Coffee Talk: Cafe Daenerys (카페 대너리스)
If you’ve followed anyone on social media in South Korea, you know that coffee culture is a huge thing here. In actuality, it’s not the coffee itself that is huge, it’s the unique cafes that have become such an everyday part of Korean life. From animal cafes to themed cafes to all around beautifully aesthetic cafes, there is a cafe for everyone here.
Cafe Daenerys (카페 대너리스) is one of the beautiful ones and my friends and I have been dying to see it in all the fall foliage gloriousness and we finally managed to make the trek. Naver says it’s 1.5 hours away, but in reality it was a pretty solid 2 hours from the Pyeongtaek area. It did not disappoint.
The whole cafe gives off old European countryside vibes from the ivy growing on the outside (swoon) to the rustic wood trestle dining tables that look like they came from a French chateau, but the best part were the giant picture windows with views of the North Han River (북한강).
We chose to go on a Tuesday and it was so busy that they told us our food order would take an hour. It didn’t take that long but we had plenty to explore while we waited. As busy as it was, there was still a ton of fabulous seating options available, although we were lucky to score one right next to the water. Not ideal for 3 people, and food, and drinks, and treats, but we made it work for the view.
The inside comprised of 3 levels. The third level had a two story balcony on it, and the bottom floor led out to the yard. So much thought and effort went into planning this shop and thankfully, the food did not disappoint. I ordered the salad pasta and would eat it again everyday if I could. The rose pasta was a had a deliciously creamy sauce and the Daenerys breakfast was your typical Korean breakfast with sausage, eggs, and an assortment of lettuces and fruit. Hands down I would recommend this cafe to anyone and make a plan to stop by when I’m in the area again.
A few things to note:
prices were a bit higher than where I usually frequent (8,000-9,000₩ for a beverage and meals were 16,000-17,000)
it is child friendly as I saw some high chairs being used but I wouldn’t say it is stroller friendly. I didn’t notice an elevator and there are a ton of stairs. If you parked in the back parking lot, you could use a heavy duty stroller like a BOB to navigate the grounds but those aren’t popular around here.
There was a parking attendant directing traffic. You can park on the front road or in the back lot. It was pretty busy as we arrived around noon. Parking is free.
Check out two videos I shot of Cafe Daenerys! A gorgeous view of the inside looking out of the picture window over the river and an outdoor video walking through their famous rock arch. Isn’t that autumn foliage absolutely stunning? You can also click the caption to link to my YouTube channel.
