Busan Beach Train café after a Haeparang Trail walk: Suwolgyeonghwa

Why I went to Suwolgyeonghwa, the Busan Beach Train café

Suwolgyeonghwa (수월경화) is a café in Songjeong, Busan, where you can drink traditional tea while watching the sea and the Beach Train through big windows. My best friend Chokchok and I suddenly wanted to see the Busan sea, so we took a day trip, and this is where we ended up.

We have pretty similar travel styles. We always stop at a café, but we're the type who think "Which tea should I have today?" instead of "One iced americano, please." hahahaha So while planning the Busan trip, we naturally ended up searching for tea houses and traditional tea cafés.

That's how I found Suwolgyeonghwa. The moment we saw the photos, we both yelled at the same time: "We have to go here, no question." The ocean view through those windows is crazy. And a place for traditional tea on top of that? It hit our taste dead center haha

The name means "the moon in the water, a flower in the mirror" and it's so pretty..haha And it's open every day!?!

Walking the Haeparang Trail from Cheongsapo to Suwolgyeonghwa in Songjeong

Suwolgyeonghwa sits right along the route if you walk the Haeparang Trail from Cheongsapo toward Songjeong, so it was a great place to stop. That day we were exploring the Cheongsapo side first. You can't come all the way to Busan and not walk by the sea, right? So we trekked slowly along the Haeparang Trail.

Sea breeze. The sound of waves. Photos. Walking like that, we found ourselves heading toward Songjeong. It didn't feel like going out of our way; it fits naturally into a travel route, which is why I liked it even more. If you're looking for a Busan Beach Train café, I think you'll be very happy with the location itself.

Isn't the entrance pretty already!!!! Exactly the vibe I love~~

Do you need to reserve a tea class or afternoon tea at Suwolgyeonghwa?

I heard that with a reservation, Suwolgyeonghwa offers experiences like a tea class, afternoon tea and a tea course. Turns out it's not just a café. They even have a private room, so I thought next time I should definitely reserve ahead and enjoy it properly. I think it would be a really special experience for tea lovers.

We couldn't go in, just peeked, but wow..ㅠㅠㅠ The view is so pretty too. And seeing the couples relaxing comfortably in the room was so healing.

And those of us who didn't reserve and just walked in.. went upstairs..hahahaha

Upstairs interior and seating at Suwolgyeonghwa

The upstairs floor, where we went without a reservation, has a view that doesn't envy the downstairs at all, I'd say? haha

It was already pretty full. The blue-green color of the sea seeps inside. And there's separate group seating too.

The whole place has a wooden feel, with white and wood interior that's really cozy. It suits a traditional tea café so well.

Popular cafés can be a bit chaotic because of the crowds. But Suwolgyeonghwa had a different atmosphere. Quiet. Calm. Still. The kind of place where you'd feel sorry if you talked loudly, haha. That made it even better~~~~ A perfect space to sip tea while looking out at the sea.

Suwolgyeonghwa menu and how to choose a tea

At the entrance of Suwolgyeonghwa, traditional teas are displayed with descriptions, so you can smell them yourself before choosing. The menu had way more variety than I expected. Not just green tea and black tea, but lots of blended teas combining various ingredients, and even some that felt like tea cocktails. For a tea lover, just browsing the menu would be fun.

After much thought I chose Jeju Breeze. I was so curious about a tea with Jeju hallabong (a Jeju citrus fruit). Chokchok chose a hot coffee that day. Some days you just crave coffee hahahaha

They also kindly put out coffee beans so your nose doesn't get overwhelmed. They explain the ingredients in each tea the way you would for coffee, and it really felt like they brew tea professionally.

Shall we look at the menu? A paper booklet made with a sea feel. Flipping through it feels so nice haha

We settled on 2 drinks and the signature dessert, done, bang!

Chokchok just grabbed the last remaining window seat~ hahaha

What is the Dalbodeure Box, Suwolgyeonghwa's signature dessert, like?

Ta-daaa~~~~ It's here, it's here~~~ The setting is prettily arranged like a tea ceremony ㅠㅠ haha

Suwolgyeonghwa's Dalbodeure Box (달보드레상자) is a signature dessert of neatly arranged traditional Korean sweets, and I heard "dalbodeure" is a pure Korean word meaning sweet and soft~ The look of it was so cute the moment it arrived. Like opening a little treasure chest.

The traditional sweets were each neatly placed, and what I liked even more was that a description of the ingredients in each was written out. So we had fun trying them one by one, going "What's this?" "What will this taste like?" It felt like enjoying a small traditional dessert course.

We even shared the little flake of gold, so generous haha

How does Jeju Breeze with hallabong taste?

Suwolgyeonghwa's Jeju Breeze was a refreshing tea with a subtle hallabong aroma, not too strong and not too sweet. The scent was lovely the moment it came out. A fresh fruity fragrance spread pleasantly and it really reminded me of the Jeju breeze. One sip was nicely light and fragrant. The perfect taste for drinking slowly while looking out the window.

They also put this out so I could smell it, and it reminded me of picking green tangerines (cheonggyul) in Jeju with friends years ago,, suddenly took a memory trip along with the scent. haha

Word has it that Chokchok ordered coffee, downed it in one go, and then stole all of my tea..? hahaha She said it was delicious~

It's not alcohol, I swearrr hahahaha

hahaha you can feel the blank-minded calm just from the back of her head.

Surfers and the Beach Train from the Suwolgyeonghwa window

Sitting in front of the big windows at Suwolgyeonghwa, you can see the surfers on Songjeong's sea and the colorful Beach Train passing by, all at a glance. Blue sea. Gentle waves. People surfing. Staring blankly at the surfers bobbing around, I somehow felt at ease. People call this "mulmeong" (zoning out at water) these days, right? I really did proper mulmeong.

And it wasn't only the sea. The colorful Beach Train passes in front at regular intervals, and that scene was truly art. Blue sea. White waves. A rainbow-colored train. Like a scene from a movie. I could see why people search for Busan Beach Train cafés.

Sitting by the window, you lose track of time and keep watching. Every time the train passes, you look again. Take photos. Take videos. hahahaha

Verdict: Suwolgyeonghwa is a great break during a Busan day trip

Suwolgyeonghwa gives you both the ocean view and the charm of traditional tea, so it was a great place to rest during a Busan day trip. Honestly, the people I envied most that day were the staff working here. hahahaha I mean. They work looking at this view every day! The commute must feel good. They can see the sea on breaks. Watch the train go by. I was genuinely jealous.

I think a good space shines even more with good company. Looking at the sea with Chokchok. Drinking tea. Sharing traditional desserts. Watching the train pass. Cracking up over nothing. Another good memory made. It was a day trip, but thanks to Suwolgyeonghwa it felt like a full and happy day.

If you're looking for a place to rest during a Busan trip, the Busan Beach Train café Suwolgyeonghwa. Highly recommended~~~~~ Next time I'd like to reserve a tea class and dive deeper into tea culture. Chokchok, our next Busan trip is a confirmed café tour! ☕🌊🚃 But maybe next time we come by car instead of on foot? haha