Suwon café for a solo bakery haul with an ube latte: Caffeine Focus

Honestly, as a blogger, if the drinks aren't good, if the samgyeopsal isn't good, if the bread isn't good, I don't go back a second time. So the fact that I've been here more than once? That means it's delicious.

Caffeine Focus, the café with a Hwaseong Fortress wall view, is a spot famous for its view. But it's not just the view — the owner is kind, and the drinks and bakery items are great too. If you're planning to visit Haenggung-dong in Suwon, I recommend making this a must-stop.

Where is Caffeine Focus, and where do you park?

Caffeine Focus, the fortress-view café, has resident-priority parking right in front of the store. You can't park there in the evening, but during the day it's fine to park for a short while.

Caffeine Focus is also a great walk if you're coming to Hwaseong Haenggung Palace for a stroll.

Order on the 1st floor, sit on the 2nd or 3rd

You order on the 1st floor, and there's seating on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Levain ciabatta, cold-fermented for 12 hours

Caffeine Focus seemed really serious about ciabatta. Unlike other bakeries, they had a wide variety of ciabatta types.

I heard the ciabatta at Caffeine Focus is made with levain (natural sourdough starter) and cold-fermented for 12 hours! Since it's autumn season, they even had a walnut ciabatta.

Eating alone: three bakes and an ube latte

I don't think they had the egg scone last time I came, so when I saw it newly on the menu I ordered it right away.

Ordering three breads solo... haha, am I really on a diet? But everything was so good I couldn't put my fork down.

I remembered enjoying the same drink last time so I ordered it again — wait, actually last time I ordered the ube cream matcha latte, but this time I ended up ordering the ube latte instead... Still, the ube latte was delicious too.

Ube latte is made mainly with ube, the Philippines' iconic purple yam, and it's an eye-catching drink with a vivid purple color and a mild, smooth flavor. Apparently it's the trendy drink these days.

What does the egg scone taste like?

The egg scone at Caffeine Focus is an appealing dessert that combines the crisp, dense texture of a scone with the soft, sweet custard filling of an egg tart. The scone's characteristic heavy, nutty, slightly dense texture makes it much more filling than a regular egg tart.

When you cut it in half, can you see the soft egg filling inside? The scone's outer edge is crisp and dense, while the egg filling in the middle is moist and soft like pudding, giving you a maximized textural contrast. The scone's own plain, nutty flavor combined with the filling's sweetness actually makes it feel less sweet than a regular egg tart.

The carrot pound cake

The carrot pound cake at Caffeine Focus, unlike a typical light sponge cake, has that dense, moist heaviness unique to pound cake. The more you chew, the more the carrot's own mild sweetness and nutty flavor spread in your mouth.

The cream cheese frosting on top adds a pleasant tanginess and sweetness to the dense cake base. The cinnamon flavor and the cream cheese's nutty, slightly salty sweetness strike a great balance.

Why the Basque cheesecake is a must-order

If you go to Caffeine Focus, I think you absolutely have to try this Basque cheesecake too. The fresh cream cheese's own nutty flavor, moderate sweetness, and not-too-heavy tanginess balance out nicely, so you can enjoy it cleanly without getting tired of it.

With such a wide variety of drinks, this is a spot that people of all ages can come and enjoy.

Free granola for a receipt review

You can get this granola for free if you write a receipt review. If you're planning to visit Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, Yeonmudae, or Banghwasuryujeong in Suwon, I recommend Caffeine Focus, famous as a date-café and Instagram-famous spot!!