Orangerie, the huge cafe with a botanical garden

These days, large cafes are gaining their popularity in Korea. A driver of this trend is the new phenomenon that Koreans think Cafes are not just a place to drink a cup of coffee, but a complex cultural space where they can enjoy its atmosphere beyond their routine daily life.  Almost a month ago, I had a chance to visit a special themed cafe named Orangerie (오랑주리) that has a botanical garden inside its building in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do. There are lots of people who came here by driving car only to visit this place. This cafe was not just a cafe, but a hot tour spot for them.

 

According to its official Instagram, it is the largest greenhouse garden cafe in Korea, and there are 139 parking lots including two lots dedicated to the diabled.

- Operation Hour 11:00-21:00 (everyday)
- Parking time limitation: Weekdays (All day), Weekends and holidays (2 hours) 
- Small dogs under 10kg allowed
https://www.instagram.com/orangerie_official

This cafe building is on a hill, surrounded by green nature. At first, I was surprised by the size of the building, and then impressed by the elaborately landscaped front garden, which raised my expectations toward the inside of the building. Once I stepped inside the cafe, I started wondering how the owner of this cafe came to build this cafe here. How much did it cost to buy this huge land and construct this multi-floored cafe building? Are there any similar themed cafes abroad?  Soon, I was busy looking for my kids who were exploring around here and there. They might feel like they're adventuring in a jungle. 

The counter you can order beverages and desserts

As you can see, the price of each menu is quite expensive compared to that of cafes in Seoul, but if you 

Although many people complain about the price of the menu, I think the prices are reasonable if I consider a drink as a bonus to the botanic garden's admission ticket. Among the menus I tried, coconut mango smoothie was a tempting drink with soft cool cream and sweet mango syrup. My kids loved it too. The taste of Rainbow cake was as good as its colorful presentation, so I had to order one more piece of cake. 

Decorated edible flowers on the fruit juices. Look at the tempting color of Mango smothie.

 

A pool of water in side the building?

 

Wherever you take a sit, you can look through the whole glass walls at the indoor garden.

 

There was a firewood stove actually used here in winter.

Children are busy exploring from place to place, jumping on stepping stones without resting.

For a while, kids were around the pond where colorful arm sized carp were swimming.

There were tables outside as well, so guests could enjoy the scenery outside.

As I got out of the cafe and drove down Gisan-ro, I could see many restaurants and hotels. Soon I realzied this area is near Majang Reservoir, one of tourist destinations. ForetM, which is cafe & restaurant, stood out among them for its European appearance and spacious building size. Next time I have a chance to visit this area around I want to visit this cafe & restaurant.

 

source from Foret M instagram