# Gangneung hanok café with green tea cake and hand-drip coffee: Cafe - By Yeeun Doh (https://superchart.com/en/@nakwon-arcade-tray/) - Written Sep 22, 2026 - Local places › Cafés › Gangneung, Gangwon - Sponsored: This post was written as part of a store-visit sponsorship. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@nakwon-arcade-tray/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@nakwon-arcade-tray/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/index.md) ## In short Cafe Giwa is a hanok (traditional Korean house) café set in a 130-year-old building in Chodang-dong, Gangneung. The writer ordered the signature Giwa Black Latte, a 7,500 won green tea triangle cake and an iced Americano while looking out at the hanok garden, and the house-roasted coffee served as hand drip had a good aroma with gentle acidity. With baby chairs on hand and a private lot out front, Cafe Giwa makes an easy rest stop on a Gangneung trip. ## Good to know - **Location**: 15 Chodangwon-gil 54beon-gil, Gangneung, Gangwon (Cafe Giwa) - **Parking**: Private lot right in front of the café - **Getting there**: About 5 minutes by car from the Gangneung hotel district - **Signature drinks**: Giwa Black Latte, Mung Bean Flower Latte, Pink Flower Latte - **Cake price**: 7,500 won for every slice, whatever the flavor - **What the writer ordered**: Giwa Black Latte, green tea triangle cake, iced Americano - **With a baby**: Baby chairs available - **Price reference**: ₩7,500 ≈ $5.5 (2026-09-22) *as written by the visitor on Sep 22, 2026* ![Exterior view of Cafe Giwa, a hanok café in Chodang-dong, Gangneung](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-01-if6kb-900.webp) While traveling around Gangneung, I stopped by Cafe Giwa, a 130-year-old hanok café with a really pretty garden. The coffee and cake were great, but the garden atmosphere was the real highlight — let me introduce Cafe Giwa in Chodang-dong, Gangneung. ## What is Cafe Giwa, the hanok café in Gangneung? ![Cafe Giwa building built inside a 130-year-old hanok](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-02-1y4vm-900.webp) ![Cafe Giwa's hanok exterior and roof tiles](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-03-1yjj4-900.webp) Cafe Giwa is a Gangneung hanok café built inside an actual 130-year-old traditional Korean house. It keeps the charm of the old hanok while dressing up the garden and antique interior beautifully. Just sitting there having coffee felt like its own little scene from the trip. ![Cafe Giwa garden scenery blending with the hanok](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-04-wrd1g-1200.webp) Above all, the garden was really, really pretty. The way the hanok and garden come together made every angle feel like a proper Gangneung-trip photo. ![Cafe Giwa courtyard with green trees](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-05-fp0to-900.webp) ### Parking and how to find Cafe Giwa There's a dedicated parking lot right in front of Cafe Giwa, so you can park and walk straight in. It's also only about 5 minutes by car from Gangneung's hotel district, which made it easy to fit into a travel route. ## Inside the 130-year-old hanok and its garden As soon as you arrive at Cafe Giwa, the old hanok building catches your eye. Since it's a space built into a genuinely old 130-year-old hanok, the atmosphere is clearly different from a newer building. Looking closely at the old roof tiles and the color of the wood, you can really feel the layers of time built up — which somehow makes it feel more refined rather than worn out. Gangneung has a lot of pretty cafés, but if you're after somewhere a little special, this Chodang-dong hanok café is worth a visit for the old hanok alone. The garden is just as pretty as the hanok. It wraps naturally around the front and back of the building and is styled to capture the feel of the season. Photos really turn out well here! As you walk slowly through the garden, there are spots where the hanok frames the background and spots where the garden scenery itself is the star, so there's no shortage of places to take pictures. ![Photo spot with roof tiles and the green garden together](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-06-1y4o2-900.webp) ![Garden walking path at Cafe Giwa](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-07-1qejb-900.webp) With the roof tiles, wood, and green garden all in the frame together, every photo had a really nice mood. I came for coffee but ended up taking way more pictures in the garden. ![Garden photo spot with the hanok as a backdrop](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-08-1o86k-900.webp) ![Trees and roof-tile wall in Cafe Giwa's garden](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-09-13561-900.webp) ## Cafe Giwa menu and cake prices ![Ordering area at Cafe Giwa](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-10-1nj5z-m-900.webp) ![Signature drink signage at Cafe Giwa](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-11-f72lg-900.webp) The menu has its own distinct character too. The signature menu