Suwon Hwaseong brunch with ricotta open sandwich: Nonchalant Lounge

🖤 The weather's been so fall-like lately. Whenever it's fall, I always head to Haenggung-dong in Suwon for a date! I asked a friend to recommend a good restaurant, and even though it had been a while since they visited, they said there was one place so tasty and full of atmosphere that it stuck with them. That's Nonchalant Lounge, famous as a brunch spot in Haenggung-dong, Suwon haha.

Where is Nonchalant Lounge? Parking and hours near Jangan Gate

Nonchalant Lounge is at 896 Jeongjo-ro, 1st floor, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Hours are 11:00-22:00 with a break time from 15:00-17:00, and it's closed every Monday. During the Chuseok holiday when I visited, it ran Thursday (9/24) 11:00-22:00, closed on Friday (9/25, Chuseok itself), and back open Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday 11:00-22:00.

Parking is paid, but there are two public lots within a 5-minute walk — Hwahongmun public parking lot and Jangan-dong public parking lot. I'd recommend Hwahongmun since it has more space. The rates are reasonable too — ₩1,500 per hour, ₩7,000 max per day!! You can also get free parking support if you use a Naver coupon 🖤

Inside Nonchalant Lounge: full-height windows and a big screen

As soon as you walk into Nonchalant Lounge, there's a huge screen right in front of you playing music and videos haha. Turns out it's a real music spot — everything from old classics to pop songs was playing.

Overall it was a spacious place with modern interior that suited the quiet, timeworn feel of Haenggung-dong really well. And the big windows were open, which was perfect for weather like this ㅠㅠ. The sunlight was lovely and there was a gentle breeze. Group gatherings are possible too — I heard the group seating fits up to 16 people~

What two people ordered at Nonchalant Lounge, and what it cost

What we ordered (for two)

• Short rib steak platter ₩37,000
• Bisque rosé pasta ₩19,000
• Open sandwich ₩10,000
• Iced apricot milk tea with ice cream ₩6,500
• Black coffee ₩4,000
• Total: ₩76,500

We wanted to wrap up both the meal and dessert in one place, so we ordered drinks separately after eating >< How could you resist an apricot ice cream milk tea? It was so pretty to look at haha. For food, we went with all the signature menu items — the short rib steak platter and bisque rosé pasta are apparently the restaurant's specialties.

How the steak platter, bisque rosé pasta and open sandwich tasted

Everything we ordered arrived. We ordered for two but the portions were quite generous — we were hungry and there were too many delicious things on the menu, so we couldn't help but order this much haha.

The overall visual was no joke, right?!?!

Bisque rosé pasta at Nonchalant Lounge

First, let me explain the bisque rosé pasta — the crab flavor was seriously intense. There was also shrimp on top, and the shrimp meat was plump and really tasty.

The lemon and herbs also elevated the pasta's flavor a lot. I thought it was a dish with really nice attention to detail!

Chuck flap (salchisal) steak platter with garlic rice

Next up is the short rib steak platter. It came with nicely grilled king oyster mushrooms, tomato, and asparagus — a great combination.

The galbi sauce drizzled on top was the kicker — the mushrooms felt like they'd been braised in that galbi sauce too. Even my boyfriend, who's not really a mushroom person, said the mushrooms were amazing and ate a ton of them haha.

Adding the garlic rice was such a good call — the quality was great too!!! The garlic flakes sprinkled on top were exactly my taste haha.

Ricotta cheese open sandwich

Last was the open sandwich topped with ricotta cheese. It had a great combination of ricotta cheese, arugula, and almond tomato sauce, and the balsamic sauce drizzled gently on top was the kicker! I saved the sandwich because I wanted to eat it with coffee. You have to order this one ❗️

Iced apricot milk tea, black coffee and dessert

The apricot milk tea arrived with apricot jam gently placed on top and finished with a cute sprig of basil. There was ice cream on top too, which made the milk tea flavor pair even better!!

The black coffee also came out — it wasn't too strong, the acidity wasn't too sharp, and the aroma was lovely. It seemed like drip coffee!! Totally my style.

As I mentioned above, the milk tea with the apricot jam gently placed on top was so pretty just to look at that I ended up taking a ton of photos haha.

Sipping drinks while slowly soaking in the atmosphere, with good music playing, was really lovely. The natural light was great too, making it a real photo spot. If you're looking for a date spot in Suwon, Nonchalant Lounge is a truly great space!!! Highly recommend haha.

Verdict: is Nonchalant Lounge worth it on a Suwon Hwaseong date?

Nonchalant Lounge, a well-known restaurant in Suwon Hwaseong, is located near Haengri-dan-gil in Haenggung-dong. It's right in front of Jangan Gate so the view is great, and the buses are convenient from Suwon Station, so accessibility is good too.

The big windows were nice, and the space was spacious enough that we got to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. Being able to enjoy a full meal, brunch, dessert, and coffee all in one place was a huge plus. It's already known as a great restaurant, and the reviews are all positive too haha. I'll definitely come back again!! 🖤