Having afternoon at a traditional teahouse is one of the best things to do in Insadong. Unfortunately I always have problems locating the ones I used to visit, so I end up visiting a different teahouse every trip!
Dochae Bido Banhan Tea House is one of those surreptitious finds that happened when I tried to find a good teahouse on Naver Maps. It had pretty good ratings & reviews, so I thought it was worth a shot.
Compared to other teahouses in the area (like Shin Old Teahouse and Jeontong Dawon), this was a lot smaller and consequently a lot more crowded.
Based on my experience, most teahouses offer pretty similar menus. You can look forward to the usual Korean tea options such as jujube, omija, red tea, ginseng tea etc.
As we visited during the colder autumn months, we all opted for hot tea. I ordered the hot omija tea, which typically comes with a tart taste.
Each drink comes with complimentary yugwa (dessert made from glutinous rice fried and coated in honey, puffed rice and sesame seeds) and pistachio nuts.
The yugwa is a tad small though, so if you’re feeling peckish or want a bigger portion, you’d have to order a small plate like we did.
Is Dochae Bido Banhan Tea House worth visiting?
While the food and beverage options were on par with those of other teahouses, what I found pretty lacking was the atmosphere. Granted, the location was renovated and furnished in the likes of traditional teahouses. However, it seemed to suffer from the fact that it was way too popular.
It attracts lots of crowds because there’s a lot of foot traffic near Ssamzigil, but the space clearly could not accommodate all the customers without sacrificing on comfort. It felt very cramped and the noise level was rather high from all the chatter, which wasn’t the most conducive for an afternoon of quiet relaxation.
I don’t think I’ll come back here again the next time I’m in Insadong – will probably check out new teahouses or stick to the others I’ve tried & liked!
DIRECTIONS
Address: 45, Insadong-Gil, Seoul South Korea
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