Gwanganli in the summer is one of those places where you want to be near the water but not necessarily in the heat all day.
I’d spent the morning at Gwanganli Beach β swimming, walking through the SpongeBob photo zones, doing the usual summer routine β but by early afternoon, the sun had won. I needed somewhere indoors with air conditioning, a view, and ideally something to eat.
That’s how I ended up at Tea & Books, a Gwanganli ocean view cafe on the 8th floor of the Badamaru building. What I expected to be a quick coffee stop turned into a three-hour stay. The space was bigger than I imagined, the Gwangan Bridge was right there through the windows, and the menu went well beyond drinks.
Tea & Books sits on the 8th floor of the Badamaru building in Suyeong-gu, directly facing Gwanganli Beach and the Gwangan Diamond Bridge. The cafe occupies roughly 300 square meters β far larger than any other cafe I’ve seen in the Gwanganli area. It’s technically a book cafe with manga, novels, magazines, and children’s books, but since the collection is in Korean, the real draw for international visitors is the space itself: the elevated ocean view, the variety of seating options, the fact that you can order actual meals, and on Saturday nights, a front-row seat to the Gwanganli drone show without leaving your chair.
Table of Contents
The Blueprint: Location and Entry Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Name | Tea & Books Gwanganli |
| Address | Badamaru 8F, 29 Millak-subyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan |
| Hours | Daily 10:00 AM β 11:00 PM |
| Getting there | Bus: Get off at Millak-dong Golmok Market or Gwangan Nonghyeop, then walk ~7 min. Metro: Gwangan Station, ~23 min walk |
| Parking | Free underground parking behind the building (up to 4 hours with package purchase) |
The Package System: How to Rent Your Time
Think of it less like a quiet public library and more like a premium Korean “comic book cafe” (manhwa-bang) β a cultural space designed for lounging, eating comfort food, and relaxing in private pods. Nobody’s whispering, nobody’s judging you for ordering ramyeon, and lying down with a book is the whole point.
Beyond coffee and tea, the menu covers croffles, toast, fried rice, ramyeon, and smoothies β more than most ocean view cafes offer.
Tea & Books runs on a package system: you pay for a time block that includes one drink from the basic menu (americano, iced tea, black tea, or herbal tea). If you want something different, you pay the difference to upgrade.
| Package | Price (KRW) | Price (USD) | Price (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | β©8,000 | ~$5.35 | ~β¬4.50 |
| 2 hours | β©10,000 | ~$6.70 | ~β¬5.65 |
| 3 hours | β©12,000 | ~$8 | ~β¬6.80 |
| 4 hours | β©14,000 | ~$9.35 | ~β¬7.90 |
| All-day pass (weekdays only, 10 AM β 11 PM) | β©25,000 | ~$16.70 | ~β¬14.15 |
If you go over your time, it’s β©500 (~$0.35) per 10 minutes β so there’s no pressure to rush out mid-chapter. I went with the 3-hour package and upgraded my drink to a lemonade.
One practical note that matters in Gwanganli: free parking is included for the duration of your package, up to 4 hours. Finding parking-friendly cafes in this area is surprisingly hard, so if you’re driving, this is a genuine advantage.
300 Square Meters of Panoramic Views: The Seating Layout
The first thing that hits you when you step out of the elevator is the scale. This isn’t a cozy corner cafe β it’s a wide, open floor with floor-to-ceiling windows looking straight out at the Gwangan Diamond Bridge and the ocean. At 300 square meters, it’s closer in size to a co-working space than a typical Korean cafe.
The book collection spans manga, general fiction, and children’s titles, with new additions every month.
The seating options are what make it flexible:
- Ocean view lounges β reclined seating by the window where you can stretch out and look at the water
- Cave-style nooks β enclosed spaces where you can lie down and read or just zone out
- Private rooms β quieter individual booths for focus
- Family rooms β for groups of 3 or more
- Study rooms β for groups of 4 or more with table seating
- Open tables β standard seating throughout
I arrived hoping for a window seat, but those were already taken. I settled into a corner nook instead, and never felt the urge to move. The interior is calm β dark tones, indirect lighting, no loud music β and comfortable enough that three hours passed without me checking the time.
Beyond Coffee: Comfort Food and Instant Ramyeon
Most ocean view cafes in Gwanganli stop at coffee and cake. Tea & Books goes further.
Having lunch without leaving the cafe means you can genuinely spend half a day here without stepping outside.
The menu includes full meals β fried rice (kimchi and octopus varieties), sausage plates, and ramyeon β alongside the usual cafe lineup of lattes, smoothies, croffles, and toast. I ordered a jjapaguri (Korean black bean ramyeon) and a kimchi fried rice, and both were solid enough to count as a real lunch. Having the option to eat without leaving means you can spend half a day here without stepping outside.
