Dog-friendly terrace café in Anyang: fig ice cream choux at Notten

I was meeting up with a recently married friend in Anyang's Dongpyeon-maeul, which apparently has its own café street. Since we planned to bring our dog Ppotto along, I looked for dog-friendly cafés, and out of all the options we picked 'Notten.' The vibe, the view, and the signature menu were all exactly what we wanted — here's my Notten review!

Dogs at Notten: terrace seats only

Notten is a café on the Dongpyeon-maeul café street in Anyang, and dogs are only allowed on the terrace. Keep in mind that pets can't come inside.

This is the terrace space we used.

Notten has a modern, sleek vibe — exactly the kind of place my friend loves.

Notten's self-service bar and parking

Inside Notten, tableware, water, and straws are all set up so you can grab what you need yourself.

There's parking at the front of the store (opposite the terrace), with room for about 4 cars.

Notten, this Anyang Dongpyeon-maeul café, also serves brunch, so you can have a meal and dessert together in the morning. Apparently every item on the menu is handmade in-house rather than premade!! A lot of places use premade products to keep things simple, so the fact that Notten makes everything themselves has me really excited. I'll have to order brunch next time.

Since dogs can't come inside to order, we left her on the terrace for a moment, and haha, why was she being so cute about it. Our Ppotto is a total scaredy-cat who can't climb up or down on her own, so it's a relief she just stays put when we leave her like that... Hang in there Ppotto, unni will order quickly and be right back.

What two of us ordered at Notten

The two of us ordered three things at Notten: a decaf Americano, the signature injeolmi (sweet rice cake) peanut cream latte, and the fig ice cream choux. We'd already eaten before coming, so we skipped brunch.

Fig ice cream choux: what it tastes like if figs are new to you

The fig ice cream choux came out first. It's made with mugwort ganache cream, handmade vanilla ice cream, almond pecan candy, fresh fig puree, choux pastry, and fresh fig. This was my first time ever eating fig. I tried it half excited, half nervous, and — wow... what is this taste... haha. As a total first-timer, my first reaction was 'this tastes like eggplant.' Squishy and... are those seeds I'm chewing...? kind of bland...? haha. But there were also diced figs at the very bottom, and that part was actually delicious!

Injeolmi peanut cream latte: start with three spoonfuls of cream

The decaf Americano and the injeolmi peanut cream latte arrived too, and we were told to scoop up three spoonfuls of the cream first before drinking.

Haha, it all spilled everywhere. Was I doing this right? Anyway, I scooped and ate it as instructed, and the peanut flavor really came through. There was also this cereal-like topping in there — turns out it's puffed yulmu (adlay/Job's tears)! Either way it went well together, like eating a grain-based cream.

I was told the injeolmi peanut cream latte can't be made decaf. It's a signature menu item made with injeolmi coffee cream, aged peanut milk, puffed yulmu, and Valrhona cocoa powder. After scooping up three spoonfuls, I mixed it all together, and since I like thick, nutty drinks like misugaru (roasted grain powder) or grain lattes, this one was right up my alley! It wasn't too sweet, with Valrhona's slightly bitter cocoa punching through for a nutty finish.

Would I go back to Notten? ★★★★

When I visited it was heading back into warm weather, but with the sun blocked and a breeze blowing, it was actually great weather to enjoy on the terrace. The staff were super kind, and since everything is made fresh daily — even the syrups and fruit conserves — it's a place you can trust and enjoy even more. On a nice day, sit back and enjoy brunch and coffee on the terrace out front! See ya!

• ★ Absolutely never coming back
• ★★ Not really necessary
• ★★★ Would go if someone suggests it
• ★★★★ Recommended
• ★★★★★ Definitely coming back

Return visit rating: ★★★★