia by Wirye Lake Central Park: parking was the easy part

Today we visited Cafe The Venezia, located at Wirye Lake Central Park, for brunch. I go for walks around Wirye Lake Park pretty often, and this café is always right there next to the lake. When the weather is nice, you can often see people drinking coffee on the terrace out front — it seems to be famous as a brunch spot in Wirye. We were planning to visit by car, and since the building's basement parking gave us two and a half hours, we could visit without rushing. If you go up toward the lake side on the first floor of the building, that's where the entrance is.

Can you bring a stroller inside? Wide indoor seating with lake views

The interior of the building was really spacious, which I loved. There were group tables too, and since we had our baby, we had to bring the stroller in with us — but the gaps between seats were wide enough that we could keep it right beside us comfortably. The advantage of this café is that you can see the lake right next to you. There's no building blocking the view in front, so the scenery feels open and really nice.

When the weather's nice you can have brunch or coffee on the terrace seats outside, but since we visited on a hot summer day, we took an indoor seat instead. We got lucky with a seat that looked right out onto the lake.

What's on the brunch menu at Cafe The Venezia?

Cafe The Venezia had a really wide range of coffee, and since the bread is baked in-house, it's also a good spot to just drop by for a simple dessert. We decided to try the brunch, which ranged from single-person brunch items to set menus for two. The brunch menu was made up of salad plus a sandwich or panini set. The default drink was Americano, but you could switch to another drink for an extra charge.

What we ordered was the brunch set for two, the flagship bulgogi panini set. For drinks, we swapped one for an iced Americano and the other for the signature gold cream latte. There was some bread displayed nearby, and apparently it comes out freshly baked at 10:30. If you time your visit right, it sounds like you can get warm bread right away.

Also, Cafe The Venezia is running a review event, so if you visit, it's worth joining — you can get one free Americano.

How does the signature gold cream latte taste?

Our drinks came out first — the iced Americano and the gold cream latte. The Americano was good too, but the gold cream latte is genuinely delicious. The cream had that handmade feel, and gold flakes were sprinkled on top, which made me happy just looking at it. It wasn't too sweet, exactly the way I like it. Since it's the signature menu, I'd recommend trying it if you visit! A proper Wirye coffee gem, confirmed.

Flame-grilled bulgogi panini and salad: enough for two

Our flame-grilled bulgogi panini came out next. I loved that the portion was quite big. Inside the panini the cheese was melted, and it looked delicious just from the sight of it. It seems like a great brunch/late-breakfast option.

The salad ingredients were really good too — fresh vegetables, mushrooms grilled in-house, and a sauce that felt handmade, which paired perfectly with the salad. Eating the salad and panini together, it was enough to fill up two people.

The bulgogi inside the panini was tender, and the sauce wasn't overpowering, blending well with the other fillings. It was my first time trying a panini with bulgogi in it, and it was just right as a brunch item.

Would I come back to this Songpa brunch café with the baby?

The view outside was great, and enjoying a relaxed brunch in Wirye with delicious panini and salad felt amazing. It was even better that we could bring the baby along — the space is wide enough that we could see ourselves coming often. The salad had fresh olives and mozzarella cheese, which was a nice touch. If you're looking for a brunch gem in Wirye, I'd recommend Cafe The Venezia~!