If you’d rather eat a proper sit-down meal before arriving, HETZ is a good option. It’s a tonkatsu restaurant near Gwangan Station β about a 1-minute walk from Exit 4 β where locals queue even on weekdays for premium pork cutlets. Eat there first, then head to Tea & Books for the afternoon.
The Ultimate Cheat Code for the Saturday Drone Show
Here’s the detail that most guides miss entirely: Tea & Books is one of the best indoor spots to watch the Gwanganli M Drone Light Show.
The show runs every Saturday night at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM, and since the cafe faces the ocean directly from the 8th floor, you get an unobstructed, elevated view of the drones forming shapes over the water β all from an air-conditioned room with a drink in your hand.
To secure a prime window seat for the 8:00 PM show, aim to arrive by 6:00 PM β 6:30 PM at the latest. Grab a 3 or 4-hour package, order some dinner, and enjoy the transition from twilight to showtime. By 7:00 PM on Saturdays, window seats are usually gone.
On Friday evenings, there’s another option worth knowing about: the Millak Ocean Cinema screens movies outdoors by the sea for just β©3,000 (~$2 / ~β¬1.70), with a full refund if you show any Gwanganli receipt. Between the drone show on Saturdays and the cinema on Fridays, you could fill two nights of entertainment without spending much.
Who Fits This Space Best?
Tea & Books fits a surprisingly wide range of situations:
- Solo travelers looking for a comfortable spot to kill time between plans β the nooks and private rooms make it easy to settle in alone
- Couples who want an ocean view date without the noise of a beachside restaurant
- Families with kids β the children’s books and family rooms keep younger visitors occupied
- Anyone arriving before hotel check-in β if you’re in Gwanganli early and your room isn’t ready, three hours here is a better use of time than wandering in the heat
Wrapping Up
I went in expecting to stay an hour and stayed three. The combination of the 8th-floor view, the size of the space, and the fact that I could eat a real meal without leaving made it easy to lose track of time. Next time I’d go on a Saturday, book the all-day pass, and claim a window seat early enough to watch the drone show from the comfort of an armchair.
If you’re after a more intimate, garden-style cafe experience rather than a large open space, VACA Coffee Lounge is about a 10-minute walk from here. It’s a neighborhood spot known for its orange americano and housemade pudding, with an indoor garden that sets it apart from the chains.
For a Gwanganli ocean view cafe that goes beyond the usual coffee-and-cake formula, Tea & Books earns its spot. If you’re staying nearby, Gwangalli W Hotel is right on the beachfront with direct bridge views and a lower price point than most oceanfront hotels β a solid base for a full Gwanganli day that starts at the beach and ends on the 8th floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tea & Books Gwanganli?
Tea & Books is a large ocean view cafe on the 8th floor of the Badamaru building in Gwanganli, Busan. It occupies roughly 300 square meters and offers direct views of the Gwangan Diamond Bridge and the ocean. It operates on a timed package system that includes a drink, and also serves full meals like fried rice and ramyeon. The space includes various seating types such as ocean view lounges, private rooms, family rooms, and enclosed nooks.
How much does it cost to visit Tea & Books?
Packages start at β©8,000 (~$5.35 / ~β¬4.50) for 1 hour and go up to β©14,000 (~$9.35 / ~β¬7.90) for 4 hours. Each package includes one basic drink (americano, iced tea, black tea, or herbal tea). A weekday-only all-day pass is available for β©25,000 (~$16.70 / ~β¬14.15), covering 10 AM to 11 PM. If you exceed your time, the charge is β©500 (~$0.35) per 10 minutes.
Can I watch the Gwanganli drone show from Tea & Books?
Yes. Since the cafe is on the 8th floor and faces the ocean directly, it offers an unobstructed elevated view of the Gwanganli M Drone Light Show, which runs every Saturday at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. Window seats fill up early on Saturdays, so arriving ahead of time and booking a longer package is recommended.
Does Tea & Books serve food or only drinks?
In addition to coffee, tea, smoothies, and desserts (croffles, toast, honey butter buns), the menu includes full meals such as kimchi fried rice, octopus fried rice, sausage plates, and ramyeon. It’s one of the few Gwanganli ocean view cafes where you can have a proper meal without leaving.
Is there parking at Tea & Books?
Yes. Free underground parking is available behind the Badamaru building, included for the duration of your package up to a maximum of 4 hours. This is a notable advantage since parking-friendly cafes are rare in the Gwanganli area.
How do I get to Tea & Books by public transport?
By bus, get off at the Millak-dong Golmok Market or Gwangan Nonghyeop stop and walk about 7 minutes. By metro, Gwangan Station on Line 2 is about a 23-minute walk. The bus is the more practical option if you’re not driving.
Are the books in English?
The book collection β manga, novels, magazines, and children’s books β is primarily in Korean. However, the main appeal for international visitors is the space itself: the 8th-floor ocean view, the variety of seating options, the ability to eat full meals, and the Saturday drone show viewing from indoors. New titles are added monthly, and browsing the manga and photo-heavy magazines can still be enjoyable regardless of language.