Source: https://heyseorak.com/spots/aruna
Last-Updated: 2026-06-17

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# ARUNA (아루나)

> Say the romanized name when ordering. Staff will understand even if your pronunciation isn't perfect.

Category: cafe | Type: drink, eat | Area: beach | Price range: moderate
Address: 85 Cheonghohaean-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do
Phone: 070-4408-8585
Hours: Mon 09:00–19:00, Tue 09:00–17:00, Wed–Sun 09:00–19:00 (Open year-round. Tuesday closes earlier at 17:00; most other days close at 19:00. Confirm same-day hours before a late visit.)
English menu available: Yes

## Trust and freshness
- Verification: interview / 2026-06-03
- Menu freshness: updated 2026-06-03T04:23:09.682+00:00

ARUNA is a sea-facing cafe a short walk from Sokcho Beach, run by an owner who understands travel because she has lived it herself: Canada for school, a year of backpacking in her twenties, temple-stay interpreting, and years teaching English before coffee became her own space. The first floor looks straight toward the East Sea, but the real move is upstairs — on a clear day, the rooftop frames both Ulsanbawi Rock and the water. Six straight years in Korea's Blue Ribbon Survey and a cabinet of handmade desserts make this feel less like a random beach cafe and more like a careful stop worth building into the day.

Pro tip: Ask for the rooftop if the weather is clear; many visitors miss it, but it is the best place to see the sea and Ulsanbawi in one pause. If you care about coffee, start with the Americano or Classic Latte — ARUNA uses specialty-grade beans and will discard a bad extraction rather than serve it.

## Story

### How it started
ARUNA opened in April 2020, exactly when COVID was closing the world down. The timing looked terrible on paper, but it carried a strange kind of luck: the narrow lane in front of the building, once small enough that only handcarts passed through, had just been rebuilt into a road in 2019. The owner was also returning with a traveler's eye — middle school, high school, and university in Canada, a year of backpacking in her twenties, temple-stay interpreting for foreign guests, and work as a middle-school English teacher. Office life never fit her well, so she began studying coffee and turned her parents' seaside building into a place that could welcome travelers rather than just pass them through.

### Philosophy
The standard here is stricter than the easy beach-cafe version of coffee. ARUNA uses only specialty-grade beans, and the owner is preparing to roast single-origin coffee herself rather than outsourcing that identity forever. When an extraction goes wrong, it does not get hidden under milk or syrup; it gets discarded. The desserts follow the same logic: everything in the cabinet is handmade, not bought in as a backdrop for the view.

### Signature
ARUNA began with a deliberately small menu: Americano, Cafe Latte, herb tea, and homemade scones. At first, the coffee leaned toward the owner's own taste — bright acidity, clean extraction, fewer compromises. Over time she widened the menu for travelers who wanted more choice: nuttier coffee, vanilla bean lattes, peach iced tea, chocolate latte, fruit juices, handmade fruit teas, caneles, cookies, and cakes. That change did not lower the standard; it made the cafe easier for more kinds of guests to enjoy.

### Finding the place
The cafe sits on Cheonghohaean-gil, about five minutes on foot from Sokcho Beach and close to Sokcho Eye, Abai Village, and the coastal walking route. Do not stop at the first-floor window only. On a clear day, take your drink upstairs to the rooftop, where the view can hold both Ulsanbawi and the East Sea at once.

### Seasonal notes
The fruit-juice board changes with the season, and the handmade dessert cabinet is more reliable than the exact lineup. If the weather is windy, rainy, or too hot, the first-floor sea window is the safer choice; if the sky is clear, the rooftop is the reason to come.

### For international visitors
Foreign guests are already part of ARUNA's rhythm, especially on weekdays. The owner understands the feeling of travel herself, and English is not a problem: she studied in Canada, worked as a temple-stay interpreter for foreign visitors, and later taught English. One Australian retired-teacher couple returns regularly and even brought her a handmade travel booklet as a gift. The name helps too — ARUNA means dawn or early morning, shares roots with Bangkok's Wat Arun, and is also used as a woman's name in India, so travelers sometimes walk in surprised to find a cafe carrying their own name.

