Pyeongtaek forest-view attic café, sweet potato financier: Cafe Pomun

It was the weekend, so my husband and I wanted a cozy date at a place known for its atmosphere. I badly needed a break from my busy days, and that's when I found a fairytale-like dessert café in Pyeongtaek that instantly made me think of Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro.

With high-quality homemade baked sweets made in the shop every day and a snug, mountain-lodge interior, I felt recharged the whole time I was there. Here's my careful record of the visit to Cafe Pomun (카페포문).

Cafe Pomun location, hours and parking

Cafe Pomun is at 58-26 Chudam-ro, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi, South Korea. It's open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Opening and closing times differ by day, so I strongly recommend checking Naver Map before you go.

Parking: there's a very large private outdoor lot, packed down with dirt and gravel, right beside and behind the building. There's plenty of room and it's easy to pull into, so even beginner drivers or weekend peak-hour visitors can park without stress.

Cafe Pomun's Totoro-like exterior and first floor

Lush green trees and red-turning ivy wrap the building softly. Looking at it from where I parked, it felt like a secret base deep in the forest.

The vintage white-painted wall is a photo spot that every visitor seems to stop at.

Step through the door into the first floor and a calm, warm wood-and-white interior greets you, continuing the mysterious mood outside.

Cute vintage props and solid wood furniture with the marks of time made the place feel cozy.

The wooden display case, smelling sweetly and nuttily of butter, was packed with eye-catching baked sweets, and I knew right away I'd come to the right dessert café in Pyeongtaek.

There are not only baked sweets but also tempting cakes,

and the drinks are varied, so choosing is half the fun.

Even the restroom on the first floor has a vintage feel, like stepping into another world, which I loved. Okay, now let's head up to the second floor.

Cafe Pomun's second-floor attic with forest view, and the annex

The second floor is a spacious attic with a high gabled ceiling that feels wonderfully open. You reach it by climbing vintage wooden stairs.

Through the big picture windows, a peaceful green neighborhood forest view stretches out. It's perfect for sitting by the window, quietly clearing your head and relaxing.

Softly glowing round hanji (Korean paper) lamps hanging from the ceiling made the space even cozier.

The café is so popular that, sadly, we didn't get a window seat, but we still found a spot that was great for chatting.

The sunny Cafe Pomun annex

Right next to the main building there's a small separate annex.

Open the exotic wooden door, with a yellow vintage bicycle parked by it, and you enter a bright, airy space like a wood gallery, quite different from the lodge feel of the main building.

A long wooden bar table runs along the wall, and warm autumn sunlight poured in through the big window frames. It was beautiful. The annex feels quieter and more refined, so at this Pyeongtaek dessert café you can choose between the two spaces depending on your mood that day.

How are Cafe Pomun's financiers, madeleine and drinks?

We ordered an iced Americano, a grapefruit ade, and a sweet potato salted caramel financier, a pistachio financier and a lemon madeleine. After a long deliberation in front of the first-floor showcase, we ordered generously.

Served neatly on a stylish wooden tray, everything looked so pretty that you taste it with your eyes first.

The iced Americano, hefty in the hand, had no acidity, just a nutty, rich, full-bodied bean flavor, and it paired fantastically with the sweet baked goods.

My pick, the grapefruit ade, had zingy, refreshing fizz and real chunks of red grapefruit pulp, so every sip burst with pleasant freshness.

Above all, as a proper Pyeongtaek dessert café, the quality of the homemade sweets baked in the shop every day was excellent.

The sweet potato salted caramel financier had a sweet-and-salty chewy caramel coating and was generously studded with soft, sweet sweet potato cubes, so the texture and flavor were fantastic.

The pistachio financier was densely coated all over with nutty pistachio, and the more I chewed, the more that deep nutty richness spread.

The lemon madeleine, thickly covered in tangy, sweet lemon glaze, combined a fluffy crumb with a fresh lemon scent, and the plate was empty in no time.

Cafe Pomun as a Pyeongtaek date café: my verdict

Thanks to its charming interior and excellent baked sweets, Cafe Pomun wiped away the fatigue of everyday life. I never stopped smiling the whole time.

From the Totoro's-house exterior to the cozy second floor of the main building and the annex flooded with warm sunlight, there wasn't a single space that disappointed. Above all, the generously filled, carefully baked financiers and madeleine and the refreshing ade made it clear why people name this a top Pyeongtaek dessert café.

With a roomy private outdoor car park and no parking worries at all, I'd love to make it my own healing hideout for weekend drives. If you want a relaxed date with someone you love, enjoying top-quality baked sweets in a quiet, atmospheric forest setting, I sincerely recommend Cafe Pomun without hesitation.