A New Traditional Tea House in Samcheong-dong: Haeon

A New Traditional Tea House in Samcheong-dong: Haeon, a Bukchon Tea House Review (Paid With My Own Money)

[ ✔ Honest review, paid with my own money ]

I went, ate, and wrote this myself, so personal taste is mixed in. Take it as a reference only.

Hello, this is JoyStoria.

Today I'm introducing Haeon, a tea house that newly opened this April in a Bukchon side street in Samcheong-dong 🍵

It's a place that properly serves Korean tea instead of coffee, and it's connected to Cha-teul, the well-known traditional tea house in Bukchon. According to the shop's own introduction, the family that ran Cha-teul reopened this year in a new space under the name Haeon. (The original Cha-teul is also still operating separately at its old location.)

I went looking for somewhere to take a friend visiting Korea and ended up falling for it myself, so here's the review~

Location

📍 See the map below

[Map: Haeon / 6 Samcheong-ro 4-gil, 1F, Jongno-gu, Seoul]

10 minutes on foot from Anguk Station, 15 minutes on foot from Gyeongbokgung Palace. From Gyeongbokgung Station, a village bus gets you there quickly.

☑ How to find it (it's in a back alley, but this is all you need)

Walking up Samcheong-ro, you'll see a black glass building with DANIEL'S TRUTH written large across it, and next to it an open-air parking lot with a mural wall (Pureun Girin Parking).

Where that parking lot ends, turn into the alley on the right and Haeon is right there. Even if your map app stops at the main road, just remember "end of the parking lot → alley on the right" and you can't miss it.

It sits between Bukchon Hanok Village and Jeongdok Library, so it slots perfectly into the middle of a Jongno day out.

☑ Nearby Bukchon Hanok Village / Jeongdok Library / MMCA Seoul / National Folk Museum Seoul Museum of Craft Art / Gyeongbokgung / Changdeokgung / Insadong / Seochon / Tongin Market Gwanghwamun / Cheonggyecheon / Gwangjang Market

Opening Info

🕒 Hours and facilities

📍 Address: 6 Samcheong-ro 4-gil, 1F, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Hwa-dong)
🕐 Hours: Daily 11:00 – 21:00
📞 Phone: 0507-1316-0688
🚗 Parking: No dedicated lot; Pureun Girin Parking right in front (paid) or nearby public lots
👶 Kids: Welcome
🐶 Pets: Welcome
📶 Wi-Fi: Yes (details on the card at each table)
☑ Waiting: Write your name and number on the list and they'll call you (no app reservations)
☑ One order per person; 2-hour limit when the place is full

Every table has a card like this. It says both kids and pets are welcome, and just asks guardians to keep an eye on them for other guests' sake. Traditional tea houses that allow both kids and pets are rare, so this is a real plus.

Exterior

🏔 The view from outside

It's a renovated house the owner's family used to live in, so from the outside it looks exactly like an old Samcheong-dong home. Only the first floor is used as the café.

There are small gardens in front of and behind the café, with onggi jars and trees, so there's plenty to look at while you wait. Good for photos too.

There's a wait on weekend afternoons. I only waited briefly on my first visit, but word has already spread on social media, so the lines seem to be getting longer.

Interior

🖼 Interior and atmosphere

When you walk in, the owner shows you to a seat. The staff are all friendly too, so it was comfortable from start to finish.

They kept the layout of the house, so instead of one big hall there are several rooms. Each room has a different view out the window, and the innermost room has a mother-of-pearl cabinet taking up a whole wall.

About 10 tables in total, better for groups of 2–4 than large parties. The window seat by the entrance is the most popular, so you'll need some luck to get it.

The renovation was done with real taste, so it's an old house with no worn-out feeling. I saw foreign guests staring out the window at the onggi jars for a good while.

Menu & Prices

[Note] As of the posting date (in KRW)

The menu has four parts. ceremony: leaf, flower and grain teas brewed in a teapot original: traditional teas that are simmered variation: tea-based lattes and drinks dessert: traditional sweets, mainly rice cakes and hangwa

ceremony (leaf · flower · grain teas)

Menu	Korean	Price	Menu description
Ujeon Green Tea	우전 녹차	15,000	Young spring leaves, a clean and soft first sip
Hwangcha	황차	13,000	Semi-fermented, gently roasty and sweet aroma, little astringency
Hojicha	호지차	13,000	Nutty roasted leaves with subtle sweetness, a warm tea
Persimmon Leaf Tea	감잎차	11,000	Vitamin-rich fresh leaf aroma, calming
Hovenia Fruit Tea	헛개나무열매	11,000	Mild sweetness and nuttiness with a distinctive chocolate note
Nurungji Sejak	누룽지 세작	11,000	Green tea aroma + nutty scorched-rice flavor, toasty and easy-drinking
Jeju Summer Tangerine	제주하귤	11,000	Fragrant fruit aroma and refreshing sweetness, cold-brewed and crisp
Buckwheat Tea	메밀차	11,000	Roasted-grain nuttiness and clean simplicity
Magnolia Tea	목련	11,000	Elegant aroma of the "queen of the forest" with a tingling sweetness
Cherry Blossom Tea	벚꽃	11,000	Sweet, tart and slightly bitter, the feel of spring
Marigold Tea	금송화	11,000	Golden color, fragrant sweet aroma, nutty finish
Cockscomb Flower Tea	맨드라미	11,000	Red flower, faint grassy aroma then a clean, nutty finish
Chrysanthemum Tea	국화	11,000	The feel of autumn, a noble fragrance with a clean, refreshing sweetness

