Rainy-day café in Pungse, Cheonan with covered garden benches: Pino

Last Friday I went with a friend to Pino Cafe, famous for its pasta. Here's a record of a day full of talking, walking, and having a great time.

Where Pino Cafe Cheonan is and where to park

Pino Cafe Cheonan sits right at the entrance to Taehaksan Recreational Forest in Pungse, Cheonan.

Parking spans the side, front, and area across from the café.

That's already a lot of space, but there's also a second lot near the entrance (behind the Siyudang building), and you can use the Taehaksan public parking lot right beside it too. No chance of having to turn back for lack of parking, right?

This is the view to the right of the front door — a big teddy bear holding a daisy is leaning comfortably against a wooden bench, and it naturally makes you want to sit down beside it.

I saw a cat sleeping so peacefully. Even before stepping inside, I could already feel Pino Cafe's own relaxed vibe.

My friend, dressed perfectly for a summer outing, is standing there — where's she looking? Right across the way, at Taehaksan Recreational Forest, she seems to be soaking in the excitement of the outing ahead.

You can't walk straight into the garden. You have to go inside, order first, and then enter the garden through a connecting door.

There's a greeting message written at the entrance.

Thank you. We'll remember your visit today. Have a happy day.

It feels like they truly cherish the time you spend here and every guest's visit. It's as if the garden, straight out of a fairy tale, is telling you: "I won't forget that you came today."

Pino Cafe Cheonan layout: main building, outdoor space and annex

Inside the main building at Pino Cafe Cheonan

This is the main building. Red brick paired with dark wood tables and chairs gives off a warm, calm atmosphere. (Photos against the brick wall turn out really nice.)

The outdoor space beside the main building

It felt lush and bright, like a little garden had been brought indoors — almost like stepping into a fairy-tale forest.

The annex at Pino Cafe Cheonan

A soft yellow light spills out through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors. It feels more subdued and modern than the main building. Great for enjoying the scenery during the day, and for spending an emotional evening under warm lighting.

Here's a message posted on the annex — worth a look.

The Pino Cafe Cheonan garden, open once you order

This is the door connecting the main building to the garden. A fairy-tale scene unfolds beyond the glass.

Wait a second!! There's a message from Pino Cafe asking guests to order before entering.

Little kids would probably be jumping for joy if they saw this.

With string lights strung overhead and thick trees all around, it feels like stepping into a small fairy-tale village.

Pino Cafe's garden is more than just a place to look at flowers —

— it's an outdoor photo zone where a new scene appears with every step.

Maybe it's the vivid orange and yellow tones, but the whole garden looked bright and lively even on a cloudy day.

Hey, your turn for a photo!!

Wherever you look, it's a photo zone.

What is a rainy-day walk in the Pino Cafe Cheonan garden like?

It started to rain.

Then it poured.

The lushness of the garden, ringed by Taehaksan, felt even more magical when it met the rain.

We took a slow walk and enjoyed strolling in the rain.

Rain fell on the plants my friend was looking at, and maybe it's just me, but the rain-soaked jangdokdae (traditional earthenware jars) looked even prettier.

Pino Cafe Cheonan cabin rental and dog policy

This is a private cabin set in the lawn garden. Apparently guests who spend over ₩50,000 get to rent this cabin free for two hours. Pino Cafe really has all kinds of things to enjoy. (We couldn't use it because of the rain, though!)

Seeing this notice reminded me of a friend who has a dog. Being able to enjoy this big, pretty garden together with your dog — that must be great news for dog owners.

Lastly, what really stood out to me was this table. The roof is so wide that even with rain coming down, the chairs stayed dry, so my friend and I could sit for a while during our rainy walk.

There was water flowing along the side of the garden like this. It looks muddy because of the rain, but normally it's probably clear water flowing down from Taehaksan (splish splash).

What we ordered: croissant sandwich set 17,000 won and tomato-loaded pasta 16,000 won

We looked over the menu and picked things to please our palates. We ordered the croissant sandwich set for ₩17,000, the tomato-loaded pasta for ₩16,000, and coffee.

A crispy croissant sandwich set, generously stuffed with fresh vegetables and fillings between crunchy croissant bread.

Inside the croissant sandwich there was something that looked like potato salad. (It was delicious.)

With a salad topped with a soft-boiled egg, sausage, fries, and two kinds of sauce on the side, it made for a filling brunch.

You can see the sauce sitting right in the middle — that sauce was really good, haha.

The tomato-loaded pasta, with plenty of tomato sauce giving it a moist, juicy feel.

Plump shrimp, soft cheese, and fresh arugula were added, making it look appetizing even before the first bite.

The tangy-sweet flavor of the tomato was joined by the savory richness of the cheese, plus a subtle hint of spice. The sauce was runny enough that dipping bread in it would work great too.

With all this delicious food in front of us, my friend and I began our fun time together.

A rainy day worth sharing with a friend

On her way back from the base exchange, my friend brought me cosmetics as a gift.

My heart's fluttering!!

Soap, cleanser, nourishing cream, even a mask pack — wow!! Thanks to my friend I'm going to end up super pretty. Feeling the energy and thought she put into going out of her way to buy this just for me made the moment twice as touching.

Another memory made with a friend at Pino Cafe.

It brings to mind something Professor Kim Kyung-il once said: one of the easiest and most powerful forms of happiness is simply sharing a meal with someone you love. Writing this all down means that, for both me and my friend, this happy memory at Pino Cafe will stay with us for a long time to come. If you're thinking of sharing food and space with someone dear to you, I'd recommend Pino Cafe.