Cafe Doan Suwon Review 2026: Na Hye-seok Street's Panoramic Views

After a recent family gathering in Yongin, a city near Suwon, my sister and I decided to extend our trip a bit. With family scattered from Ulsan to Jeonju and Changwon, our travel distances are usually quite long, so we weren't ready to head straight home. A little detour to Suwon seemed like the perfect plan!

Our destination? Cafe Doan, a coffee spot that first opened its doors in Suwon way back in 2017. It quickly caught my attention after being featured as Unspecialty's monthly pick. While there's a newer Cafe Doan location in Yongin, we ultimately decided to visit the original Suwon branch – because, you know, nothing beats the flagship!

Cafe Doan: Beautiful Panoramic Views on Suwon's Na Hye-seok Street

The Original Cafe Doan

📍Location: 3rd Floor, Jangseong Building, 61 Hyowon-ro 307beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province

✅Hours: Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM (Weekends: 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM)

✅Parking: On-site parking available behind the building. However, finding the entrance can be a bit tricky if it's your first visit.

Despite its somewhat hidden location on the third floor and not being immediately visible from the street, the cafe was bustling with people. It made me wonder how everyone found this spot! (Though, I found it too, so maybe it's not that hidden after all?) The crowds definitely heightened my expectations for the coffee.

Cafe Doan's Atmosphere

The elevator leading up to the cafe is a bit on the smaller side. When I went up, there were three groups, including mine, heading to Cafe Doan. Naturally, the first people in usually head to the back, but a couple who entered last quickly dashed out and snagged the best window seat! Talk about sneaky!

One couple even had to leave because there were no available seats.

Cafe Doan is renowned for its panoramic window views, and those window seats are indeed incredibly appealing.

They've smartly separated the ordering counter from the brewing station, which keeps things organized.

Given how packed the cafe was, these are the best interior shots I could manage!

Cafe Doan Menu & Prices

They offer a variety of brewing coffees and other beverages.

For brewing coffee, they had five different bean options, including Cafe Doan's own blend and Dak Coffee Lightside.

While I initially wanted to try Cafe Doan's signature coffee, both my sister and I found ourselves drawn to the descriptions of the Dak Coffee beans. So, we ordered the Colombia Silky Way and the Ethiopia Lemon Mon Spritz Washed. My brother-in-law chose what I believe was the Tropical Punch.

The Basque cheesecake looked decent, but the pound cake's visuals were simply stunning, so we opted for the Earl Grey Pound Cake. And because I heard that Cafe Doan's Apricot Bread Pudding was a must-try, we ordered that too! Two delicious desserts to go with our coffee!

Most of the tables were configured for two or four people (including sofas). It was a bit frustrating to see many two-person groups occupying the larger four-person tables, leading to other customers leaving. Since there were three of us, we had to ask for an extra chair, which was a minor inconvenience.

Of course, everyone has the right to use the cafe space equally, but it was still a slight disappointment.

The staff brought our orders directly to our table, and we could return our used items to a trolley. Even with the crowds, the cafe was kept surprisingly clean.

Cafe Doan Coffee Review

When our orders arrived, the staff kindly offered descriptions of each coffee. It was impressive how they matched each drink to the person who ordered it!

They advised us to drink slowly, as the coffee's notes could be savored differently as its temperature changed.

Seeing other tables order the white pound cake made me second-guess my choice, but the Earl Grey Pound Cake still had a lovely aroma and taste.

The Apricot Bread Pudding had an impressive, crispy top, almost like a crème brûlée. However, I wasn't entirely convinced by the texture of the 'pudding' itself.

And then there was the coffee... The taste wasn't bad, but from the moment it was served, I noticed how incredibly light it looked. Indeed, it was far too watery, almost like plain water! I wondered if they used only about 10 grams of coffee for the brew.

The subtle notes were still there, which made the extreme weakness even more disappointing. A friend mentioned that Dak Coffee tends to be on the lighter side, but I'm not sure if this level of dilution is intentional.

Considering the price of roughly ~$7 a cup, it was quite a letdown.

This was our last stop before heading home, and I was so underwhelmed that I found myself scrolling through maps, searching for another cafe to visit. A rather sad memory, to be honest. That concludes my honest review of Cafe Doan in Suwon.