Yeongju café near Yeongju Station serving pasta and pork cutlet: Cafe

Café289 near Yeongju Station, a stop we made before heading to Museom Village. The interior was gorgeous first of all, and the portions and flavors were all satisfying too.

Where is Cafe 289, and what are its hours and parking?

• Location: 289 Guseong-ro, Yeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sun 9:30–23:00
• Parking: lot behind the store; if full, park along the alley

What does the inside of Cafe 289 look like?

Inside Café289 there are tables for groups ranging from 2 to 8 people. Most of the tabletops are marble, which gave the space an even more upscale feel.

They also display and sell various knick-knacks, so it was fun to browse around while waiting for the food.

The interior, wall frames, and decorations were also very stylish, and I kept finding myself drawn to look at them.

Cafe 289 menu: the lotus rice set needs a reservation

The menu. Fitting for a Yeongju Station spot, they sell everything from meals to drinks, desserts, and even beer, so you can cover it all in one visit. In particular, the lotus rice set (연꽃밥정식) needs to be booked the day before or at least 2 hours in advance.

What Cafe 289 brings out for kids

After ordering at Café289, they first bring out water in a pretty kettle — corn silk tea with ice cubes floating in it, served with elegant glasses.

Since we came with kids, they brought out a tray and utensil set at their eye level. The kids really loved it, and that thoughtful touch made us happy too.

Cabbage salad with black sesame dressing, beet-dyed pickles, and garlic bread came out first. (The appetizer varies slightly depending on the menu item.)

How the four dishes at Cafe 289 tasted

We ordered the mushroom chicken thigh salad, creamy bacon pasta, handmade Hanpork sirloin pork cutlet, and beef short rib butter pilaf.

Creamy bacon pasta

The creamy bacon pasta came out first. It looked really thick and rich, with big chunks of bacon visible throughout. And indeed it was thick, creamy, and savory. It had sliced garlic, broccoli, onion, and bacon in it. My top pick out of the four dishes! I even mixed a little of the pork cutlet rice into it, and it transformed perfectly into a risotto.

Chicken thigh and mushroom salad

The colorful presentation was appetizing on its own, and the tangerine had the peel removed so it was much softer and tastier. There were plenty of olives too, which went well with the lettuce.

Underneath the vegetables were grilled oyster mushrooms and chicken thigh tossed in oriental dressing, so eating them with the vegetables gave a nice crunchy-chewy texture.

Thin-sliced beef brisket butter pilaf

There was a generous amount of beef short rib, and the buttery flavor was great. The corn added texture and paired well with the sweet onion.

Handmade Korean pork loin cutlet

The plating was very stylish and looked delicious. The cutlet itself was on the larger side.

The cutlet sauce was served separately, and since we visited with kids, the owner kindly asked whether we'd like the spicy sauce underneath the cutlet served on the side too — such a thoughtful touch. The spicy sauce seemed to be a mix of wasabi and mayonnaise. It paired well with the cutlet.

Do you have to order dessert separately at Cafe 289?

Dessert at Café289 came as mini carrot cake, yogurt, and coffee. It's not included with salads, but it comes with the meal menus.

It was like a dense pound-style carrot cake. The subtle carrot fragrance was nice.

The yogurt was drizzled with blueberry syrup and had whole blueberries mixed in. You could choose cold or hot coffee — my husband had it and said it tasted great.

At Café289 in Yeongju, they give you a free croffle if you write a Naver receipt review, so definitely take advantage of that! This is a place where we fully felt the happiness of a delicious meal and a pretty space — Café289 in Yeongju. If you want a break from your busy daily life or want to make a nice memory, I highly recommend stopping by.