Hongcheon hanok café on a rainy day: ssanghwa tea at Gil151

While looking for a nice-vibed café in Hongcheon, I ended up at Gil151 Hanok Cafe, Gangwon Hongcheon Main Branch. It looked big in photos, but it was even bigger than I expected in person! With the hanok building, a wide lawn garden, and even a pavilion, it's more a place to slow down and rest than just grab a coffee and leave. The signature black sesame coffee was delicious too.

Gil151 Hongcheon Main Branch: location, hours, parking

Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch is at 147 Gilgol-gil, Nam-myeon, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do, and it's open Mon–Sun 10:00–18:30 (last order 18:00). There's a huge free parking lot of about 300 pyeong.

• Location: 147 Gilgol-gil, Nam-myeon, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–18:30, last order 18:00
• Parking: large free lot, about 300 pyeong

Since it's located in Nam-myeon, Hongcheon, it's easiest to visit by car. There's dedicated parking right in front of the café, and the space is quite wide, so parking was comfortable.

It's also a decent spot to stop by during a trip or drive around Hongcheon.

How big are the exterior and garden at Gil151?

Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch isn't just a single hanok building — with the lawn garden and pavilion, the space itself is really spacious. The first thing that caught my eye upon arrival was, of course, the hanok!

With mountains surrounding it in the back, you really get a proper Hongcheon-style natural view.

A rainy day in the hanok garden

It was raining the day I visited, so I couldn't stay outside too long. But there was a certain charm to the hanok in the rain, haha. On a nice day, I think sitting in the pavilion with a coffee would be really lovely!

Gil151 Hanok Cafe interior atmosphere and restroom

Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch has a spacious, clean interior too.

Overall, a lot of wood is used, which matches the hanok atmosphere well, and the large windows let you see the garden and mountains from inside too. The space looked plenty big enough for families or larger groups to visit together.

And the restroom — which matters more than you'd think at a café! It was kept nice and clean too.

Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch menu and prices

Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch has quite a varied menu — not just regular coffee but signature coffee, traditional tea, leaf tea, ade, and smoothies. We ordered the Gil-hyang Black Sesame Neulkkot, the Donguibogam Ssanghwa Tea, and an americano.

Gil-hyang Black Sesame Neulkkot (₩8,300) — signature black sesame coffee

Gil-hyang Black Sesame Neulkkot is ₩8,300 — simply put, it's coffee topped with black sesame cream. The name's a bit of a mouthful haha, but the black sesame cream on top is really thick, and there's a single flower on top too, so it looks pretty.

The cream had a pretty strong, nutty black sesame flavor, and drinking it together with the coffee underneath made it sweet and nutty at once — really good. This one's a solid pick! If you like black sesame, it's worth ordering once.

Donguibogam Ssanghwa Tea (₩8,000) — traditional tea that matched the rain

The Donguibogam Ssanghwa Tea is ₩8,000 and comes out in pretty traditional teaware. Since I was at a hanok café, I figured I'd order some traditional tea too, and the presentation really matched the hanok atmosphere.

It's packed with jujubes and nuts, so there's something to chew on with each sip, and it was quite strong overall. Drinking it warm went really well with the rainy weather. If you visit on a chilly day, ordering ssanghwa tea instead of coffee might be a good idea.

Americano (₩6,000)

The americano is ₩6,000. It's not flashy like the signature menu, but it was nice to drink comfortably while looking out at the hanok and garden.

If you're visiting with a few people, it's also nice to order one black sesame coffee, one traditional tea, and one basic coffee, and share around depending on taste.

Dutch coffee received from Gil151's review event

When I visited, Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch was running a review event, and what I got after writing a review was a small bottle of dutch coffee!

It's small enough to carry easily, and getting something like this just puts you in a good mood, haha. The review event may vary depending on when you visit, so it's best to check at the café.

How was Gil151 as a Hongcheon drive café?

Gil151 Hanok Cafe Hongcheon Main Branch, great as a Hongcheon drive café, was a place to enjoy the wide hanok and garden together rather than just going for coffee. The parking lot is spacious, the interior is pleasant, and even the restroom is clean — overall, a comfortable place to spend time.

Especially on a nice day, I think it'd be lovely to sit in the outdoor pavilion and rest while looking at the mountains. If you're looking for a hanok café or a drive café in Hongcheon, Gil151 is worth stopping by. Personally, out of everything, the nutty black sesame coffee stuck with me the most! ☕️