Gwandong Origin (관동오리진): A Hanok Café That Breeds the Vintage Ambience

Hanok is a traditional Korean residence developed with the idea to keep the accordance to its surroundings, considering the terrain and seasons. Many foreigners fall in love with Hanok design when visiting Korea. Tucked in a quiet alley in Incheon Chinatown, Gwandong Origin is a popular hanok-styled café where you can cozily enjoy the beauty of Hanok while having a nice cup of coffee or Korean tea. Read on to learn more about this aesthetic hanok café.

Getting There

To get to Gwandong Origin Cafe, hop on a subway headed to Incheon Station (Line 1 or Suin Line), and find your way outside of exit 1. Then, take a 10-minute walk from the subway station to the café by following KakaoMap or Naver Map.

• Operation Hours: 11:00 am to 9:00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
• Address: Sinpo-ro 27beon-gil 96, Jung-gu, Incheon

Gwandong Origin at a Glance

Gwandong Origin is beautifully-decorated in hanok style with aesthetic wooden design. The interior design gives off vintage vibes with its dim lighting, retro-styled furniture and ornaments. As you can see from the pictures below, the café is decorated with classic lamps, pendulum clock, antique floral design chairs and wooden tables.

Even the tiles and ceiling are made of wood, too!

The café had a cozy ambience too, making it the perfect place for you to relax your back and bottoms while having a cup of traditional tea after walking around Incheon Chinatown.

Look at the classical floral tea cups and the white lace umbrella! 

Behind the café, there is a wonderful courtyard garden embellished with green plants and small pebbles.

There are many Instagram-worthy photo zones in this café due to its unique hanok design. These are some of the pictures I took.

Menu Recommendation

Gwandong Origin offers an extensive menu ranging from homemade beverage, tea, ade, coffee and latte. There are seasonal menus like Adzuki-beans shaved ice flake (red bean shaved ice) and Magnolia Berry shaved ice flake which are popular during summer. Their signature menus are homemade Jujube tea, homemade Vin Chaud and homemade Korean Magnolia Berry Tea (Omija tea). Omija means “five flavors”, which are sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and pungency.

The tea can be made by boiling dried magnolia berries in water on low heat, then adding honey. The benefits of omija tea include good for blood circulation, beautify skin and improve liver function.  

We ordered the Omija tea, green tea latte, homemade Jeju lemonade and homemade grapefruit ade. The price of the drinks ranges from 6500 to 8000 won. It is on the pricier side, but it is worth the classical ambience and the attractive photo spots.  

Gwangdong Orijin as a Popular Filming Location

Apart from its vintage setting, Gwangdong Origin café is also a popular filming location for the music video of Huh Gak’s (허각) hit ballad song, Only You (바보야). ‘Only You’ fully represents us becoming a fool who lets go of the person we love but regretting it later. The harmony between the neat ardent lyrics and Huh Gak’s emotional voice will certainly touch your hearts and make us recall our past relationships.

The music video features Ong Seung Wu, former Wanna One member, as the main character.

Final Thoughts

I love literally everything about this café – from its healthy homemade drinks to its classical ambience that is pleasing to the eyes. Also, the pretty photo zones are a plus point! If you are hanging around Incheon Chinatown with your friends, do not miss the opportunity to drop by this café to enjoy its refreshing tea and its comfy setting. Click here to check out other attractions near Incheon Chinatown!