> 'I never compromise on taste or ingredients. If a shot is pulled wrong, I throw it out and extract it again.'

## Dietary Summary
- Total menu items: 31
- Common allergens: gluten, milk, egg, sesame

## Menu

### Coffee (커피)

- **A-me-ri-ka-no** (아메리카노) — ₩5,000–5,500 ⭐ Signature
  Specialty-grade espresso pulled clean and served long. Choose this if you want to taste ARUNA's coffee standard without milk or syrup.
  Serving: Hot ₩5,000 / iced ₩5,500. Decaf +₩1,000.
- **Keul-lae-sik Ra-tte** (클래식 라떼) — ₩5,500–6,000 ⭐ Signature
  Espresso and milk, kept simple so the beans still show through.
  Allergens: milk | Serving: Hot ₩5,500 / iced ₩6,000. Oat milk +₩600; decaf +₩1,000.
- **Ba-nil-la-bin Ra-tte** (바닐라빈 라떼) — ₩6,000–6,500 ⭐ Signature
  A latte sweetened with vanilla bean rather than a flat candy-like syrup.
  Ingredients: vanilla bean | Allergens: milk | Serving: Hot ₩6,000 / iced ₩6,500. Oat milk +₩600; decaf +₩1,000.
- **Seu-wit O-teu Ra-tte** (스윗오트라떼) — ₩6,000–6,500 ⭐ Signature
  A gently sweet oat-milk latte with a softer, rounder finish than the classic dairy version.
  Serving: Hot ₩6,000 / iced ₩6,500. Decaf +₩1,000.
- **Ma-ja-geu-ran** (마자그란) — ₩6,500
  A French-style iced lemon coffee: bright, chilled, and sharper than a normal iced Americano.
  Serving: Iced only.
- **Sya-ke-ra-tto** (샤케라또) — ₩6,500
  Italian-style espresso shaken cold until frothy.
  Serving: Iced only.
- **E-seu-peu-re-so** (에스프레소) — ₩5,000
  A straight shot for guests who want the coffee at full strength.
- **He-beun In E-seu-peu-re-so** (헤븐 인 에스프레소) — ₩5,000
  A dessert-style espresso drink from the menu board. Ask the staff for the current preparation.
- **O-neul-ui Pil-teo** (오늘의 필터) — ₩7,000–7,500
  A rotating hand-drip filter coffee. The photographed board showed Ethiopia Sidama Bensa.
  Serving: Hot ₩7,000 / iced ₩7,500. Bean origin may rotate.

### Non-Coffee (논커피)

- **Saeng-gwa-il Ju-seu** (생과일주스) — ₩9,500 ⭐ Signature
  A no-sugar seasonal fruit juice blended from fresh fruit.
  Serving: Seasonal. See the fruit-juice board for current blends.
- **Bok-sung-a A-i-seu-ti** (복숭아 아이스티) — ₩6,000
  A sweet peach iced tea for a lighter beach-day drink.
  Serving: Iced only.
- **Cho-ko Ra-tte** (초코라떼) — ₩6,000–6,500
  Steamed or iced chocolate milk, no coffee.
  Allergens: milk | Serving: Hot ₩6,000 / iced ₩6,500.
- **Mal-cha Ra-tte** (말차라떼) — ₩6,000–6,500
  Green-tea latte with milk; smoother and less sharp than coffee.
  Ingredients: matcha | Allergens: milk | Serving: Hot ₩6,000 / iced ₩6,500.

