Black sesame bingsu and mango coffee at Yeongju dessert café Café289

On this Yeongju trip, my husband and I kept saying "this place is insane haha" over and over while we ate@@@

It's Café289, a Yeongju brunch café! We just wanted to grab a light bite at a nice-looking café before heading to Museom Village that day, but the food and dessert were all so good that I want to break it down for you one by one :)

• Location & interior of this brunch café near Yeongju Station
• Menu, prices & review event at this brunch café near Yeongju Station
• Taste review of the pasta, black sesame bingsu, and mango coffee

Where is Café289 in Yeongju, and where do you park?

Café289 is located at 289 Guseong-ro, 1st floor, Yeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and there's a parking space behind the building.

We parked at a nearby public lot and walked over, but turns out there's parking right behind the store haha. If we'd known, we would've just come straight here 🤣 If you're driving, don't worry, parking is available — come on over!

Inside Café289: atmosphere and seating

The interior vibe is insane... haha. It's classy overall with a slight vintage touch, and it feels like every single prop and piece of furniture was carefully chosen.

There are two-person tables plus seating for larger groups, so it looks good for a date with just the two of you, or for visiting with family or friends!

There are also various props displayed all around the café.

Some of the props are for sale too, so it's actually pretty fun to browse them while waiting for your food.

Café289 menu and prices, plus booking the lotus rice set

Café289 is a brunch café selling meals, drinks, desserts, and even beer. The signature lotus rice set menu (연꽃밥정식) needs to be booked the day before or at least 2 hours in advance.

Don't assume "brunch café" means just coffee and a few sandwiches, haha. They serve full meals, drinks, desserts, and beer, so you can go from meal → coffee → dessert all in one spot without moving anywhere else, haha.

They told us the signature lotus rice set menu can only be ordered if you book the day before or at least 2 hours ahead. We hadn't booked in advance so we missed it this time — if you're planning a visit, book ahead of time!

Naver review event: a free croffle

They're also running a review event where you get a free croffle for writing a Naver receipt review, so if you're planning to eat a meal and dessert, might as well grab that too, haha.

While looking at the drink menu I found something that made me do a double take — avocado coffee, mango coffee...? I asked the owner and she said people come in specifically just for this menu, so of course I can't resist that kind of thing haha. I immediately ordered the mango coffee.

What we ordered at Café289

• Black sesame snow bingsu (흑임자 눈꽃팥빙수) — ₩17,900
• Tomato beef pasta — ₩15,000
• Mango coffee — ₩7,000

While we waited, a pre-meal salad came out first. And honestly, along with how good the food tasted, the tableware here was genuinely gorgeous. I love looking at plates and cups, so I was full-on wanting to take them home...

Tomato beef pasta, 15,000 won

You know how some pretty cafés have "great vibe but so-so food"? But one bite in... wow... why is this pasta so good, haha. This place deserves to be called a Yeongju Station restaurant recommendation too — too good a pasta for a mere café, but too good a coffee and dessert for a mere restaurant 🙊

Black sesame snow bingsu, 17,900 won

For dessert we ordered the black sesame snow bingsu (shaved ice with red bean), which had a generous layer of black sesame on top giving it that signature nutty, rich flavor, plus nuts and chapssaltteok (chewy rice cakes) piled on generously. The topping amount is insane — if you're looking for the best dessert near Yeongju Station, come here without question!

Mango coffee, 7,000 won: what does it taste like?

Everyone... and... you have to try the mango coffee, haha. Just from the name I was thinking, "mango coffee...? What could this possibly taste like?"

But the owner mentioned people come specifically for this drink, so I got curious and ordered it. The sweet, soft mango flavor pairs really well with the coffee — genuinely delicious. Just trust me and order it.

Eating the dessert that comes with the pasta order on top of everything else, I was about to burst, haha. Wait, did we really eat pasta, bingsu, mango coffee, and carrot cake all here...? We properly ate our way through Yeongju, haha.

Is Café289 worth a second visit?

It's a great spot for anyone looking for Yeongju brunch spots since you can handle everything from meal to dessert in one place, and the atmosphere is nice enough that it also works as a Yeongju café to rest at mid-trip. Next time I come to Yeongju, I'm 100% going back. I want to book ahead and try the lotus rice set, and I'm curious about the avocado coffee too, haha. Seriously... 🐶🐶🐶🐶 recommended!!