Cafés in Jeonju Hanok Village: Hanok Maeul Self Café, Café Agbae, Café Jeonmang

In Jeonju Hanok Vaillage, you can choose from a variety of cafés depending on your mood!

The summers for the last few years have been extraordinarily hot and humid. Since I didn’t feel like traveling a long distance outside my town, Jeonju, I decided to visit the Hanok Village. The sun shines brightly over the black tile roofs of Hanok buildings.

In such a weather, everyone needs a cup of cold drink. So, in this post, I’ll introduce a few unique cafés in the Hanok Village worth visiting.

 

Take-out from Hanok Maeul Self Café

If you’re looking for a cheaper option and feel like walking around while drinking iced coffee rather than sitting idly in an air-conditioned room, visit Hanok Maeul Self Café. The venue is located across the main gate of Gyeonggijeon Palace.

Hanok Maeul Self Café is rather small and doesn’t have enough seats. The place is suitable for those willing to take out coffee to drink while walking around the Hanok Village.

Probably the biggest reason for the popularity of this place is the relatively low price of beverages and the convenient location. The owner will give you coffee potion in a take-out cup and ice. You have to add hot or cold water by yourself and pick up amenities at the service table. There are also cheap home-made cookies for your children too.

 

Hanok Maeul Self Café

Address: 119 Gyeonggijeon-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju

Contact: 063-232-1289

Opening hours: AM10:00~PM08:00

 

Enjoy Hongsi (Ripe Persimmon) Smoothie and Arts Exhibition at Café Agbae

Café Agbae is close to the Jeonju Hanok Village public parking. The café is located on the underground floor of a Hanok building.

The interior of the café seems extraordinary but restful, probably because the owner is a famous artistic calligrapher. You will be surrounded by the works of famous local artists hanging on the walls.

The most popular menu at Café Agbae is the home-made Agbae (crabapple) tea and Hongsi (ripe persimmon) smoothie.

I wasn’t familiar with Agbae, so I asked the owner about it. She told me that “Agbae is a small fruit of crabapple family. It symbolizes fortune and wealth, because the fruits are usually in full bearing. Agbae is good for cough and phlegm.”

I searched up ‘Agbae’ on the Internet. The name ‘Agbae’ comes from ‘baby pear (Agi-bae).’ The unripe Agbae fruit might cause stomach-ache.

Anyway, here are Agbae tea and Hongsi smoothie. The charmingly orange-ish Agbae tea has sweet flavor. The cool Hongsi smoothie has inartificial and delicate sweet flavor.

After tasting both, I looked around the café. There are paintings, sculptures, embroideries, and various other artworks. They seemed to be shining by themselves under the quietly reverberating lighting.

After passing through the burgeoning Hanok Village, the cool beverages and the variety of unique artworks were replenishing to both my body and mind. I couldn’t help but smile at the brief moment of inner peace at Café Agbae.

The owner sells her works displayed at the café. You may choose to buy some charming household goods. The menu, made by the owner herself, seemed like a piece of art to me. Above all, there is 1,000 won discount on all items on the menu if you choose to take out.

 

Café Agbae

Address: 84-4, Pungnamdong 3ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju

Contact: 063-285-2853

 

Have the Whole Hanok Village Under Your Eyes at Café Jeonmang

I was always curious what Café Jeonmang might be like, because I often saw people enjoying drinks sitting at the rooftop terrace. So, today, I took an elevator to the café.

Café Jeonmang is located on the fourth and fifth floor of the building. Underneath the café is a guesthouse. The place is not vast, but the wide open space embraces the prospect of the Hanok Village.

The best thing about Café Jeonmang is the view from above. You can have the Hanok roofs outspreading under your eyes. Since such a high viewpoint is limited in the Hanok Village, the café is very popular among visitors.

The most popular menu are fruity sparkling-ades and smoothies. I also ordered one of the sparkling-ades, like the rest of the young visitors, and sat next to the window.

The name of the café, ‘Jeonmang,’ means ‘prospect’ in Korean. The choice of such simple everyday word most clearly and comprehensively depicts the atmosphere of this place.

 

Café Jeonmang

Address: 89 Hanji-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju

Contact: 063-231-6106

 

Whether you’re in a good or bad spirit, the cafés in the Jeonju Hanok Village can accommodate your mood. Visiting a café in the Hanok Village is like visiting an old friend. There are both excitement and relaxation in them.