Delmoondo Cafe at Hamdeok Beach

8 November 2022

Our plan for this day is to explore the eastern part of Jeju by chartered taxi, in particular enjoy Jeju's seafood (abalone), beautiful coastal scenery and geological marvels.

Our first stop for the day was at Hamdeok Beach, located on the northern coast east of Jeju City.

It took slightly below an hour to get to Hamdeok Beach. This beach has tropical vibes, with its white sand, turquoise sea and palm trees. The only thing that spoilt the perfect picture was the plastic sheets covering the sandy beach, held down by bags of sand. I believe this beach would be fantastic for beach lovers in summer. In autumn, not many swimmers use the beach and the sheets are probably to prevent sand from being blown off.

Autumn morning at Hamdeok Beach.

Bronze statues of fishermen pulling fishing net at the beach.

There are many cafes and restaurants located at Hamdeok Beach area. The cafe that stands out is the Cafe Delmoondo, located on the western end of the sandy beach.

The purpose of our visit to Hamdeok Beach was to have breakfast at this cafe. This is one of the few cafes that opens early at 7 AM.

Delmoondo cafe has two levels. Guests entered at the upper level. When we arrived at 9 AM, most of the seats at the lower level, next to the sea, were already occupied. We managed to get some seats on the terrace at the upper level that is facing the sea. In fact, I think the seats on the terrace are more convenient.

We ordered one standard black Americano for 7,000 KWR to share. This is pretty expensive compared to typical cafes in Jeju but then, we are paying premium to get such beautiful sea views.

The sea at Jeju has such clear water.

While sipping our coffee and eating our pastries, we could see hikers climbing up Seoubong volcanic cone that borders the eastern sea of Hamdeok Beach.

The pastries were more reasonably priced. The cafe serves pastries at 5,000 KWR each. We ordered a cinnamon bun, a caramel peanut bun with chocolate and a Udo peanut bread.

Cinnamon bun and caramel peanut bun with chocolate.

These were the best pastries that I have tasted for a long while. The pastries were extra crispy and flaky. I could not find similar quality pastries back home.

Certainly a highly recommended cafe to visit when in Jeju; for both the views and the excellent pastries.   

I would not mind chilling here the whole morning but I have places to visit.

Next stop – exploring the lava tube at Manjanggul Cave.