Baby-friendly brunch with anchovy bacon pasta in Hongcheon: Cafe Iseo

When I went on a trip to Hongcheon last week, I found a brunch spot I really loved, so I wanted to share it today! It's Cafe Iseo, near Palbongsan in Hongcheon.

Honestly, I was hit with a bad cold that day and felt awful... But since we'd come all the way to Hongcheon, I figured we should at least eat something delicious to lift our mood. In the end, it turned out to be such a happy time. The food was so good I forgot I was even sick, haha.

Where is this Hongcheon brunch spot, Cafe Iseo?

Cafe Iseo is located on Hanchigol-gil in Seo-myeon, Hongcheon. It's a convenient stop for anyone traveling toward Palbongsan or Vivaldi Park, which is why we dropped by during our Hongcheon trip.

There's a spacious parking area, so it was easy to visit by car. Families traveling around Hongcheon with kids, like us, should have no trouble stopping in.

• 10:30 - 20:00
• Closed every Wednesday
• *Brunch is only available from 11:00 to 17:00

The weather was so bright and clear that day, with a really blue sky, so I snapped a photo of the Cafe Iseo sign against it. So pretty, right?!

The interior atmosphere at Cafe Iseo Hongcheon Branch

At first, it looked like a café that blended naturally into the surrounding scenery, but once we stepped inside, the vibe was totally sleek and stylish—I was like, oh, what is this place?

The interior here was totally my taste...! The overall dark wood-tone décor with soft ambient lighting made the atmosphere so pretty.

Plants were placed here and there with a nice sense of style, and the big framed art and props fit the space so well. Especially the trees planted outside, visible through the huge windows—so pretty... and I could only imagine how much they must have spent?!

Bamboo was also planted nicely, so just looking out the window felt refreshing and healing, haha.

We took a photo with our baby Taeyul at the photo zone with the big frame, and it turned out to be a great spot for pictures, haha. The space itself was so pretty that taking photos was fun in itself.

Is it okay to bring a baby along?

A baby chair was available, so it's good for going with a baby too. Little pot-bellied Taeyul couldn't take his eyes off the yoga-monkey figurine 🐰

The brunch menu we ordered, and prices

Cafe Iseo has a wide variety of brunch items like pasta, sandwiches, and salads, plus coffee and drinks! Brunch starts at 11am, so we deliberately timed our visit for around 11:30.

• ✔ Anchovy Bacon Pasta (₩19,500)
• ✔ Avocado Shrimp Sandwich (₩17,500)
• ✔ Two Americanos (₩11,000)

🍝 Anchovy Bacon Pasta

The anchovy bacon pasta was both my husband Mingtol's and my favorite that day!!!!!! Mingtol loves Korean food so much that he rarely says "this is really good!" at brunch spots or Western restaurants. But he tried this anchovy bacon pasta and started raving about how delicious it was. I tried it too, and wow... the umami from the anchovy was just insane.

It wasn't just salty—the deep umami unique to anchovy blended with the bacon in a way that kept me reaching for more.

How good was it, you ask? I actually looked up where to buy anchovies so I could make this at home every day... lol.

The harmony with the slightly bitter arugula was also amazing! It bumped my longtime favorite, mentaiko (pollack roe) oil pasta, and became the number one pasta in my heart as of today, haha.

🥑 Avocado Shrimp Sandwich

The avocado shrimp sandwich looked so pretty right from the plating that I took a ton of photos before even eating.

The avocado and shrimp went well together—light but still satisfying, so it paired nicely with the pasta.

Especially in both the pasta and the sandwich, the shrimp on top had a crunchy, almost fried texture on the surface, and that was seriously the best part!!!

Looked like they'd seasoned it well—the shrimp was full of flavor, crispy outside and springy inside. After one bite, my conclusion was: even if I buy anchovies, I could never recreate this flavor at home, haha.

If we'd only ordered one dish, it would have felt a little lacking, but ordering both the pasta and the sandwich let us enjoy two very different charms.

☕ Iced Americano

The coffee suited my taste perfectly too! I usually prefer coffee with a bit of acidity, like Terarosa, and the coffee here had that same style, so I really enjoyed it.

Mingtol, on the other hand, ordered a nuttier coffee, and he said it had a bit more acidity than what he usually gets elsewhere. With good coffee to top it off, it felt like finishing a perfect course meal after brunch.

Highly recommended as a Hongcheon brunch spot!

That day, I was in rough shape from the cold, but eating delicious food, taking photos with Taeyul in such a pretty space, and having a coffee really lifted my mood.

Above all, it was surprising to find such a stylish brunch café near Palbongsan in Hongcheon, and the fact that the food was this good made me like it even more!! Next time we bring Taeyul to Vivaldi Park, we're definitely stopping by again!

If you're traveling around Hongcheon and looking for a café with a great atmosphere, or hunting for good brunch near Palbongsan or Vivaldi Park, give Cafe Iseo a try :) Especially the anchovy bacon pasta—it's a dish I'd order again next time! If you like oil pasta, you have to try it 🤎