Sokcho bakery café at 5pm: two pudding flavors compared, Cafe Neorae

Leaving behind a metro area baking near 40 degrees, I went on a trip to Sokcho with my husband and daughter~. Excited, I looked up good restaurants and cafés at our destination and ended up visiting a café famous for its view where you can take in Ulsanbawi at a glance. Cafe Neorae~~ even the name is pretty!! Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, so we couldn't see the Ulsanbawi I'd been hoping for... but the café's space itself was so stylishly decorated that it was a bit of a consolation^^

How big is Cafe Neorae? Floor-by-floor layout

Cafe Neorae is a large bakery café on Wonam Haksapyeong-gil in Sokcho, and it was quite sizable even from the outside. Looking at the floor guide, there's even a rooftop, and the restroom has a diaper-changing table — you could really sense the thoughtful attention to detail. Lots of people visit cafés with kids, and thanks to such careful consideration, I thought families with children could use the space comfortably too.

Cafe Neorae menu: is biji crunch really made with soybean pulp?

Cafe Neorae had a wide range of drinks from coffee to various teas and ades, and they also sell bakery items and desserts alongside, so you can pick according to your taste. And~ the signature menu items were marked separately, and the ingredients caught my eye because they were so unusual. Soybean pulp crunch~ soybean pulp tea~~ soybean pulp? The soybean pulp I'm thinking of? Really? Curious, I asked a staff member~~ and yep, it really is that soybean pulp. They said they roast soybean pulp with cinnamon. Haha. My curiosity was piqued~~ what else could I do!!!!lol We ordered the Neorae Latte and the Neorae pudding. The pudding comes in two flavors, soybean pulp crunch and chocolate chip, and since I was curious about both, I couldn't pick just one, so we ordered both.

What's left in the bakery case at 5pm

While waiting for our order, we slowly looked around the bakery section~~ and there was a nice variety of delicious-looking breads and cakes.

Maybe because we arrived a bit past 5pm, the popular breads were almost all sold out. If you want to try a wide variety of baked goods, it might be good to visit a little earlier. There were signs explaining how many seconds to warm each type of bread for the best taste, so even first-time visitors could enjoy them properly. As expected~~ such careful preparation really won me over... you could feel the café's sense of style even in these small details.

Cafe Neorae atmosphere and seating

Inside, the ceilings were impressively high and the natural light was really good.

Overall it had a warm wood-tone interior, and each space had a different mood, so it was fun to explore. The seating was varied too, from window seats to group seats to cozy nooks, so you could choose according to your taste.

Photo spots with mirrors and windows

There were photo spots hidden around the café too~~ it was fun to look for them one by one, like a hidden-picture game. There were spaces using mirrors, and little corners you'd discover while walking by, each with its own charm — all great for taking photos.

Beyond the big floor-to-ceiling windows, there were windows reaching up to the ceiling and windows large and small placed throughout. It felt like the scenery was framed like a picture — no matter where you took a photo, the mood came out really pretty~~^^ While waiting for our order to be ready, we wandered around the window and mirror photo zones taking pictures. Each window had a slightly different mood, so we could capture a variety of different feels, and even the waiting time was enjoyable. I thought if you're good at photography, you could definitely get one great shot here~~ it really felt like a view-worthy café. If only the weather had been a bit clearer, Ulsanbawi would have been captured through the big windows too.... so disappointing~~ but the space itself had enough charm that I was still satisfied.

How to drink the Neorae Latte: don't stir, sip with the cream

The signature Neorae Latte and the two Neorae pudding flavors (soybean pulp crunch, chocolate chip) — they looked so pretty that we spent a while taking photos before even tasting them.^^

The Ulsanbawi-shaped logo and the Neorae lettering~~ isn't there something about it that makes a traveler's heart flutter? Haha. The staff told us never to stir the Neorae Latte and to drink it along with the cream, so we followed the instructions exactly~ Oh~~ it really was smooth and nutty, a two-thumbs-up kind of taste~ I could see why the Neorae Latte is the signature menu item.

Neorae pudding: biji crunch vs. chocolate chip

We tried both flavors of the Neorae pudding we ordered — soybean pulp crunch and chocolate chip. Personally, the soybean pulp crunch was much more impressive. At first I was curious what it would taste like just from the name, but it actually had roasted soybean pulp on top, and the nutty flavor was really good. It blended well with the subtle cinnamon aroma, giving it a different kind of charm from the pudding I'm used to eating. The chocolate chip wasn't so much a deep chocolate flavor as it was a crunchy texture like crushed chocolate chip cookies. It was good for a sweet treat, but personally, I preferred the soybean pulp crunch with its lively nutty flavor a bit more~~^^

Rooftop and kid-friendly amenities at Cafe Neorae

We went up to the rooftop too~~ on a clear day it looks like you could take in Ulsanbawi at a glance, so I understood why so many people come to Cafe Neorae. Even though we didn't get to see the gorgeous view, with the whole country sweltering these days... just being able to rest for a moment in cool, refreshing wind was satisfying enough.

I noticed another thoughtful detail — the facilities for children were well set up. There were baby chairs, of course, as well as facilities for infants, so it seemed easy to visit with a child without any burden. It seemed like it would be a satisfying spot for dates as well as for families.

Aside from not getting to see the Ulsanbawi view we'd hoped for, this visit to Cafe Neorae was really satisfying — the stylish interior, the many photo spots, and the delicious signature menu were all great. Next time I'd love to come back on a clear day and capture the Ulsanbawi scenery too. If you're looking for a café with great atmosphere or an Ulsanbawi-view café in Sokcho, I'd recommend giving it a visit.