Clay Crown Is A Garden Cafe With A Glass Greenhouse & Cactus Pots

Clay Crown Cafe in Chonburi

Brick walls certainly add homely touches to tranquil cafes skirting the city – perfect spots to chill at with a cup of Joe in hand, while rushing out that piece of work you’ve been sitting on. On the other hand, a coffee shop disguised as a beautiful garden is the perfect place to wind down, and catch your breath from the hectic cityscape.

Well, Clay Crown is a cafe that has both. Sitting pretty amidst nature in Chonburi, this aesthetic bistro houses a dreamy glass greenhouse and adorable teensy cactus pots for you to cop.

We’ll take you on a tour around the sprawling premises so you can bookmark this bistro for a visit once dine-ins are allowed again.

More picturesque cafes:

Garden-themed cafe with a glass greenhouse around an actual tree

When it comes to cafe concepts, we’ve more or less seen it all. But dining spaces that are designed to accentuate their natural surroundings organically, make for rather convincing places to add to our bucket lists.

Clay Crown may just be the answer for all you cacti-loving, green-fingered city folk, looking for respite from the concrete pavements and grey walls of Bangkok’s central city. Resting beside a lake in Bang Saen – Chonburi – it’s a cafe enveloped by a house full of exotic plants – just an hour’s drive away from Bangkok.

The eatery is basically a hidden gem in Chonburi with a ‘Secret Garden’
Image credit: Clay Crown

Upon stepping into Clay Crown, visitors will be greeted with the glass greenhouse, which is – hands down – the highlight of any visit.

Image credit: Clay Crown

Besides the light reflecting off the clear panels on the roof, visitors can expect rows of little cacti and a quaint indoor seating area.

Take home mini-cactus pots to start your own gardens from ฿200

Before we get into what’s on the menu, you’d definitely want to feast your eyes on the green – non-vegetable, non-edible – plants on sale here.

Though you can’t exactly bring home the tree right in the centre of the greenhouse, scattered around in every corner are various types of cactus plants in different shapes and sizes.

Image credit: Clay Crown

Colourful mini-cacti in teensy pots will make for a great photo-op, or prickly take-home companion if you so fancy, to spruce up any apartment or office space.

Image credit: Wongnai

Prices range from ฿200 (~USD6) to ฿5,000 (~USD150), so do check the tag carefully before deciding which one is worth making a commitment to.

We’d expect limited seats in this smol greenhouse to fill up fast – once dine-ins are allowed – but for now, let’s take a detour back to the main dining area which is housed in a brick-walled main building.

Weathered brick-walled central building houses a homely dining space

Image credit: Clay Crown

What immediately strikes us upon approaching the main building is the lovingly weathered brick wall facade – which, as it turns out, isn’t a faux wall at all.

Image credit: Clay Crown

Made of actual inlaid bricks for that oh-so-cosy cottage feel – all the cafe lacks is a fireplace with crackling logs, to whisk us away to the countryside.

Guests can also expect to be greeted by warm mahogany tables, paired with industrial grade chairs, domed windows and hanging metal lamps. Seating options aplenty, it seems.

If you’re not so keen on picking a seat indoors – some of us have had enough of staying within four walls this past year – head out the connecting doors to the central atrium to explore their not-so-secret aquatic feature.

Alfresco dining area with a koi pond for that sweet ‘gram photo op

Image credit: Clay Crown

Whether you’re scouring the premises for a toilet, or simply conflicted on whether to dine al fresco or indoors, you’ll probably chance upon several photogenic spots for you to feature on the ‘gram. This rustic koi pond sandwiched between the two main buildings, for instance.

Image credit: Clay Crown

Or this private nook, tucked away behind the glass greenhouse for an uninterrupted OOTD shot against an actual brick wall.

In short, to make your drive here worth it – definitely explore every nook and cranny of the space behind the glasshouse, just round the corner of the main building.

Now that we’re all set on whether to bask in the sun, or lounge indoors in optimum aircon temperatures, we shall bravely venture forth to dissect the menu.

Literal cheeseboard cheesecakes and cups of Americano Honey Lemon

Image credit: Clay Crown

Clay Crown’s drink offerings include what you’d usually expect, lattes, caramel macchiatos, assorted teas, and all the trappings of a typical cafe’s menu.

Image credit: Clay Crown

But we’ll like to draw your focus to one drink we’re particularly intrigued by, their signature Iced Americano Honey Lemon. A blend of honeyed lemon juice and a kick of acidity from a potent espresso shot, paired with ice cubes on a ringed trunk’s coaster.

Image credit: Clay Crown

Desserts like Basque Burnt Cheesecake at ฿110 (~USD3.30), and a Cheese Cheesecake in every sense of the word, will probably hit the spot for those in the mood for a cheeky afternoon treat.

Image credit: Clay Crown

As for more filling meal options – a.k.a heavier meals like lunch or dinner – pick from traditional staples on the menu like Thai Spicy Salad, Fried Chicken Wings and Crispy Chicken with Lime Sauce.

Clay Crown is Chonburi’s ‘Secret Garden’

Just an hour’s drive from Bangkok, a visit to Clay Crown will def allow for a brief respite from the crowded city’s hustle and bustle. More than just a cafe with mainstream offerings, guests can return home with a cactus or two in their pockets. We mean that in the most figurative of senses, of course.

Until dine-ins resume, however, do monitor their socials closely for updates on takeaways and opening hours, subject to prevailing regulations.

In any case, if you’re heading down, lookout for a towering crystal roof set against the clear blue sky as you’re pulling up along the driveway; to herald the start of your visit to this secret garden tucked away in Chonburi.

Clay Crown
Opening Hours: 9AM – 6PM, Daily
Address: Liang Nong Mon Road, Huai Kapi, Chon Buri District, Chon Buri
Telephone: +66 8 3 113 6615 | +66 8 5 292 0659

Clay Crown website | Google Maps

Cover images adapted from: @jd_ei (Left & Right), @wondermiimz (Centre)

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