No-kids-zone rooftop and indoor seats at Baegya Coffee, Gangneung

On a family trip to Gangneung, after playing at the beach for a long while, you naturally start looking for somewhere to sit down with a cup of coffee. We'd been spending time with our kid watching the waves at Sacheonjin Beach, so we ducked into Baegya Coffee for a break.

I first went in thinking a café right on the beach would have a great view, but the coffee and bakery items were more satisfying than expected, and there was even a signature menu item you can only get here — a place that really stuck with me. Best of all, you can see the sea from every seat, from the first floor all the way up.

If you're looking for a Gyeongpodae café near Gyeongpodae and Sacheonjin Beach where you can relax with an ocean view, this one is worth a stop.

Baegya Coffee's location — right in front of Sacheonjin Beach

Baegya Coffee sits at 607 Haean-ro in Gangneung, right in front of Sacheonjin Beach. The location itself is really great. It's a fine destination café on its own, but it also works well as a stop after playing in the sand or watching the waves at Sacheonjin Beach, like we did.

You tire out faster than you'd think playing at the beach, so having a café this large right in front was especially convenient traveling with a kid. Once you step inside, it's noticeably bigger than it looks from outside.

Ocean views from the first floor all the way to the fourth-floor rooftop

Baegya Coffee is a large café with space flowing from the first floor up to a fourth-floor rooftop. What I personally liked most was that you don't need a specific seat to see the sea — every single seat is arranged so the ocean is visible.

When you've traveled all the way to Gangneung, a café really should have a sea view to make the trip feel complete. Each floor has a slightly different mood, so it was fun browsing around and picking a favorite spot.

Sitting by a window with the whole sea in view, sipping coffee, felt like a real break for a body tired out from playing at Sacheonjin Beach. If ocean views matter to you, this is a strong pick among the Gyeongpodae cafés.

A large café that also worked well with a kid

We visited on a family trip with our kid, and the indoor space is fairly well equipped with kids' chairs and seating, so it worked fine as a family.

Terrace and rooftop are no-kids zones

One thing worth knowing, though: the terrace and rooftop are run as no-kids zones.

If you're visiting with a kid, the indoor space works fine, and if you're visiting as adults, spending some quieter time looking at the sea from the terrace or rooftop is nice too.

Splitting the space so families and people wanting quiet time can each pick where to sit actually felt like an advantage.

A wide range of bakery items at Baegya Coffee

After looking around the café, we ordered. The bakery case had bread that pairs well with coffee, and we picked the chocolate baguette.

What we ordered that day was

• Americano ₩5,500
• Corn ice cream (옥시기아이스크림) ₩6,500
• Chocolate baguette ₩5,200

these three items.

We came in mainly for the view at this big beachfront café, but the coffee and baguette turned out to be tasty too, more satisfying than expected. Some ocean-view cafés at travel spots have a great space and view but disappointing drinks or desserts. Baegya Coffee delivered both a nice place to rest by the sea and something good to eat.

The corn ice cream you have to try at Baegya Coffee

And the item that stuck with me the most this time was, without question, the corn ice cream (옥시기아이스크림). It's Baegya Coffee's signature menu, and I'd personally recommend anyone visiting give it a try at least once.

The nutty flavor of corn is layered with the smooth taste of Sangha Farm ice cream, and the two matched better than I expected. The corn flavor isn't too strong or artificial, and combined with the soft ice cream it was nutty and sweet enough that I kept going back for more.

I only meant to taste it, but I ended up scraping out the very last drop. You can get coffee or bread at plenty of other cafés, but the corn ice cream felt like a signature item worth experiencing once you're at Baegya Coffee. It'd be especially good to share with a kid.

The Americano and chocolate baguette pairing also delivered

The chocolate baguette we ordered with the Americano was tasty too. Ordering one baguette to share with coffee was just right for filling up after getting hungry from playing at the beach.

Spending time at Sacheonjin Beach, then coming into Baegya Coffee to pick out some bread, sip coffee, and look back out at the sea through the window — that whole routine felt really nice.

You don't need to do anything special — just slowly resting while looking out at the Gangneung sea becomes its own part of the trip here.

A Gyeongpodae café worth pairing with Sacheonjin Beach

Personally, I'd recommend visiting Baegya Coffee as part of a Sacheonjin Beach outing rather than as a standalone café trip. On a nice day, watch the sea and play in the sand with your kid at the beach first, then come into the café once you get tired or hot.

Indoors, you can cool off while enjoying coffee and bakery items with the sea in view, and if you're visiting with other adults, the terrace or rooftop are nice for quieter time. Because every seat has a sea view, I liked that there was no need to chase down a specific spot for the ocean view.

If you're looking for somewhere comfortable to rest with a kid during a Gangneung family trip, or a Gyeongpodae café near Sacheonjin Beach where you can properly enjoy the sea, Baegya Coffee is worth a visit.

I'd order the corn ice cream again next time for sure. The coffee while watching the sea was nice, but the corn ice cream I scraped clean to the last drop was what I remember most about Baegya Coffee.