Coffee Shop Review: Sweet Treats, Immersive Ambience – Taking a Break with Cheenus

By Jo Lezada

In a recent issue, I wrote about my time at Gwangju’s annual Coffee Walk, and now I wish to introduce to you the first coffee shop my brother and I decided to check out at the event: the Cheenus Dessert Café (치너스 디저트 맛집) of Dongmyeong-dong.

What caught our attention about this coffee shop was their signature Cheenus Brûlée: a cute and soft yellow pastry topped with melted brown sugar, displayed on their roadside stand while we were browsing at the Coffee Walk. My brother and I loved hanging out at our regular coffee shops, but we came to this event to explore new options. Seeing as we had never tried a crème brûlée, plus it being priced reasonably at 4,700 won, we agreed to give this café a shot after our time at the Walk.

With its orange, white, and black interior color scheme, I expected the second floor to match its entrance, but just like the Coffee Walk pleasantly surprised me, this dessert café’s ambience took the words out of my mouth.

It was like walking into a section of the Yeosu Art Expo, and for those unfamiliar with that art museum, it was a dark place where vibrant projections of 3D animated artworks came to life and filled the room no matter where you went. To see a piece of that experience in a dessert café of all places blew me away! The ambient images would shift from calming seashores to cloudy, muted skies with just the right music to compliment the atmosphere. As I sat down with my coffee and crème brûlée, I had to stop to process that I was still in a café.

With all my thirteen years here in Korea, I am frankly perturbed that I didn’t discover this place sooner, and even as I’m writing this, I’m beginning to doubt if the place I’m describing was ever real. Thankfully, I took pictures to snap me out of that Mandela effect!

And to top all of that off, the Cheenus Brûlée itself was so soft, just the right amount of sweetness, and not too heavy on the stomach. I tend to be picky with what desserts go best with my coffee, but this one paired with my drink so well, I still had my appetite left for dinner. I even wanted to go back downstairs and buy another one, and I never do that with desserts! Whether it was the dessert itself being so good or the ambience lulling me into a false sense of financial security, I was more than willing to return later for more.

With all this said, I would be remiss to not inform you that this isn’t the best place to pull out your books or notebooks to read or study. The place is that dim, and I wouldn’t want anyone to strain their eyes. However, I would recommend you visiting the café to rest your busy mind and give yourself a little treat after a long day’s work, or for a date with a friend in ambient surroundings!

Whatever the reason may be, I hope you visit Cheenus to enjoy this little escape just as much as I have.

Cover Photo: A Cheenus Brûlée, paired with a hot cup of vanilla latte against a seafoam backdrop. (Jo Lezada)