Sokcho café on a hazy Sunday: 3-layer Sseoda Einspänner, Cafe Neorae

Cafe Neorae (카페너래): a café with Ulsanbawi views through huge windows, at the top of a bamboo staircase

Where is Cafe Neorae in Sokcho?

Cafe Neorae is a large bakery café on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Yetgoeul Sundubu (soft tofu stew) building, inside the Haksapyeong Sundubu Village in Sokcho. On a Sunday during our Sokcho trip, my husband and I finished lunch and went looking for a café with a view of Ulsanbawi rock, and ended up here. Seeing the sundubu restaurant sign downstairs, we both went, "This is the place?" haha. But the moment the 2nd-floor door opened, we both said "Wow."

It feels like a forest and a mountain have both moved into one café.

• Address: 114 Wonamhaksapyeong-gil, Sokcho, Gangwon, South Korea, 2F
• Hours: daily 09:00–18:00, last order 17:30
• Closed: 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month
• Parking: lot in front of the building, with attendants guiding

The 1st floor is Yetgoeul Sundubu, and Cafe Neorae is on the 2nd and 3rd floors. It sits inside the sundubu village, so walking straight up after a meal is perfectly convenient 👍

What is Cafe Neorae's 2nd-floor bamboo forest like?

The 2nd floor has plenty of seating around a central bakery display, with a bamboo-filled nook hidden off to the side. Open the door and the big space spreads out in front of you, but the real twist was at the side. Next to a full-length mirror there's a space thick with bamboo, and for a second I felt like I'd walked into a forest 🎋

Go further in and there's yet another seating area tucked away, so hunting for a seat is half the fun.

Even the way up to the 3rd floor isn't just a staircase. Tiered seating, bamboo and an open ceiling make this a photo spot even by Sokcho café standards 📸

Can you see Ulsanbawi from Cafe Neorae's 3rd floor?

Yes. The 3rd floor looks straight at Ulsanbawi through the big windows and has far more seats than the 2nd floor. The view is wide open and the seating comes in many types, so this large café never feels stuffy. Fine dust made Ulsanbawi a little hazy that day, but on a clear day it should look much sharper.

The chairs are comfortable and the seats are spaced widely, so you don't have to worry about the next table. It's a relaxed café.

Cafe Neorae menu and how to order

You can only order at the 2nd-floor counter, and the rule is one drink per person when dining in. The menu is split into signature, coffee, non-coffee, tea, ade and smoothie. Fitting for a café in a tofu village, the signatures are made with biji (soybean pulp): Neorae Latte, Neorae Tea and Neorae Pudding. By the way, I'm told "neorae" is a Gangwon dialect word for a wide, big rock.

There was a whole row of cakes too, like sweet corn fresh cream and Mont Blanc with honey sweet potato, and I agonized over them for ages haha

• Sseoda Einspänner: ₩7,500
• Corn latte (chodang oksusu latte): ₩7,500
• Choco croissant: ₩5,000

How does the Sseoda Einspänner taste? Condensed milk, coffee and cream in three layers

Cafe Neorae's Sseoda Einspänner (₩7,500) comes in a clear glass with three layers: condensed milk, coffee and cream. Cinnamon powder is sprinkled over the cream, and a Neorae cookie shaped like Ulsanbawi is stuck in it. I ate the cookie first: not overly sweet, plainly nutty. It was even better with a bit of cream on it 🍪

The first sip hits the cream first. It's a condensed-milk cream, so soft and sweet, with cinnamon brushing past your nose. Then the cold coffee follows and cuts the sweetness cleanly.

Halfway through I stirred in the condensed milk at the bottom, and it turned into a light brown latte with a much deeper sweetness. Nutty cookie, sweet cream, bitter coffee, all changing one after another in a single glass. Our pick of the day, without question, was the Sseoda Einspänner ☕

Chodang corn latte at Cafe Neorae

The corn latte (chodang oksusu latte, ₩7,500) has three yellow corn kernels on white cream and yellow corn syrup settled at the bottom. As instructed, I stirred it with the straw and the syrup spread into a pale yellow. The nutty sweetness of chodang corn (a super-sweet corn variety) comes through strong, and the milk wraps it softly. Kids would absolutely love this.

Choco croissant at Cafe Neorae

The choco croissant (₩5,000) is coated entirely in chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar like snow. When I cut it with a fork, the chocolate shell cracked, and inside was a plain, flaky croissant with no cream. Hard chocolate outside, soft bread inside. The chocolate is rich, so it was nice alternating with the drinks.

Cafe Neorae self-service bar and baby chairs

The 2nd-floor self bar has a microwave, knives, forks and even bread bags, so you can take leftover bread with you.

There are 2 baby chairs too, which looked handy for families.

Cafe Neorae at a glance

• Cafe Neorae in Sokcho is a large space with a bamboo-forest 2nd floor and an Ulsanbawi-window 3rd floor
• Our picks: Sseoda Einspänner ₩7,500, corn latte ₩7,500, choco croissant ₩5,000
• A large Sokcho bakery café with a self bar and baby chairs, recommended for a Seoraksan café route

Cafe Neorae FAQ

Should you stir the Sseoda Einspänner?

Drink the cream and coffee as they are at first, then stir in the condensed milk at the bottom after about halfway for a deeper sweetness.

What is the receipt review event by the Cafe Neorae counter?

A sign says that if you leave a Naver MY Place receipt review, you get Neorae Cream made from that day's biji, and you can swap it for a Neorae cookie.

Can you warm up bread at Cafe Neorae?

The sign says 30 seconds for tissue bread, 20 seconds for potato bread and sweet potato bread, and 15 seconds for salt bread. Scones and Mont Blanc should not be heated.

Two hours at Cafe Neorae after Sunday lunch

I only meant to have one coffee, but sipping a Sseoda Einspänner while looking at Ulsanbawi, two hours just flew by. I'd recommend this Seoraksan-area café to anyone who likes exploring a space, a large Sokcho bakery café where you can eat bread too, and anyone hunting for a Sokcho café with a view. Next time I want to sit at the 3rd-floor window on a clear, dust-free day and see Ulsanbawi sharp and clear haha