items are the Giwa Black Latte, Mung Bean Flower Latte, and Pink Flower Latte. ![Menu board listing the Giwa Black Latte and Mung Bean Flower Latte](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-12-18r0b-900.webp) The Giwa Black Latte combines grain milk and espresso with black sesame cream, the Mung Bean Flower Latte blends mung bean milk, Dutch coffee, and cream, and the Pink Flower Latte pairs strawberry milk with Dutch coffee. I went with the Giwa Black Latte. There were quite a few cake options too — every single one looked delicious. All of them are priced the same, at ₩7,500. ![Cake display with every slice priced at ₩7,500](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-13-joi2f-900.webp) We ordered the signature Giwa Black Latte along with a green tea triangle cake and an iced Americano. Having coffee and cake while looking out at the hanok garden felt way more relaxing than a regular coffee break. ## House-roasted coffee served as hand drip ![Hand-drip coffee brewed from house-roasted beans](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-14-1lfsn-900.webp) Cafe Giwa is pretty serious about its coffee too. You can enjoy house-roasted coffee brewed as hand-drip, and it really did have a great aroma. There's a gentle acidity and fragrance to it, so I'd recommend it to anyone who genuinely loves coffee. The hanok atmosphere was already lovely, and the good coffee just made the visit even more memorable. ![Hanok interior seating at Cafe Giwa](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-15-dc7nd-900.webp) ![Cafe Giwa interior furnished with antique pieces](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-16-xw9ip-900.webp) ![Interior décor at Cafe Giwa evoking the Gyeongseong era](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-17-13365-900.webp) If the garden has a traditional hanok mood, stepping inside opens up a completely different atmosphere. It felt like stepping back into the Gyeongseong era. ## Antique décor and the mood at Cafe Giwa While keeping the old wood and hanok structure intact, antique furniture and knick-knacks are placed throughout, and the combination felt really stylish. What I especially liked were the small objects filling the space. These weren't newly made vintage-style decorations — each piece felt like it had genuinely been used for a long time, carrying real traces of age. It was fun to slowly look around the inside of the café. With the hanok's wooden structure, antique furniture, and old objects all coming together in one space, it felt completely different from the typical trendy 'aesthetic' cafés you see these days. ## Can you visit Cafe Giwa with a baby? We visited with our baby, and having a baby chair ready made things easy. Since you can also stroll around the garden with a baby, I'd recommend Cafe Giwa as a Gangneung café that works well with a little one. ![Seat at Cafe Giwa set up with a baby chair](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-18-1jszr-900.webp) Parents can have coffee in the hanok atmosphere while also taking the baby around the garden, which made it a nice little rest stop in the middle of the trip. ![Drinks and cake on a table by the hanok window](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-19-1nv44-900.webp) The signature Giwa Latte, with its nutty black sesame cream, was really delicious and had a deep aroma. ![Giwa Black Latte topped with black sesame cream](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-20-bvetz-900.webp) ![Close-up of a Giwa Black Latte](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-21-gtkcy-900.webp) The triangle cake stood out the most. It wasn't too sweet and was soft enough that I finished it happily even though I was already full. ![A slice of green tea triangle cake](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-22-oe3nb-900.webp) 130-year-old roof tiles and a hanok that's held onto its history, a garden made for photos, an antique interior straight out of the Gyeongseong era, and coffee with great aroma — this is a place with so many different moods packed into one space that I wanted to linger a while. ![View of the garden from the hanok's wooden porch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-23-1a4vc-900.webp) ![Travel photo taken in Cafe Giwa's garden](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip-24-1emcs-900.webp) If you love taking photos, the garden alone makes this worth a visit. I'd recommend Cafe Giwa as a quiet, atmospheric hanok café in Gangneung — have a coffee, take some photos in the pretty garden, and you've got yourself a memorable scene from your Gangneung trip. ## Where it is - Cafe Giwa (카페기와) - 15 Chodangwon-gil 54beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea - 강원특별자치도 강릉시 초당원길54번길 15 카페기와 - 37.7859541, 128.9163704 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%B9%B4%ED%8E%98%EA%B8%B0%EC%99%80/@37.7859541,128.9163704,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@nakwon-arcade-tray/gangneung-chodang-hanok-cafe-giwa-handdrip/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt