Kid-friendly Daejeon café with open window seats: Frank Coffee Bar

Some days the weather is so good you feel like it'd be a waste to stay home — you just have to go out. Today was exactly that kind of day.

I went to Frank Coffee Bar Daejeon Dunsan Branch with my husband, the kids' aunt, and our two kids — 40 months and 14 months old. We got there around 1:30pm on a Saturday, and the space was bigger than I expected. What stood out most was the big window, thrown wide open.

• Location: 69 Dunsan-ro 31beon-gil, Seo-gu, 1st floor
• Hours: 10:00–22:00
• Parking: street public parking (free on weekends), nearby paid lots (closest is Sariwon Parking Lot)

The café mood on a weekend afternoon

The first thing I noticed walking in was the wood-toned vintage interior. It felt a bit different from a typical Dunsan-dong café — little props scattered around gave it the feel of an old European café, which also made it decent for photos.

What stayed with me most was the big window left wide open. Even sitting indoors, the outside air drifted in naturally, and looking out the window I felt for a moment like I was traveling abroad.

It was a weekend afternoon, so there were plenty of customers, but instead of rushing through their coffee and leaving, everyone seemed to be taking their time. Even that added to the atmosphere of the space.

Finding a seat with two little kids

With two kids in tow instead of just four adults, even getting seated was a bit of a scramble. Still, the seats were spacious enough that eating drinks and dessert with the kids wasn't too uncomfortable.

The 14-month-old isn't at the age yet for sitting still at a café for long, so she was busy looking around, while the 40-month-old spent the time snacking alongside the adults.

The space itself never felt cramped, and with generous room between tables, it was a decent café to stop and rest at with kids for a while.

What we ordered: strawberry latte, matcha latte, caffe latte and an egg tart

We ordered a strawberry latte, matcha latte, caffe latte and an egg tart. We also got an espresso free with an alert-subscription coupon.

The espresso was stronger and more vivid in flavor than I expected. If you like strong coffee normally, it's a good one to sip and taste the beans in. On the other hand, if you're looking for something to share with kids, the strawberry latte was a bit more approachable.

When I tried it myself, it wasn't very sweet, which made it easier to share with the kids without worry.

The egg tart wasn't overly sweet either. Personally, when café desserts are too sweet, I get sick of them quickly when eating alongside coffee, but this egg tart was light enough to enjoy comfortably.

A slow break over coffee

What I liked about this visit was that the café wasn't just a pretty space and nothing more. The light coming through the big window, the wood-toned furniture and the vintage props all blended together naturally, so there was fun in simply looking around the space while sitting.

Looking around while drinking coffee, little props like deer figurines, sculptures and plants caught my eye. Rather than being concentrated in one photo spot, they felt scattered throughout the space.

Looking for good coffee in Dunsan-dong?

Frank Coffee Bar sells not just coffee but salt bread and various other bakery items too. Next time I visit, I'd love to try the salt bread. (With so many varieties and so many people ordering it, it seems like it might be their signature item.)

Parking at the Sariwon paid lot

On weekends the street public parking is free, so I'd recommend using it if there's space. We had kids with us and found it hard to find a spot, so we used the nearby Sariwon paid parking lot instead. (Parking was ₩1,500 per 30 minutes.)

What the visit was really like

What stayed with me most from this visit was the atmosphere of the space along with the taste of the coffee. Even on a Saturday afternoon with kids in tow, the café never felt too crowded or cramped — the adults could rest over coffee while the kids passed the time looking around.

Above all, sitting in the space with the big window open gave a slightly different feeling than the usual cafés I've seen around Dunsan-dong.

Going to a café with kids usually means the parents barely finish their coffee before it's time to leave, but this time I was very satisfied to finally sit and drink a cup of coffee slowly again.