Basque cheesecake at Cafe Neorae, a Sokcho café with bamboo stairs

When I plan trips to Sokcho I usually end up hunting for cafés near the sea.. but this time I wanted to feel that lush mountain atmosphere instead, so I went to Cafe Neorae, a large café with a gorgeous view of Seoraksan.

Sokcho has plenty of cafés where you can sip coffee while looking at the ocean, but this time I wanted a different mood. Once I got there, the space was spacious with a wide range of bakery items and drinks, and what stuck with me most was seeing Seoraksan and Ulsanbawi rock through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Where is Cafe Neorae in Sokcho, and what about parking and hours?

Cafe Neorae is on the 2nd floor at 114 Wonam Haksapyeong-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do. It's open from 9 AM to 6 PM, and closed on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month.

Yetgoeul Sundubu (옛고을순두부) is on the 1st floor, and there's a large parking area right in front of the café building. I drove there myself, and there was plenty of parking, so I didn't have to worry at all. If you're driving, this is a big plus — you can park easily and walk right in without any parking stress.

By the way, if you eat at Yetgoeul Sundubu and bring your receipt, you can get 10% off café drinks.

The bamboo staircase photo zone and second-floor window seats

Cafe Neorae was much bigger than I expected when I first walked in — very much living up to the reputation of Sokcho's large-scale cafés. The 1st floor was spacious, but the staircase leading up to the 2nd floor was especially pretty.

It's decorated with bamboo-style walls, and one side can even be used like a bench, so I took a quick photo there. It was fun that this space wasn't just a staircase — it was designed as a spot to leave a photo behind.

The 2nd floor has plenty of seating and floor-to-ceiling windows, so overall it felt spacious and comfortable. The windows themselves felt like picture frames, and with Seoraksan and Ulsanbawi rock visible outside, just sitting there gave me that Sokcho emotional-café feeling.

Baby chairs, wheelchair access and reusable cups at Cafe Neorae

Near the restroom, Cafe Neorae has facilities that make it convenient to visit with kids, so it seemed like a good place to bring a baby too. Baby chairs are available, and the restroom, entrance, and seating are all noted as wheelchair-accessible.

These are the kinds of details you end up checking when traveling as a family, and the space itself was large enough to relax comfortably.

For takeout, they don't use disposable cups — they provide eco-friendly reusable cups instead. It was nice to see a café that thinks about the environment while surrounded by nature.

Cafe Neorae's bakery counter and signature drinks

True to being a Sokcho bakery café, Cafe Neorae had a wide variety of breads and cakes. From salt bread, potato bread, and sweet potato bread to croissants and mont blanc, there was plenty to choose from.

There were more bread types than I expected, so for a moment I had a hard time deciding what to pick.

The drink menu wasn't just regular coffee either — there were signature drinks named after the café itself, like the Neorae Latte, Sseoeoda Schuepfner, and Neorae Tea.

I went with the Neorae Latte, the Sseoeoda Schuepfner, and the Baskin cheesecake.

How the Neorae Latte, Sua Da Einspänner and Basque cheesecake taste

The Neorae Latte had soft cream on top with a nutty roasted bean powder topping.

It was decorated with a cute little "Neorae" shape on top, and I was curious how it would taste at first — but it turned out less heavy than expected, nutty and not too sweet, so I really enjoyed it.

The Sseoeoda Schuepfner was sweeter, and the Neorae cookie on top was way more delicious than I expected haha. Having a cookie on top of coffee made it fun to eat.

The Baskin cheesecake was nutty and dense, and paired really well with the signature drinks.

There was also strawberry jam at the self-serve bar, which seemed like it would go great with the bakery items. Little touches like this made the café feel thoughtful.

But above all, what I remember most from this visit is the view of Seoraksan and Ulsanbawi rock through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I used to always look for ocean-view cafés when visiting Sokcho, but resting while looking at the mountains this time had its own charm.

There are also spots good for photos, so I'd especially recommend this place to travelers looking for a Sokcho café with a great view, or anyone searching for a café with a view of Ulsanbawi rock.