Suwon roastery café with a flat white and share tables: Jeong Ji-young

With the weather turning cooler and perfect for walking, I went to Haenggung-dong in Suwon for a weekend date. Walking along the fortress wall path of Hwaseong Haenggung, there are so many hip, pretty spaces — and among them I visited a café that's become word-of-mouth famous as a Suwon food spot. It's Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters Haenggung Main Branch, the landmark hotspot that marks the start of Haengridan-gil.

Among coffee lovers, this place is famous as a must-visit café if you come to Suwon, and a must-visit café if you come to Haenggung-dong. I'd had it saved on my map for ages, and I finally made it. Even before going in, the nutty coffee smell drifting from the entrance built up my expectations.

It's also open quite late, so it's perfect if you don't feel like going to a bar late at night but want to linger somewhere over coffee.

Where Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters is, and how the old house looks

Jeong Ji-young Roasters Haenggung Main Branch sits prominently on the main street of Haengridan-gil near Janganmun, so it was very easy to find. The exterior, which looks like a renovated old house, gave off a vintage yet polished industrial feel.

How ordering works in the basement

To order at Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters Haenggung Main Branch, you need to head down to the basement. It might catch you off guard at first, but once you go down, the order counter and the Jeong Ji-young Coffee goods are displayed together. You order, and while you wait, browsing the goods makes the time fly by. After ordering, you go back out the same stairs you came down. There's another exit next to the order counter, but you apparently can't use it — a staff member will direct you to go back up the stairs you came down.

Once you open the door and step inside, the dark, heavy interior catches your eye first. Rough exposed concrete walls paired with soft, warm lighting made it perfect for setting a mood on a weekend date. The props and lights placed here and there, almost casually, all doubled as aesthetic photo zones, so taking pictures was a lot of fun.

Window walls upstairs, share tables on the 4th floor

On the other hand, once you climb the stairs to the upper floors, a completely different charm unfolds compared to the dark basement mood. Warm sunlight pours in pleasantly through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Gazing out at the quiet tiled roofs of Haenggung-dong and the blue sky was such a nice way to zone out.

Here's a special tip from me! I visited on a weekday afternoon, but since it's such a famous Haengridan-gil food spot, it was quite busy with customers. But when I went up to the 4th floor, there was a wide, comfortable share table. It was the perfect environment for quietly working on your own or doing kagong (studying at a café). If you want to focus in an open space, head straight to the 4th floor!

How do the coconut latte and flat white taste?

We ordered the coconut latte, said to be the best menu item here, along with a rich flat white. I usually prefer coffee with a heavy body and nutty flavor over anything with sharp acidity, and Jeong Ji-young Roasters' coffee had no jumpy sourness at all — just a deep, pleasant nuttiness lingering in the mouth. It hit my taste exactly.

The coconut latte in particular had an amazing pairing of subtle, sweet coconut aroma with the bitter espresso shot. The moment I took a sip, I went 'wow, this is really good!' The sweetness wasn't overdone, so I could drink it all the way through without getting tired of it. The flat white also had a great balance between milk and coffee, letting the rich flavor of the coffee itself come through fully.

Is Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters worth a visit?

If you want to taste properly roasted, life-changing coffee in a hip, tasteful space, I strongly recommend Jeong Ji-young Roasters Haenggung Main Branch. From the delicious drinks to the atmospheric interior to the wide seats great for studying, everything was satisfying. Next time I want to visit at sunset to experience yet another charm. Of course I'd go back — 200%!

If you're out exploring Haenggung-dong, be sure to stop by and enjoy a relaxed coffee break.