Mokpo’s Fantasy Coffee Shop
Written and photographed by Sarah Pittman.
When I first saw Cafe Fantasy, I thought that it was a building straight out of Howl’s Moving Castle. When looking up at this building composed of shipping containers stacked one on top of the other and decorated to look like ancient Korean sailing vessels, it seems to be sailing through the sky. Through some initial sleuthing on Instagram, I had found that the cafe is located on an island in the middle of a bay in Mokpo and is accessible either by car or by the new cable cars, so it was perfect for me.
The bright Sunday morning when I took the train from Gwangju to Mokpo felt like the beginning credits for a Studio Ghibli movie, with the Korean countryside and aged brickwork train stations on the way to Mokpo rushing past. After arriving in Mokpo, my map said that it would only be a thirty-minute walk from the station to the cable car station I could take to the cafe. What my map failed to mention was that the “thirty-minute walk” ended with an arduous uphill hike. So, what had been labeled a “thirty-minute walk” ended up turning into an hour-long slog. I’d definitely suggest taking a taxi to the top of the hill instead if you are not in the mood for the required exercise.
The best way to get to Cafe Fantasy, if you don’t have a car, is the new Mokpo cable car. It costs 25,000 won for a standard round-trip ticket or 27,000 won for a “Crystal Car” round-trip ticket. I bought the Crystal Car ticket because it boasted of having a clear floor for viewing the ground and ocean below you. However, the bottom of my cable car was heavily scratched, so I’d suggest saving a couple bucks.
The cafe is only about a 10-minute walk from the station, but there is quite a steep staircase and hill to climb before getting there, so my hiking wasn’t done yet. Cafe Fantasy is on the first floor of the structure, and the second through fifth floors contain a free mini museum showcasing Mokpo’s fishing and boat-building past with photo spots. There is also roof access with a beautiful panoramic view of the entire island, which I highly recommend.
Cafe Fantasy is filled with greenery, paintings, and multiple long windows, with bar seats and tables for people to sit at and enjoy their coffees, teas, sodas, ice creams, and pastries. I set my heart on a beautiful-looking raspberry tart, and paired it with a latte and one of their three special single region, hand drip coffees. As I watched the barista pour the latte foam and the hand drip coffee, it became clear that they take immense pride in making exceptional coffee at Cafe Fantasy.
The Ethiopia Gedep Butucha Washed variety of coffee was quite fruity in flavor, and it reminded me a lot of 72 percent dark chocolate. It went spectacularly with the raspberry tart because the fruity flavors worked so well together. The tart itself, however, left much to be desired. While its crust was flaky and buttery, the center of the berries were frozen, and it tasted more like raspberry jam than a proper filling.
Overall, I’d definitely suggest setting aside a day to visit this fantastical structure by the sea to marvel at the view of the boats sailing by over a fantastic cup of coffee, but you may want to stick to their ice cream.
THE AUTHOR
Sarah Pittman is an English teacher with a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. She discovered her love for photography while working at Disneyland and has been honing her craft with practice and YouTube videos ever since.