Sinjeong-dong, Ulsan brunch café for a morning catch-up: Benetto

I visited Benetto, a brunch café and dessert spot near City Hall in Sinjeong-dong, Ulsan.

It had been a while, so I got in touch with a close older friend and we decided to have a relaxed coffee in Sinjeong-dong. I was looking for a nice place that opens around 10 a.m., and that's how I found Benetto, a brunch café in Ulsan!

It's right next to City Hall, so it's easy to get to, and it's famous by word of mouth for its tasty Sinjeong-dong sandwiches, so I went with a fluttering heart.

Honestly, at first I only planned to have a light cup of tea. But the moment I walked in and saw the menu, those gorgeous-looking sandwiches made it impossible to walk past. (A bread lover walking past a bakery? Never gonna happen.. haha)

In the end I ordered drinks and sandwiches in a big way and had a proper morning of healing. This is a dessert café in Ulsan where you can enjoy pretty desserts and drinks in a quiet, cozy mood, and a sandwich specialist with exceptional freshness. Here comes my Benetto review!

Where is Benetto in Ulsan, and when is the best time to go?

Benetto is in Sinjeong-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, right in front of City Hall. It's less than a minute's walk, so it's really easy to find.

The alley is full of hot lunch spots for office workers, but visiting before lunchtime meant it wasn't crowded and felt cozy, which I liked even more.

Benetto has floor-to-ceiling glass windows, so it feels open and airy, and the warm sunlight pouring in along the windows makes every photo a keeper. It's a real sunshine spot.

How much is Benetto's weekday lunch set?

Benetto also has a good-value lunch menu: on weekdays at lunchtime you can get a sandwich and Americano set for just ₩10,000! That's why I strongly recommend it for office workers near City Hall or for a weekday brunch meetup.

Benetto menu: sandwiches, egg tarts and Basque cheesecake

Besides sandwiches, Benetto has a nice variety of desserts like cookies, cakes and egg tarts. When I went to the counter to order, the fragrant smell hit my nose.

Besides the sandwiches, there were sweet cookies, cakes and even egg tarts, which felt very much like a dessert café in Ulsan.

The Basque cheesecake especially caught my eye, because it looked amazing. I vowed to come back next time and work my way through the egg tarts.

As a filling lunch substitute we picked one of the best sandwiches on the menu, along with Benetto's special drinks!

• Jambon basil grilled sandwich
• Café latte
• Summer Apple (blended herbal tea + apple preserve)

How does Benetto's jambon basil grilled sandwich taste?

The moment our order was set on the table, we couldn't stop exclaiming! It was packed with filling and looked really substantial.

When you order a sandwich at Benetto, it comes with cute, tangy pickled cherry tomatoes, which were perfect for cleansing the palate.

A closer look at the jambon basil grilled sandwich

This is crazy, you guys... I understood right away why the jambon basil grilled sandwich sells out if you come late.

The bread itself is crisp on the outside and chewy and moist inside, good enough to eat on its own. Between the slices are generous amounts of salty jambon (Korean-style ham) and fresh arugula, gently wrapped in the fragrant flavor of basil sauce. It cuts any greasiness and tastes clean and classy, so I wanted to scrape up every last bit of sauce. It was really filling too, a big thumbs up!

Benetto drinks: how were the café latte and Summer Apple tea?

Like a café serious about coffee, Benetto's iced café latte had a nutty, rich bean flavor that blended smoothly with the milk, and I was very satisfied.

And the Summer Apple I chose has sweet, tangy apple preserve in a fragrant blended herbal tea, and the crunchy bites of apple flesh with every sip were fantastic. Refreshing yet with a classy sweetness, it's the kind of drink I'll be thinking about all weekend!

Verdict: is Benetto good for a morning brunch catch-up near Ulsan City Hall?

Tasty food, warm conversation and warm sunlight coming through the window: everything was perfect, a day with all three in harmony.

Chatting with a friend I hadn't seen in ages over a delicious brunch, I honestly didn't notice time passing. I got a real recharge from my busy daily life, and even the walk home felt refreshing.

If you want a simple but properly delicious lunch near Ulsan City Hall, do visit Benetto, a friendly brunch café with a lovely atmosphere. The combo of a crisp-outside, moist-inside sandwich and fragrant coffee is love. I'm 100% coming back!