Mapo café for chestnut madeleines: Fluffy Bake Shop

Is a sugar boost after lunch basically the rule? Haha.

I don’t know why I crave something sweet so badly after lunch. 😂 That day, I wasn’t quite ready to head home after eating, so I stopped by nearby Fluffy Bake Shop. To give you the conclusion first: it’s somewhere I want to revisit for the chestnut madeleine alone! Maybe it’s because they use good butter, but each baked treat had such lovely flavor, and even the coffee was exactly my type. It had been a while since I’d properly enjoyed dessert time. ☕️💚

A small bake shop discovered near Gongdeok Station

A precious find near Gongdeok Station

Fluffy Bake Shop has a clean white exterior, so you might just walk right past it at first. But once you get close, the shell-shaped logo makes it easy to spot.

It isn’t a large space—more compact and cozy. It’s decorated in white and wood tones, and sunlight streams in by the window, making it nice for sitting down with a quick coffee.

There were also cute little Snoopy and Crayon Shin-chan items to look at, which was fun too. Haha.

I visited after lunchtime, and since it’s clearly a popular bakery, quite a few breads had already sold out. If there’s something you really want, I think it’s best to go a little early!

• Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–18:30 / Sat–Sun 11:00–16:30
• Parking: One hour of free parking in the building’s underground lot

This many kinds of madeleines?

Looking into the display case, I found way more varieties of madeleines than I expected.

From lemon madeleines to blue cheese, hallabong citrus, Nutella, chocolate, plain, vanilla, black sesame, Earl Grey, and yuja citrus! As I looked through them one by one, I kept adding them to my tray, wondering, “What does this one taste like?” 😂 They also had bakery items like salt bread, so it seemed like a good choice not only for people who like sweet desserts but also for those who prefer more savory bread.

And the first thing I noticed while eating the baked goods here was the buttery flavor. Perhaps because they use good butter, they weren’t simply sweet—the more I chewed, the more nutty and rich they tasted. Baked treats like these quietly reveal the flavor of their ingredients, you know? I tried this and that, and there wasn’t really anything that made me think, “This one isn’t great.”

My number-one pick is absolutely the chestnut madeleine!

But, they were all.... so.. delicious....

Seriously, every single one was delicious, but if I absolutely had to choose just one, it would be the chestnut madeleine. 🌰 Honestly, I picked it at first because of how it looked, but tasting it completely changed my mind. A whole chestnut sits on top, with sweet, soft chestnut cream inside—and wow... what is this chestnut cream? It wasn’t just overwhelmingly sweet chestnut flavor; it was nutty and smooth, and it went so well with the madeleine’s buttery flavor.

I took one bite and thought, “Oh? This is good,” then took a few more bites and it was gone. Hahaha. I seriously finished it in no time. 😂 I tried several things, but the chestnut madeleine was without a doubt the most memorable item that day! If you like chestnut desserts, I think you should grab one if you see it.

Even the Americano was my type

And surprisingly, I really liked the Americano. I tend to prefer coffee that is nutty and full-bodied rather than strongly acidic, and the Americano here was exactly my style! Its nutty flavor came through quite deeply, so it paired really well with the sweet madeleines. ☕️🥐

A bite of bread, a sip of coffee... it may not sound like much, but sitting there for a little while after lunch somehow put me in a good mood.

If you’re looking for baked-goods desserts near Gongdeok Station

Rather than a flashy, large café, Fluffy Bake Shop felt like a small bake shop where you can comfortably enjoy delicious baked goods and coffee. The variety of madeleines made it fun to choose one by one, and I was satisfied overall because of that lovely buttery flavor.

• I definitely want to have the chestnut madeleine again.
• I also loved the nutty Americano.
• Next time, I want to go a little earlier and try the breads that had sold out.

When you’re craving a sweet dessert after lunch, or looking for delicious baked goods near Gongdeok Station, this is a dessert café worth stopping by. 😊 Next time, I’m grabbing the chestnut madeleine first. Hahaha. 🌰💚