Nurungji Sejak and Jeju Summer Tangerine were new items freshly added to the menu. (Red Ginseng Tangerine Peel and Quince & Dalbae, which used to be in those spots, are gone.)

original (traditional teas)

Menu	Korean	hot / ice	Price	Menu description
Ssanghwa Tea	쌍화	hot only	9,000	Warming herbal tea for energy and fatigue, strained through hemp cloth for a rich flavor
Jujube Tea	대추	hot / ice	9,000	Mild sweetness and deep jujube flavor, strained through hemp cloth so it's rich but not thick
Omija Tea	오미자	hot / ice	7,000	Spicy, sour, sweet, bitter and salty Mungyeong omija; Haeon's signature tea, recommended iced
Bokbunja Iced Tea	복분자	ice only	8,000	The rich flavor of ripe Korean black raspberry, served cold
Quince Tea	모과	hot / ice	8,000	Quince, good for the throat, with a sweet honey note

variation (lattes and drinks)

Menu	Korean	hot / ice	Price	Menu description
O-Berry	오베리	ice only	7,500	Cold-brewed omija + aged strawberry syrup, two aromas in one sweet-tart drink
Yeonjeong	연정	ice only	7,500	Omija + milk, smooth and tangy like yogurt, named after the person who created it
Ssuk-Einspanner	쑥슈페너	ice only	7,500	Subtle mugwort aroma and slight bitterness with milk and cream, a deep-flavored latte
Matcha Latte	말차라떼	hot / ice	7,500	Whisked matcha's rich nuttiness + soft milk
Hojicha Latte	호지라떼	hot / ice	7,500	Roasted hojicha aroma + milk, a cozy latte
Oat milk swap	+Oat Milk	matcha and hojicha lattes only	+500

dessert

According to the menu, the dessert bases contain no wheat flour or eggs (the tiramisu sponge is the exception). If you have allergies, please check with the staff before ordering.

Menu	Korean	Price	Menu description
Sweet Pumpkin Steamed Rice Cake	단호박시루떡	10,000	Steamed to order and served hot, clean and subtly sweet
Red Bean & Cream Cheese Rice Cake	단팥크림치즈시루떡	11,000	Freshly steamed rice cake with sweet red bean and cream cheese, sweet and soft
Ssuk Tiramisu	쑥티라미수	8,000	Korean mugwort aroma + mascarpone and vanilla cream, melts softly
Ang Butter Nurungji	앙버터누룽지	6,000	Nutty scorched rice + sweet-salty red bean and butter, crisp and rich
Jeju Gyul	제주귤	6,000	Crush the tangerine and soak it in honey for a sweet-tart, textured treat
Traditional Hangwa	한과	5,000	Sweetness of Korean rice and grain syrup, crisp then nutty and soft
Red Bean Porridge	단팥죽	9,000	100% Korean red beans and glutinous rice, rich and softly sweet (not served Jun–Sep)
Red Bean Shaved Ice	팥빙수	11,000	Korean red beans + fine milk ice, soft and deeply sweet (Jun–Sep only)
Omija Shaved Ice	오미자빙수	10,000	Milk ice + house-made omija syrup, crisp and refreshing (Jun–Sep only)

Shaved ice is limited to 30 servings a day, so it's one per table.

Every table has its own menu, and each tea comes with a tasting description, so it's easy to choose even if you don't know the names. Everything has an English name too, so you won't need to explain anything to friends from abroad.

What I Ordered

📋 See the items below

Chrysanthemum Tea

11,000 won

The menu describes it as "the feel of autumn, a noble fragrance with a clean, refreshing sweetness that lingers," and that's exactly what it is.

Whole chrysanthemum blossoms sit in a glass teapot, and you can re-steep them several times with hot water. The aroma is subtle and the finish is clean. The brewing itself is something to watch, so it's a good one to start with when you bring friends from abroad.

Sweet Pumpkin Steamed Rice Cake

10,000 won

It's steamed after you order, so it takes about 15 minutes. Subtle pumpkin aroma, chewy yet clean-tasting. A bit pricey, but it's big, so it's perfect for two to share.