Sokcho café for Ulsanbawi views and tissue bread: Cafe Neorae

Ulsanbawi mountain views at Cafe Neorae in Sokcho

I visited quite a few cafés while traveling in Sokcho, but this was one where I found myself staring out the window for a while as soon as I walked in, all because of the view. It was Cafe Neorae (카페너래) in Sokcho ⛰️☕️💚 Sokcho has lots of ocean-view cafés, but this one had a completely different atmosphere.

Cafe Neorae, a large café with Seoraksan’s Ulsanbawi view

The café’s name, “Neorae,” is said to be a Gangwon dialect word for a broad, large rock. Perhaps that is why the café concept works so beautifully with the Ulsanbawi scenery.

An impressive interior with high ceilings and arched windows

The café is near Haksapyeong Kongkkot Village and Sundubu Village, and the moment you head inside, the high ceiling and large windows catch your eye. Red brick, a glass ceiling, and green plants come together, so it does not feel like just another large café—the space itself is beautifully done 🍃💚 The arched windows and floor-to-ceiling glass ceiling visible as you go up the stairs were especially impressive. ⭐️It was quite fun taking photos of the interior, too.

What we ordered

✅We ordered an iced Americano for ₩6,000, Neorae Tea for ₩7,500, and tissue bread for ₩6,000. Looking at the menu, there were also plenty of signature items using the café name, including Neorae Latte and Neorae Pudding. Beyond regular coffee, there were lots of non-coffee drinks, teas, ades, and smoothies, so it seems like a good place to visit with someone who does not drink coffee!

🍞As you would expect from a large bakery café, all the breads looked so tempting. It was my first time trying tissue bread, which you can casually pull apart and eat! 🤎

What was the Ulsanbawi view from the window like?

Sitting down and looking out the window, Ulsanbawi truly felt right in front of us—it was so grand. Its distinctive rugged silhouette was clearly visible behind the mountain ridge, and with the blue sky on such a lovely day, the view was seriously incredible 🍃💚 When you think of Sokcho cafés, the ocean usually comes to mind first, so I had no idea a mountain view could be this spectacular. It looks wonderful in photos, but in person, Ulsanbawi feels much more majestic because of its scale and dimension. For anyone looking for a Seoraksan café or a café with an Ulsanbawi view, I felt that the view alone was reason enough to visit.

Nutty Neorae Tea and pull-apart tissue bread

The item I was personally most curious about was Neorae Tea. It is a nutty biji tea, carefully roasted and brewed! Since the café is in Haksapyeong Sundubu Village, it felt fitting that there was a menu item made with biji (soybean pulp). At first, I could not imagine what biji tea would taste like, but it was more about a subtle, nutty aroma than a strong flavor. It was completely different from coffee, so if you would like to try a slightly special drink in Sokcho, I think it would be nice to order this signature item! 😀

And then there was the tissue bread, which we ordered for its looks. As you can see in the photo, it is a neat square shape, but the sides reveal so many tightly layered sheets of bread. When you pull it apart one sheet at a time, you immediately understand why it is called tissue bread, haha. Lots of people look for bakery cafés while traveling, and rather than having drinks only, it was nice to order a bread like this and enjoy it leisurely together.

Especially for anyone looking for a large café in Sokcho, a Seoraksan café, or a Sokcho bakery café and hoping to see Ulsanbawi properly, I think this place would be very satisfying. We sat by the window and kept saying, “Wow… I’ve never seen a view like this.”

We stopped in for a quick coffee during our Sokcho trip, but the Ulsanbawi scenery ended up being what I remembered most 😊