Cafe Sunbike (Jeju-si)
Review by Rachel Brooks, ETA 2014-2016 City: Jeju-si Restaurant Name: Cafe Sunbike (카페 썬바이크) Foods Served: coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, burritos, and more Restaurant Address: 제주특별자치도 제주시 연북로 527 1층 Cafe Sunbike Directions: A short walk from Jungang Girls’ High School, the cafe is catty-corner from the CGV movie theater. Cost: around 5,000 – 12,000 won for a beverage and food item After hearing positive things about Cafe Sunbike from word-of-mouth, I had been itching to visit and finally went with a friend last semester. A cafe that doubles as a bike shop, Cafe Sunbike quickly became one of my favorite coffee shops. The menu boasts an impressive selection of beverages and food items, and you can check out bicycle parts while you wait for your order. With a sporty, youthful vibe, Cafe Sunbike’s beverages are surprisingly affordable considering you get to keep the water bottle that contains certain beverages, including the smoothies, frappes, and smoothies. For a mere 500 won extra, you can upgrade other beverages, like the coffee selection, to include the water bottle keepsake. The establishment has your typical coffee and tea choices as well as ades, pongdang lattes, smoothies, and frappes. Quench your thirst with a blue lemonade, apple mango, green grape, or grapefruit ade for 5,000 won, and strawberry, mango, and blueberry smoothies are available for 5,500 won each. For 6,000 won, choose from strawberry, blueberry, or mango pongdang lattes, which combine fruit, ice, and milk. My friend’s strawberry smoothie was milk-based, so the taste was delightfully creamy and reminiscent of strawberry milk in slushie form. Frappes cost between 5,500 to 5,800 won, and the flavor options are chocolate, green tea, cookies and cream, and vanilla. I was pleasantly surprised by rich, tiny chocolate chunks in my chocolate frappe. Both my friend and I were impressed with the high quality tastes and textures. If your sweet tooth is especially large, the massive strawberry or chocolate banana “triple tower” beverages feature a mix of yogurt smoothie, fruit, and lots of chocolate. Food options range from sweet to savory. Depending on your mood, you can top your honey bread with caramel, blueberry, strawberry, or garlic flavors. After much deliberation, my friend and I ordered the blueberry honey bread to share and were ecstatic when it arrived with generous helpings of whipped cream and blueberry topping. Other food includes bulgogi, ham and egg, or maple ciabatta as well as sausage, chicken, or bulgogi burritos for between 4,000 and 5,000 won. A short walk from a Megabox theater, the cafe is spacious and clean. It employs a friendly staff, and an English translation of everything on the menu is readily available. While my friend and I visit in the evenings after school, Cafe Sunbike opens at 8am, so it’s the perfect place to stop by for anything from a boost of caffeine in the morning to a sweet treat after work.