Kkotjari Cafe in Cheongdo: Bingsu & Botanical Garden
We left Daegu and headed to Cheongdo, an area known for its beautiful natural scenery. When I think of Cheongdo, bullfighting is usually the only thing that comes to mind, but actually visiting here, the landscape is incredible. For cultural heritage, there's Cheongdo Eupseong (a historic fortress). Perhaps because it's managed by the province, the fortress walls and flower fields spread out beautifully, and just taking a walk around makes you feel good. Add in the sunny weather, and I felt absolutely great.
After slowly walking a lap around the fortress walls, I got thirsty and desperately craved air conditioning. Right next door, there was a hanok (traditional Korean house) as beautiful as the fortress, and it turned out to be a cafe. The name is a bit old-fashioned—"Kkotjari" (Flower Seat)—but the scale and maintenance are so impressive it feels like it's run by a mid-sized company. When you enter, a stone pagoda greets you even though it's not a temple, making you look around for a while wondering if you've walked into a cafe, a temple, or a shrine.
The tranquil atmosphere continues inside the cafe. Chairs that look like they're from before the 1970s and a brazier that might have been used during the Japanese colonial period make you feel like you've traveled back in time.
Since it was a hot day and the vibe was so traditional, we ordered patbingsu (red bean shaved ice) and some tteok (rice cakes). The food came out shortly after, and it was anything but ordinary. The shaved ice was a portion you could never finish alone, topped with a pattern resembling a maksaegi (traditional roof tile end—a name I just learned while searching for it). The rice cakes were so chewy that one bite kept me coming back for more. Even the serving dishes weren't regular bowls but brassware, giving the food a serene and elegant feel.
Kkotjari isn't a place where the experience ends after eating shaved ice indoors. After finishing your tea, you have to head behind the building to see the highlight of this cafe. There's a small botanical garden that is so well-maintained it makes you wonder who the owner is, and you'd even think they have an organized team of staff managing it.
Seeing that they sell small potted plants, it doesn't seem like they're just growing them as a hobby. Still, the scale is quite large, so you can take a light stroll around it just like walking around Cheongdo Eupseong. There are pavilions and benches set up here and there to rest, making it fun to see the flowers and plants change throughout the four seasons. So, it's not a place you visit once and never need to return to, but rather a spot you want to visit often to see the changing weather and scenery. I might not be able to come frequently, but it's a place I'd always want to stop by whenever I'm in the area.