### Herb Tea (허브티)

- **Pol-ling In Leo-beu** (폴링인러브) — ₩5,500
  A tropical fruit-and-herb blend for guests who want something fragrant without coffee.
  Serving: Hot or iced.
- **Jin-jeo Re-mon** (진저레몬) — ₩5,500
  Warm ginger and bright lemon in a caffeine-free tea.
  Serving: Hot or iced.

### Handmade Sweet Fruit Tea (수제청)

- **Ttal-gi Re-mon** (딸기레몬) — ₩6,000–6,500
  House-made fruit syrup with strawberry and lemon. Order iced as an ade for a sparkling version.
  Ingredients: strawberry, lemon | Serving: Hot ₩6,000 / iced ade ₩6,500.
- **Pae-syeon Hu-reu-cheu** (패션후르츠) — ₩6,000–6,500
  House-made passion-fruit syrup. Order iced as an ade for a sparkling version.
  Ingredients: passion fruit | Serving: Hot ₩6,000 / iced ade ₩6,500.

### Seasonal Fresh Fruit Juice (생과일 주스)

- **Kae-rot Pa-in** (캐롯파인) — ₩9,500
  A no-sugar fresh juice blend from the seasonal board, built around carrot, mango, and pineapple.
  Ingredients: carrot, mango, pineapple | Serving: Seasonal fresh juice; availability can change.
- **Mang-go Ba-na-na O-ren-ji** (망고바나나오렌지) — ₩9,500
  A tropical no-sugar juice blend from the seasonal board.
  Ingredients: mango, banana, orange | Serving: Seasonal fresh juice; availability can change.
- **Ke-il King** (케일킹) — ₩9,500
  A green no-sugar juice blend from the seasonal board, with kale, mango, and pineapple.
  Ingredients: kale, mango, pineapple | Serving: Seasonal fresh juice; availability can change.

### Canele (까눌레)

- **O-ri-ji-neol Kka-nul-le** (오리지널 까눌레) — ₩5,800 ⭐ Signature
  A handmade canele with a dark caramelized shell and custard-like center.
  Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **Re-mon Kka-nul-le** (레몬 까눌레) — ₩5,800
  A handmade canele finished with lemon custard and lemon jam.
  Ingredients: lemon custard, lemon jam | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **Cho-ko Kka-nul-le** (초코 까눌레) — ₩5,800
  A chocolate canele with chocolate cream and a deeper cocoa finish.
  Ingredients: chocolate | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **Chi-jeu Kka-nul-le** (치즈 까눌레) — ₩5,800
  A cheese canele filled with rich cheese custard.
  Ingredients: cheese custard | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **Ok-su-su Kka-nul-le** (옥수수 까눌레) — ₩5,800
  A corn canele with sweet corn custard and corn kernels.
  Ingredients: corn custard, corn | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg

### Cake (케이크)

- **Bal-lo-na Da-keu-cho-ko** (발로나 다크초코) — ₩6,800 ⭐ Signature
  A handmade chocolate cake built around dark chocolate, for guests who want the least beach-cafe-generic dessert in the case.
  Ingredients: dark chocolate | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **Ttal-gi Chi-jeu** (딸기치즈) — ₩6,800
  Sweet-tart strawberry with soft cream cheese.
  Ingredients: strawberry, cream cheese | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **Sol-teu Ka-ra-mel** (솔트 카라멜) — ₩6,800
  A salted caramel cake with a sweet-salty finish.
  Ingredients: salted caramel | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg

### Handmade Cookies (수제쿠키)

- **Heuk-im-ja Twi-il** (흑임자 튀일) — ₩4,800
  A crisp handmade black-sesame cookie.
  Ingredients: black sesame | Allergens: gluten, egg, sesame
- **Deo-beul Cho-ko** (더블초코) — ₩4,800
  A handmade double-chocolate cookie.
  Ingredients: chocolate | Allergens: gluten, milk, egg
- **So-geum** (소금) — ₩4,800
  A handmade salt cookie with a simple sweet-salty profile.
  Allergens: gluten, milk, egg