VISIT JEJU

As more and more cafes spring up around Jeju Island, they’re starting to be located in more rural areas, oftentimes with citrus orchards nearby or on the premises themselves. Naturally, these cafes are adopting a citrus theme and using the fruit as an ingredient in their signature menu items. One such cafe is located in Hamdeok-ri, Jocheon-eup, in a converted mandarin warehouse. The owners have created a citrus latte and an orange picking experience program. As a guest of the cafe, you can pick up to 2.5 kilograms of oranges right off the branches of the trees for an additional 5,000 won. For those of us who live in the city, it’s an especially fun experience to try your hand at picking your very own fruit.

Wimi Village, in the southeastern area of the island, is famous for its camellia habitat. The cafe Warangwarang is located here among the lush citrus orchards. Its building and interior is made of wood and stone, exuding a distinctly warm, inviting feeling to guests. On the menu is a similarly inviting set of hot beverage items, many with citrusy goodness like their local, organic mandarin and lemon teas. On every table there are baskets of freshly picked mandarins. And don’t forget to try their delicious grilled glutinous rice cake!

This is a small cafe near the beach at Sinyang Seopji Beach. Dalriman means “running” in the Jeju language. Its mandarin-inspired beverages and desserts make for a mouthwatering treat. In particular, its orange tiramisu is popular, replacing chocolate with citrus powder. The delicious citrus tea and ade drinks are not too sweet, so they’re easy to drink. Enjoy the charming interior and the convenient document printer that the owner has kindly provided for the use of the guests. There’s a comfortable and photogenic garden area as well.

The Oki 461 Gallery is a renovated stone warehouse for citrus that is located in Namwon Village. It started as a gallery of natural dyeing exhibitions and has since added a cafe and workshop area. In addition to the variety of dyed items on display throughout the café, you’ll find homemade baked goods like citrus chips, breads and cookies, as well as homemade citrus teas, ade, and the like. If you’re interested in the learning the art of dyeing cloth, you can sign up for a class here if you have a group of four or more people.

Located along Olle walking trail No. 4, this area of the island has a long history of producing citrus varieties like non-greenhouse mandarin oranges, Cheonhyehyang fruit, Hallabong fruit, among others. The freshness of the fruit here, combined with its extraordinary sweetness, is elegantly captured in the Jeju name of this cafe: Dolkorom Bongbong. Along with a cup of citrus tea, you can pass the time by writing down your wishes and troubles on a piece of paper and “mailing” them in a bright red Jeju pony (ganse)-shaped mailbox.