Surf-style café in Mulchi, Yangyang with sweet corn crumble: Kinship

Yangyang has everything from huge ocean-view cafés to small, distinctive ones. Kinship, which I visited this time, had a charm quite different from the usual ocean-view café.

With its surf-inspired interior, colorful furniture, and distinctive desserts, it's a place worth stopping by if you're looking for café recommendations in Yangyang.

What does the outside of Kinship look like?

Kinship had a pretty distinctive vibe starting from its gray building exterior. In front of the building there's a sign that says KINSHIP and a yellow chair, so you could feel the café's personality right from the entrance.

Rather than an elaborately decorated large café, it had a clean, tasteful atmosphere that made the most of the building itself.

At first it felt more like a concept store or a small guesthouse than a café — and it turned out there actually was a sign on the building reading 'ACCOMMODATION / COFFEE & BAR,' which made it even more unique.

The yellow chair outside was also a nice focal point for photos, and overall it matched Yangyang's laid-back vibe really well.

Kinship's seating and baby chairs inside

Walking inside, the mood from the exterior carries right through. There are window seats where you can sit and look out at the scenery, and baby chairs are ready for anyone visiting with kids.

The interior is built around concrete and black tones, with vivid furniture in yellow, green and blue used as accent colors.

Around the counter there were also things to look at — duck-shaped props, accessories, and merch.

Even the smallest props carried Kinship's own color, so it was fun to look around before ordering and taking a seat.

There was also a space with a blue sofa and plants arranged together,

which had a relaxed feel rather than a stiff one — a nice spot to unwind.

If you want a different vibe from the typical ocean-view café right on the beach, Kinship seems like a good pick for café recommendations in Yangyang.

Kinship's menu and prices

Looking at the menu, there was a wide range of options from coffee to non-coffee drinks, ades, and teas. The coffee menu included an americano for ₩6,000, café latte for ₩6,500, vanilla bean latte for ₩6,800, and caramel latte for ₩6,800.

Kinship's signature menu items also caught my eye — a pistachio cream latte for ₩7,500 and an apple cream latte for ₩8,500 — along with a variety of desserts. In particular, the handmade sweet corn crumble marked as BEST was ₩7,900.

• Handmade sweet corn crumble ₩7,900 (BEST)
• Handmade apple crumble ₩8,500
• Sweet corn tiramisu ₩9,700
• Handmade Kinship tiramisu ₩8,900

There were also summery menu items like sweet corn bingsu (shaved ice dessert) and tomato bingsu, so the menu lineup was a bit different from a typical café. There was also a wide variety of non-coffee, ade, and tea options, which made it a good choice to visit with people who don't drink coffee.

The taste of the sweet corn crumble and watermelon juice

We ordered an americano, watermelon juice, and the handmade sweet corn crumble. Set on the window seat table, the drinks and dessert made for pretty photos too. It was a good atmosphere to take a break during a trip and enjoy coffee and dessert.

The watermelon juice was just right for a hot summer day,

and it wasn't watered down too much, which I liked.

The americano paired perfectly with the dessert we ordered alongside it.

The sweet corn crumble had a whole roasted corn cob sitting on top of a square crumble base, so it had a pretty striking look from the moment it arrived.

The soft, sweet dessert paired with the corn's distinct nutty flavor made it a menu item well suited to summer. Eating the corn on top along with it added variety in texture too, which made it fun to eat. If you like corn, this is a menu worth trying at least once.

If you want to try a dessert that's not common in Yangyang, the sweet corn crumble is worth ordering as one of the café recommendations here.

Kinship hours and parking information

• Name: Kinship (KINSHIP)
• Address: 1F, 2F, 51-2 Mulchicheon-ro, Ganghyeon-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:30–19:00
• Last order: 18:30
• Parking: Nearby alternative parking available
• Baby chairs available

※ Business hours, menu and prices may vary depending on when you visit, so it's recommended to check before going.

Wrapping up

When traveling in Yangyang, you naturally look for a café with an ocean view first, but Kinship let me feel a charm a bit different from that. From the stylish interior with a surfboard hanging on the wall, to the colorful furniture and various props, it really captured Yangyang's free-spirited atmosphere.

What stuck with me most was having a menu item you don't easily find at other cafés, like the dessert made with sweet corn. There were plenty of photogenic spots, and the interior mood was comfortable, making it a nice place to rest with a cup of coffee during a Yangyang trip.

If you're looking for café recommendations in Yangyang, or a distinctive café near Mulchi Beach, Kinship is worth stopping by.