The When the Camellia Blooms filming location in Guryongpo, Pohang, is one of the easiest K-drama stops to turn into a proper food trip. The fishing town on Korea’s east coast stood in for the drama’s fictional village of Ongsan, and the pub run by the heroine, Dongbaek, is now a cafe you can walk into. Add a street of preserved Japanese-era wooden houses and a harbor known for snow crab, and you get a half-day plan for drama fans who also want to eat well. This guide is research-based: it pulls together details from the Korea Tourism Organization (VisitKorea), local travel guides and map listings.
Quick facts
- Location: Guryongpo-eup, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do (east coast, about 10 km east of central Pohang).
- Nearest station: there is no subway. Take a KTX train to Pohang Station or an express bus to Pohang, then a local bus toward Guryongpo (details below).
- Camellia cafe hours (VisitKorea): Mon 09:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-20:00, Sun 08:00-19:00.
- Price range: Google Maps lists the cafe at about ₩1-10,000 per person (user-reported).
- Info last checked: October 11, 2026 (sources: VisitKorea, Google Maps, Wikivoyage, Best of Korea).
Why Guryongpo is a K-drama food stop
Guryongpo is a working fishing port, and VisitKorea’s Hallyu guide describes its Japanese House Street as the setting of the small, affectionate village of Ongsan in When the Camellia Blooms, the 2019 KBS drama. The same town also appears in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: local guides point to the Red Lighthouse and a few house locations in Guryongpo, while the market scenes were shot in nearby Cheongha. Because the drama locations sit among everyday shops, fish stalls and restaurants, it is easy to eat as you go.
Camellia in Guryongpo: the pub that is now a cafe
In the drama, Dongbaek’s bar is the place she keeps open against gossip and pressure. VisitKorea says the real building is now a select shop selling coffee, desserts and souvenirs, with a second floor where you can drink in a Japanese-style wooden building. The cafe’s name is Camellia in Guryongpo (까멜리아 인 구룡포), on Guryongpo-gil; VisitKorea lists the address as 133-1, while Google Maps pins it at 135-1, so search the Korean name in a map app to be safe.
What to order: VisitKorea highlights the Morning Toast and the Honey Americano. Climb to the second floor if there is a seat, since it is the part that feels most like the old pub. Treat it as a coffee-and-toast stop rather than a full meal.
Guryongpo Japanese House Street: what to see between bites
The street is the main attraction. VisitKorea gives its address as 277 Homi-ro and notes that walking in feels like traveling back more than a century. Pohang has preserved 47 Japanese-style houses here, and a modern history museum explains the story of Japanese fishermen who settled the port after an 1883 treaty. VisitKorea lists the museum at 10:00-17:30 (last entry 17:20) and closed on Mondays. The view over the fishing village from the park stairs is also a popular drama photo spot.
What to eat in Guryongpo: snow crab, mori noodles and gwamegi
Guryongpo is best known for snow crab (daege). A Best of Korea local guide says to look for the giant crab signs on the restaurant fronts. Ordering crab at a sit-down restaurant is usually a shared, higher-priced meal, so ask for the price before you sit and confirm what is included.
For something cheaper, try mori noodles (모리국수). Wikivoyage describes it as a Guryongpo specialty that began as the spicy noodles fishermen ate: a seafood kalguksu boiled with fish, shellfish and bean sprouts, often with anglerfish.
Gwamegi is the other local name to know. Wikipedia traces the semi-dried fish to the beaches of Guryongpo, where the sun by day and the sea breeze by night cured it, and the town has a Gwamegi Culture Museum that opened in 2016. It has a strong, chewy taste and is usually eaten wrapped in seaweed with sides, so it suits adventurous eaters.
How to get to Guryongpo from Pohang
From Seoul, the KTX reaches Pohang Station in roughly 2.5 hours according to a local guide, and express buses take about 3 hours 40 minutes. Guryongpo is east of the city and buses to it are infrequent. Travel guides list city bus 200 from the Pohang Intercity Bus Terminal to Guryongpo, and route 900 also runs toward Guryongpo. Routes change, so confirm the number and last bus back in Naver Map or KakaoMap, because Google Maps does not give reliable transit directions in Korea.
FAQ
Is the Camellia cafe the real pub from the drama?
VisitKorea says the building used as Dongbaek’s pub is now a cafe and select shop called Camellia in Guryongpo, where you can drink coffee on the second floor of a Japanese-style wooden building.
Can I do Guryongpo as a day trip from Seoul?
It is possible but long: roughly 2.5 hours each way by KTX to Pohang, plus a local bus. Most visitors spend a night in Pohang and give Guryongpo a half-day, ideally with the last bus back checked in advance.
Is Guryongpo only for drama fans?
No. It is a fishing town with a preserved historic street, a museum, snow crab restaurants and cafes, so food-focused travelers can enjoy it without having watched the drama.
Practical tips
Check opening hours and the last return bus before you go, and keep your travel card (T-money) loaded for buses. Order something at the cafe rather than only taking photos. This is a residential fishing town, so keep noise low in the lanes and photograph shops with permission. Ask the restaurant for the crab price and portion before ordering.
Guryongpo is a rare drama location where the set is a real working town, and the food is as good a reason to go as the screen time. Pair a Camellia coffee with a walk through the Japanese House Street, then finish with crab or a bowl of mori noodles by the harbor.
Official reference: VisitKorea’s page for Camellia in Guryongpo.
Keep exploring: Abai Village, Sokcho: the real Autumn in My Heart filming spot, the real Coffee Prince cafe in Seoul, and what to eat in Gyeongju. Learn more about this site on the About page.
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