The story
The owner studied journalism and broadcasting, then spent two to three years welcoming audiences at a performance venue. They liked service work but wanted a more direct hand in what they could offer a customer. Coffee became that work. After roughly eight years as a barista, mostly in Seoul and the surrounding region, they began looking for somewhere to open a cafe of their own.
What they stand for
Six months of looking around Sokcho led to Yeongnang-dong: close to the sea, with a quieter neighborhood rhythm. The owner imagined the modest, everyday warmth of the film Little Forest and a place that feels like a friend's small hideaway. The focus is espresso drinks and madeleines baked in-house. For the owner, making the desserts is part of deciding what the cafe tastes like, rather than simply choosing something to buy in.
Behind the signature
The Daughter Latte began with a memory of sharing coffee ice cream with their grandmother. Sweet espresso cream sits over a nut-based milk mixture, bringing that familiar coffee-and-milk taste into an iced drink. The lemon madeleine is the other starting point: made fresh in-house, with lemon zest. The menu also offers potato and cheese, fig and cream cheese, and pistachio versions. At the time of the interview, the owner described baking around 20 to 30 madeleines a day across four flavors.
Local tip
Find the ground-floor cafe at the approach to Lighthouse Beach, opposite Byeolmi Sundaeguk. The shop asks visitors not to stop or park directly outside; street parking is available toward the beach along the side road. This is a stop for a coffee and something small before or after time by the sea.
For travelers
The owner is used to welcoming visitors with short English phrases and gestures. One visiting family stopped for potato madeleines, ordered no drinks, and left after only a few minutes. That brief visit stayed in the owner's memory alongside the slower coffee visits. It is an anecdote, not a promise about minimum-order rules.
