Today, I visited Green Eats, a brunch café in Hongnong-eup, Yeonggwang, with a close friend.
We went for a late lunch and ordered shrimp rosé pasta and ham kimchi pilaf. After eating, we stayed for an iced Americano and an iced toffee nut latte.
What surprised me most was the value. The prices were lower than I expected, and the portions were more generous than I had imagined.
It was nice to enjoy both lunch and coffee in one place, without having to go anywhere else.
Perhaps because we visited a little later than the usual lunchtime, the atmosphere felt just right.
It was a pleasant place to spend time with a friend, and I wanted to share a few photos from our visit.
Green Eats in Hongnong-eup
Green Eats sits along Hongnong-ro in Yeonggwang County.
From outside, the white brick walls, red door, and a sign reading “BRUNCH CAFE” make it easy to recognize.
Plants stand near the entrance, and a large menu banner gives passersby an idea of what is served inside.
For foreign travelers, “café” might suggest somewhere that mainly serves coffee and dessert.
In Korea, however, some cafés also offer enough food for a full lunch or dinner.
Green Eats is one of those places. Its menu includes Western-style dishes such as pasta and burgers alongside rice dishes with Korean flavors.
Today’s Lunch: Shrimp Rosé Pasta and Ham Kimchi Pilaf
For this visit, my two meal choices were shrimp rosé pasta and ham kimchi pilaf.
Rosé pasta is a familiar item on many Korean café menus. The name usually refers to a creamy, tomato-based sauce.
Ham kimchi pilaf takes the meal in a different direction, combining rice with the familiar Korean ingredients of kimchi and ham.
Seeing pasta and a kimchi rice dish on the same menu is a small example of how casual food in Korea mixes different influences.
I was expecting an ordinary café-sized meal, so the portions genuinely surprised me.
The prices were also more affordable than I had expected.
Those two things made the meal particularly memorable, although I didn’t photograph the dishes clearly enough to show them in detail here.
Inside the Café
The interior had light-colored walls, wooden chairs and tables, and a long cushioned bench beside several small white tables.
There were framed posters on the wall, potted plants, and warm lighting above the seating area.
One section was separated by white and lace curtains, with lower tables and floor cushions beyond the entrance to that space.
It is a different seating arrangement from the tables and chairs in the main room.
These little differences in seating and decoration were part of what I wanted to capture in the photographs.
We had arrived for a late lunch, and whether it was the timing or simply the space itself, the atmosphere felt especially comfortable to me.
Coffee After the Meal
After our late lunch, we stayed in the same café for two drinks: an iced Americano and an iced toffee nut latte.
The Americano came in a tall clear glass with ice.
The dark coffee and the droplets of condensation stood out against the wooden table.
The iced toffee nut latte was served in another tall glass, this one decorated with small colorful shapes.
You can also see part of the table and a dish behind it in the photograph.
Being able to enjoy lunch and coffee without changing locations was one of the best parts of the visit.
We could simply stay at the table and enjoy the rest of our time together.
A Small Look at Everyday Korea
Visitors to South Korea often look for famous restaurants and big-city cafés.
But a small-town brunch café can offer another kind of glimpse into everyday life in rural Korea.
For me, Green Eats was a pleasant surprise: more affordable than I expected, generous portions, and a comfortable atmosphere for a late lunch with a friend.
Being able to have coffee after the meal in the same place made the visit even easier.
If you happen to travel through the Yeonggwang area, a local café like this can be a simple way to experience a different side of Korea, away from the larger cities.
Green Eats (그린잇츠)
Address: 457-10 Hongnong-ro, Hongnong-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, South Korea.
Opening hours and menu prices can change, so check the latest information before visiting.