And just like that…the school year has begun! Spencer had his first day of first grade yesterday, and we knew that we needed to spend the weekend leading up to it preparing (both mentally and physically). We love a good adventure, but sometimes real life takes precedence, and we have to focus on the here and now. So, rather than heading off to the mountains, we conquered errands and checked another café off our bucket list. We made our way out to Bee and Honey Café in Pyeongtaek and, let me just say, the reviews weren’t wrong.
Visiting Bee and Honey Café in Pyeongtaek
We visited Bird Sori parrot café one of our first weeks living here in Sosabeol, and it was a lot of fun, but I kept hearing about Bee and Honey Café. Now, let’s be honest. There is no shortage of cafes here in South Korea, but I wanted to visit cafes that were fun, family-friendly, and worth the trek. Bee and Honey Café delivered.
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, we’ve actually visited Bee and Honey Café once before, but they ended up being closed. Their hours recently changed, and they’re only open on weekends, which made it even better for us because Ryan could come – and drive. The oversized roads leading up to the café give way to a very narrow two-way street that completely terrified me when we still had our Kia Carnival. Our new Hyundai i30cw is a lot easier…but still moderately terrifying. Long story short, I made Ryan drive.
Why Bee and Honey Café is Worth Visiting
While some cafes cater to coffee lovers, the best ones cater to those of all ages and dietary preferences with coffees, sodas, juices, and tasty treats. Bee and Honey Café is one hundred percent in the category of the latter. The café plays host to nearly a hundred hives of bees on the property with one hive attached to the café, itself. We walked up on a drizzly day, and the gentleman quickly warned us that the bees were “angry” due to the weather and not to get too close to the hives.
Once inside, you enter a veritable honey tasting room with everything from traditional wildflower honey (only much better) to dew-flavored, chestnut, and styrax. Each with distinct notes and labeled in both English and Hangeul, it’s easy to lose yourself in the tasting area before ever making your way into the actual café! Because we’re gluttons though, we indulged in both, and we ended up with honey lattes – both hot and iced – honey ice cream for the kiddos, and an affogato for Ryan and I to share. Spoiler alert: they’re amazing. Sweetened only with honey, the coffees rivaled our favorite coffee shop in South Africa, and the ice creams were topped with rich honey wafers, as well as a thick hunk of honeycomb that was to die for.
What to Do in the Area of Bee and Honey Café
While Bee and Honey Café is an attraction in its own right, there are other things to do in the area, too! Directly across the street from the café is 마안산, or Maansan Trail. Often hailed as the bee and honey hike, it’s an easy 2.4 km trail that’s great for all skill levels. We weren’t prepped for a full hike, but we definitely walked off some of our gluttony.
Things to note for visiting:
- You do have to submit to contact tracing and remain masked both indoors and out unless actively eating or sampling
- The café is only open on weekends right now
- The parking lot is small (maybe 8 cars), and there is street parking available, though it’s a narrow street
- Public toilets are available just past the lot across from the trailhead
- Use the following address in Waze or Naver to reach the café: 15 Daean-ri, Hyeondeok-myeon, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do