Haksapyeong café in Sokcho with a diaper-changing station: Cafe Neorae

Heading off on a trip to Sokcho, I spent a while wondering where I'd relax this time~~ then old memories started bubbling up and I ended up going back to Cafe Neorae in Sokcho. Last time I visited, the majestic Seoraksan mountain standing like a screen beyond the window left such a strong impression that this trip I naturally steered the car back this way!

Where is Cafe Neorae in Sokcho, and where do you park?

Cafe Neorae in Sokcho is a large café sharing the 2nd and 3rd floors of a building with an already word-of-mouth-famous sundubu (soft tofu) restaurant. The address is 114 Wonamhaksapyeong-gil, Sokcho — inside the sundubu village, so it's easy to find. For anyone driving, parking is always the biggest worry. This place has a spacious shared parking lot, so even during peak times when traffic is jammed, you can park comfortably without needing to grab a waiting number!

Hehe, if there's a mirror, you've gotta take a selfie! Click, in a good mood!! Right behind it there's a pretty little patch of forest — Instagram folks could get some life-shot photos here~

What is the inside of Cafe Neorae like?

The interior of Cafe Neorae greets you calmly with warm wood materials and vintage red-brick interiors. Instead of feeling cold, it's full of a warm, cozy feeling, and I felt good the whole time I stayed there~~

Just sitting still feels healing~~ Not every seat has a view of Ulsanbawi rock, but almost all of them face the forest, so it's forest, forest, healing all around!!

Floor-to-ceiling window seats and high ceilings

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows stretching across the front of the space are the key point of Cafe Neorae! The ceilings are very high, so there's zero feeling of being cramped when you step inside, and the seating is designed so that wherever you sit, the green nature outside and the view of Ulsanbawi come in like a panorama at a glance.

Cafe Neorae's 4th-floor rooftop and bread counter

Walking up to the 4th floor of the Cafe Neorae building, there's an outdoor rooftop space that opens up a wide view of the surrounding area. On a day with a gentle breeze and clear skies, it would be so nice to grab a spot on the rooftop and lie down to enjoy the ridgeline of Seoraksan!

One reason I came back to Cafe Neorae in Sokcho was the fun of browsing and choosing from the colorful breads set out on the display stand. The breads looked so delicious!! There's even root-vegetable bread!

What is the Ulsanbawi view like on a rainy day?

Honestly, with the drizzling rain and cloudy weather, it was a bit hard to expect a clear, spectacular view of Ulsanbawi from Cafe Neorae. At first I was a little disappointed, but the overcast sky surprisingly turned into its own kind of dreamy escape.

If my previous visit was remembered for the majesty of Ulsanbawi filling the whole view, this revisit was filled instead with the forest feeling and calm of a rainy day.

Even the same place gives off a different mood every time depending on the weather and season, so there's never a chance to get tired of it, no matter how often you come!

Tips for visiting Cafe Neorae with kids

That said, if you want to see and taste all the fresh bakery items, I'd recommend hurrying over a bit earlier rather than coming in the late afternoon.

And a diaper-changing station too — good!!

Had a great time today too~~