Paju café with chocolate bottle cake and a 5:45pm train: On the Rail

I was trying to figure out where to go on Saturday and ended up at On the Rail, famous for its outdoor seating in Paju!

On the Rail / Open daily / 11:00–2:00am

🚗 Parking — available right in front of the café

Parking and the setting at On the Rail

On the Rail has a huge parking lot right out front, so parking was super convenient. I always want to drive the second I get to Paju hahaha

Let's head into the café~

So many seats, super clean, and huge inside!! Plenty of big tables too, so it'd be great for group visits ><

Is there still bread left late in the afternoon?

Even though it was already late afternoon, On the Rail still had a wide variety of cookies and breads. We'd had something spicy for lunch so we were craving something sweet with coffee hahaha

Tarts loaded with fruit and croissants piled high with figs!!!! We were already full but somehow it's magic — I still wanted more

How the iced americano, green tea latte and chocolate bottle cake tasted

Our picks for the day: iced americano, a warm green tea latte, and the chocolate bottle cake! Some places make their warm green tea latte way too sweet, other places way too bitter, but this one was just right — sweet and slightly bitter in balance, went down smooth. The americano was clean with a nice coffee aroma.

My husband brought over this cake and I was like, what's this — inside the bottle there are layers of chocolate cream and chocolate sponge, topped with crushed cookies-and-cream chocolate cookie. It's way creamier than I expected and just sweet enough, so good!!!! A cookie piece fell out onto the tray while we were eating and my husband scraped up every last bit hahahaha

Why On the Rail works with kids

There's a microwave and oven inside the café, so if your bread has gone cold you can warm it right up! There's also a baby chair, so it seems great for families with kids too 😆

Dog-friendly outdoor seats right by the tracks

Stepping outside, there was an even bigger space than inside!!! On the Rail's outdoor area allows dogs, so most of the guests seated there had a dog with them. Watching the cute dogs was a fun bonus

They've laid an actual train rail right next to the café, giving off full café-by-the-railroad vibes. The kids especially loved it

How many trains pass the café each day?

There was a train schedule posted, and at first I thought it was just decor, but it turns out it's the actual schedule for the trains passing right by the café!!!! It runs 4 times on weekdays and 8 times on weekends and holidays, so if you time your visit right, you can watch the train go by right next to you ><

The outdoor deck where the train passes even has a second floor! Watching from up there would probably be pretty cool too

Chugga-chugga, the train goes by 🚂 I really loved how quiet and peaceful it felt

The 5:45pm last train from Imjingang Station on weekends

As the sun started to set and it got a little dark, the whole place felt so cozy and atmospheric ✨ We timed it for the weekend 5:45pm slot and waited for the train!!!😆 The last train departing Imjingang Station came through~~~

It's not super fast and it's not a fancy-looking train, but it made me feel like a kid again, all excited and giddy hahaha. The little boy sitting nearby was completely mesmerized watching it go by too hahaha

Bye bye, last Gyeongui-Jungang Line train! 🚞

A late-night café in Paju open until 2am

From other reviews it sounds like they used to have a fire pit too!!!🔥 It's a late-night café open until 2am, so if they still do the fire pit, the atmosphere must be incredible ㅠㅠ

Time to head home~~~~ I could see the railway crossing barrier, the kind I used to see a lot growing up. When it dings and rings, the barrier slowly lowers 🚃 The sunset over the railway as the sun went down was so pretty 🌅

On the Rail: the verdict

With the train passing right beside the café, kids would really love visiting here. We enjoyed the drinks and desserts a lot too ><. It'd also be a nice stop before or after visiting Imjingak Peace Nuri Park. If you're planning a weekend trip to Paju, I'd definitely recommend checking out On the Rail!!!