Busan café with a QR beach train timetable: Suwolgyeonghwa, Songjeong

What kind of café is Suwolgyeonghwa?

Suwolgyeonghwa is an ocean-view tea house café on the 4th floor at 188 Songjeongjungang-ro 6beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan. It's right in front of Songjeong Beach, so the view is ⚡️seriously⚡️ good — this is a place I've stopped by a few times whenever I'm in Songjeong.

Suwolgyeonghwa (수월경화) means 'a moon reflected on water, a flower reflected in a mirror' — something you can see but never actually grasp, like an illusion or a vain dream. •• Isn't that lovely ••

The building itself is pretty spacious, and there's parking right underneath, so it was easy to visit by car. Also great as a stop if you're out on a Songjeong drive ~~

On the 3rd floor there used to be a space where I once had afternoon tea, and looking it up, it turns out they still run a separate reservation-only space called 'Ritual of Suwolgyeonghwa' for afternoon tea and tea classes! I still fondly remember being super satisfied with a friend there last time. Just so you know, the place we visited this time is the 4th floor café! Unlike a typical large café, this one leans much more into the tea house feel, with tea and dessert as the main focus haha.

You just grab a seat, take a menu, and pick what you want.

Window seats facing Songjeong Beach and the beach train

Above all, the best part is the view 🌊 Songjeong Beach is right outside, so if you sit by the window you get a full view of Songjeong Beach and can even watch the beach train pass by !!!!!! On a nice day you could probably just sit and stare at the ocean and let the time fly. Maybe that's why so many people come here alone too?

Suwolgyeonghwa's menu and how to order

The menu is super unique. There are house rules too, like one menu item per person and ordering via kiosk.

There's a pretty wide variety of teas, so it was fun just reading the menu. Each tea comes with notes on its scent and character, which was great for someone like me who barely knows anything about tea — I could just read the descriptions and pick.

There was also a tea of the day. Apparently it changes every week. Fun little event.

And in front of the order counter, there was a display where you could see the tea varieties up close, with tea notes right alongside them — the range was really impressive! It wasn't just names of teas, but also what kind of scent and flavor each had, so even people who don't know tea well could read and choose easily 🥹

Inside the 4th floor of Suwolgyeonghwa

The inside is wood-toned with a slight traditional touch, giving off the calm feel of a hanok (traditional Korean house) café! There are little props related to the theme scattered around, so it definitely has its own distinct Suwolgyeonghwa atmosphere •• I've heard a lot of foreign tourists come here too, so it's kind of a café that can proudly show off our own culture (?)

Ordering is quick and easy via kiosk.

If you like a tea, you can also buy it as tea bags to take home — worth a browse if you love tea! Honestly, whenever I go to Jiufen in Taipei, I buy a ton of tea. I don't really know much about it, but there's nothing better as a souvenir.

I also noticed a fair number of older guests that day! With a wide range of teas alongside coffee and such a calm mood, I thought it'd also be a nice place to bring your parents haha. My mom said she'd heard of this place too — I should bring her next time. There are baby chairs ready too, so it seems good for family visits as well!

Scan the QR code for the beach train timetable

Zoning out at the sea while waiting for your drink. Scan the QR code and you can even check the train schedule. Amazing! That combo of blue sea plus the beach train view is honestly killer here.

The four things we ordered at Suwolgyeonghwa

We ordered the Dalbodeure dessert box, hojigabae, hyeonwolhoji, and American-style coffee! Just looking at them, everything was so pretty — familiar yet somehow unfamiliar-looking desserts (?)

Hojigabae: hojicha coffee

This one had hojicha tea in it plus signature coffee, so I got curious and ordered it! There's cream on top, and the staff said to mix it well before drinking, so I mixed it thoroughly haha. The cream was soft and sweet, pairing nicely with the toasty flavor of the hojicha. Overall it's on the sweeter side, so it went well with the desserts. This one seems like it'd please just about everyone, no strong likes or dislikes.

Hyeonwolhoji: roasted tea with brown rice

It's a low-caffeine hojicha, so it seemed easy to drink even for people who don't usually drink tea! It came out warm, and one sip had a toasty, fragrant feel ????? Not as strong as I expected, so I think even tea beginners could handle it easily. Look at me… drinking tea like a real adult ㅎ <<<<< of course I am, I'm nearly 30

By the way, it's not just tea — they have coffee too, so it's fine to go with someone who's not into tea! Though the Americano felt a touch acidic to me. I'm the type who drinks iced Americano loaded with ice… still pretty new to all this though haha.

Dalbodeure box: the tea and sweets set

You absolutely have to try this one .. the moment the Dalbodeure box arrived, the colors were so pretty it immediately caught my eye. Each dessert has a different shape and felt carefully made, so instead of just a cute dessert assortment, it felt like being served a small traditional tea spread.

• Gamtae myeongnan financier — salty and savory, and the combination of financier with gamtae (seaweed) was surprisingly well matched. Weirdly addictive, kept reaching for more. If they sold it separately I'd have eaten a ton
• Kidney bean anbutter monaka — the red bean paste with butter and nuts added a nutty richness!
• Ganache monaka — personally my favorite by far !!!!!!!
• Black rice sulppang (rice cake), injeolmi (rice cake) skewer

Overall I got to try everything from sweet to savory-nutty. It's practically a buffet ~~~~!! (not really) Paired next to the tea it looked gorgeous and set a lovely mood, so it seemed like a great menu to treat someone with haha. If a friend visits Busan, or you're showing family or foreign tourists around, this seems like a good spot to show off the Songjeong sea and bring them to this ocean-view Busan café, Suwolgyeonghwa.

Got a tea bag as a little gift too.

Is Suwolgyeonghwa worth a visit in Songjeong?

With Songjeong Beach right in view and the beach train passing by too, the view here is truly insane for a Busan café in Songjeong •• Sipping tea while facing the sea and reading a book would be perfect. That's what being a real grown-up feels like. Loved that this Busan café, Suwolgyeonghwa, let us enjoy not just coffee but a variety of teas and desserts too! Thanks for the treat 👀⚡️♥️