Haeundae café for hojicha coffee and train views: Suwolgyeonghwa

While walking along Songjeong Beach, I stopped by a café I could see from the water, and I think it may be one of the best ocean-view cafés in Busan.

The building and sign beside the railway caught my eye. I headed up full of anticipation after hearing it was a tea-culture space where you can try house-blended tea and coffee, plus traditional drinks. Haha.

Suwolgyeonghwa location and visitor information

• Address: 188 Songjeongjungang-ro 6beon-gil, 4F, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00 (last order 22:30)
• Parking: First-floor parking in the building or paid street parking

There are other restaurants in the same building, so the layout is a little unusual—you enter and go straight up to the fourth floor.

The name Suwolgyeonghwa means the moon reflected on water and flowers reflected in a mirror. Even just looking at the lights, mirrors, and decorations as I climbed the stairs, I could really feel the mood the space was going for. With the gentle sound of waves, it became visually and audibly exciting, and even the walk upstairs was never boring.

Calm ocean views and a wide tea menu

Inside, wooden tables and pillars blend with soft music for a calm ocean-view café atmosphere. The menu had so many choices that I asked while ordering, and the staff kindly explained every one.

The paper menu is fun to flip through one page at a time, and you can also view it by QR code. It is broadly divided into a premium tea collection, coffee, traditional tea, tarakcha (milk tea), and desserts. The sections are called eumihada, meaning “to savor,” and gyeotdeurida, meaning “to accompany”—Korean words are so beautiful, haha. Eumihada is mainly for drinks, while gyeotdeurida offers signature and individual desserts.

After looking over the coffee and dessert menu and ordering, I returned to my seat to admire the lighting and little objects and gaze at the sea, so even waiting for the menu was enjoyable. There are plenty of ocean-view cafés, but Suwolgyeonghwa stands out because the Haeundae Blueline Park route running between Mipo, Cheongsapo, and Songjeong passes by, so you can watch the train too.

While waiting for the menu, I looked around the interior and found that tea bags are also available to buy separately. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to enjoy these aromas at home too.

Dalbodeure Box and Hojigaba

Each dessert tasted different, so it was fun choosing and eating them one by one. As you would expect from desserts developed in-house, there were unusual combinations that are hard to find elsewhere. The Dalbodeure Box is the signature dessert, and isn’t it pretty? It includes a financier, monaka wafer, sulppang steamed rice cake, and an injeolmi rice-cake skewer, all wonderfully harmonious in flavor and texture.

I ordered the Hojigaba, and the coffee aroma was lovely. You could feel the care in the composition of the drink and even in the card saying to mix it well before drinking. Of course, it tasted excellent too, and I think the other choices would be wonderful from aroma to flavor as well.

What the Lemon Sunset Tea felt like

The Lemon Sunset Tea had a beautiful name, and such a gorgeous color too. I had it iced, and it felt refreshingly like lemonade. When you order tea, they place it over the cup so you can gently take in the tea’s aroma, another special touch unique to this place. I felt sorry with every sip as it disappeared, and the care in each menu item kept giving me a warm feeling.

The sea looks different with every season here, so I think you can feel the special charm of an ocean-view café whenever you visit. In a breezy season, sitting by the window with a warm cup of tea would be absolutely perfect. With house-blended tea, coffee, traditional drinks, and in-house desserts, it is an ocean-view café I would recommend even if you are visiting on a trip. I think I’ll often remember it on days when I want a cup of tea while looking at the sea.

For anyone wanting to rest leisurely by the sea, how about Suwolgyeonghwa as a Busan ocean-view café where, sometimes, a cup of traditional tea warms your heart more than coffee? Haha.