Cafe Hopping in Daejeon, Korea - a day trip from Seoul
Sometimes you just need to get out of your own city, so that’s exactly what I did. Armed with a new book, I took the express bus to Daejeon on a Wednesday morning to check some cafes off of my long list :)
My first stop was Cafe Sasohan (instagram) which has been on my list the longest. This little cafe is like taking a step back in time. The old clock on the wall ticks away, the grandpa who owns the cafe seems to love Ella Fitzgerald, and the wooden floors creak with every step.
I got an americano and their dango, which are just rice cakes (ddeok) on a skewer that you can roast yourself on your own little grill! Similar to marshmallows, you want to get them crispy on the outside but still nice and gooey inside. You also get a savory (and very sticky!) soy sauce along with injeolmi (soy bean powder) to dip it in. To me, these treats taste like autumn and I loved roasting them next to the open window looking out on the neighbor’s persimmon tree.
They have other traditional desserts too if you’re looking for a small snack :)
After that, I hopped on a bus over to Soje-dong which is a really cute neighborhood filled with cafes and eateries. If I had been hungrier, I would have stopped in the Ten-don shop called Hakujeumu (하쿠쯔무) because the smell from the street was mouthwatering! The curry shop across the stream, called Midori, was also pumping delicious scents onto the street.
Out of all of the gorgeous spots in this neighborhood, I chose Pungnyuga (instagram) which is an experimental tea house. They specialize in “tea cocktails” but I decided to go for one of their blended hot teas. I got a jasmine grapefruit tea which came with rosemary and a random leaf of some kind lol!
The backyard is a private bamboo grove and the wind through the leave erased any city noise. I could have been in the middle of the mountains for all that I knew! It was really a stunning little cafe hidden in the back of an alley. The tea was quite expensive, but I thought the ambiance was really nice.
I left Soje-dong and headed towards city center where I found another cafe surrounded by nature - Sleepy Town (instagram). Located on the second floor next to a park, the cafe felt like it was up in the trees! The cafe also has a small grocery store filled with wine and anything you might need for a cheese board :)
I had their peanut latte which was better than I expected - just peanut milk with espresso. Don’t miss out on their newest offering which is their handmade mini ice cream sandwiches!
To break up my cafe hopping, I stopped in Goso Wine and Plants (고소한식물원, instagram) to browse plants that I knew I couldnt buy lol. The shop had cute little accessories though if you’re into home interior~
Then I grabbed a taxi over to my last destination because I had just missed the bus. Kakao Taxi works fine here too!
Last on my list was Baek Jeonghwa (instagram) which doesn’t come up on the map for some reason so here’s the address: 대전시 유성구 노은서로 101 (Yuseong-gu Noeunseo-ro 101)
The cafe is next to a pottery studio where all their cups and plates come from! They specialize in Korean summer desserts like bingsu and treats meant to go with tea. I tried their ice persimmon which is dried persimmon stuffed with ice cream - it was decadent!
The cafe is small but its tucked away in a quiet neighborhood so I don’t think you’d have a problem with seatings :)
Then I took a taxi to the express bus terminal and headed home!
Other places not mentioned:
Berry Donut (베리도넛) - Instagram
Cafe Eunyu Si (카페은유시) - Instagram
Five Percent (파이브퍼센트) - Instagram
Urban Mellow (어반멜로우) - Instagram
Coffee Interview (커피인터뷰) - Instagram