Uijeongbu café with tree-shaded outdoor tables and decaf: Forerest

What kind of café is Forerest?

Forerest is a forest outdoor café known among Uijeongbu's cake spots for its Basque cheesecake. I only discovered it this year, but I've already been back three times. It's not a one-and-done place — it's the kind of spot that comes to mind whenever I feel like resting in the woods, so I naturally keep coming back. Among Uijeongbu's cake spots, it's a café where you can enjoy homemade Basque cheesecake alongside a wide forest area. Last time I visited on a rainy day and couldn't really enjoy the outdoor space, but this time the weather was cool and clear, so I decided to sit outside from the start.

Where Forerest is: an easy drive from Seoul

Forerest is in Uijeongbu, but it's not too far from Seoul, so it's nice to reach with a light drive. You pass through the busy downtown, and at some point trees start appearing here and there, and the atmosphere changes completely the closer you get to the café. If you drive, you can use the parking lot behind the café, so parking itself is fairly convenient. That said, part of the road leading up from the main street to the café is a bit bumpy, so it's best to drive in slowly.

Forerest's forest outdoor seating on a clear day

Once you get out of the car and walk toward the café, you'll see outdoor tables set up here and there under big trees. Unlike a typical garden-style café, the seats seem to have been arranged naturally among trees and grass that were already there, so it really feels like resting inside a forest. There are tables under parasols, and further in, there are seats under a tent and a private-feeling space too.

Last time I could only look at it because of the rain, but this time the weather was cool, so I settled into an outdoor table under a tree's shade. Sunlight came through, but the big tree naturally created shade, so it was lovely to sit outside for a long time.

The interior is also decorated in a cozy, warm mood centered on wood-toned furniture. There are tables ranging from large to small, and paintings and plants placed around the space, so each area has a slightly different feel.

Forerest basics: address, parking and seating

• Parking: available behind the café
• Space: indoor seats, terrace, outdoor forest seating
• Menu: coffee, decaf drinks, Basque cheesecake
• Feature: a café where you can enjoy a wide forest space along with outdoor seating
• Note: some of the road up to the café is a bit bumpy

Two decaf coffees and two Basque cheesecakes at Forerest

This time I ordered a decaf iced americano and a decaf iced latte. You can switch to decaf for an extra ₩1,000 on top of the regular drink price, which was nice to have as an option when I'm cutting back on caffeine.

For dessert I picked the original Basque cheesecake and the chocolate Basque cheesecake. Forerest isn't a café that displays lots of different desserts — it's a place focused on Basque cheesecake.

You can choose from original, chocolate, black sesame, matcha, and Earl Grey depending on your taste, and they're made at the café before being chilled and aged 16 hours before serving. It's not a letdown that there aren't more desserts — the Basque cheesecake alone gives the place a clear character.

How fudgy is Forerest's Basque cheesecake?

The original Basque cheesecake is dense and fudgy enough that you can feel the density the moment your fork goes in. In the mouth it softens gently while the rich, distinctive flavor of cream cheese comes through, pairing really well with coffee. Even after having it several times, the original flavor remains the most consistently delicious.

The chocolate Basque cheesecake I picked this time was much darker in color than the original. The richness of the cheese combined with the deep chocolate flavor gave it a sweetness that felt more like a proper dessert. Rather than the chocolate flavor standing out on its own, it blended naturally into the fudgy cheesecake, so if you like rich desserts, this one should suit you well.

If I had to pick just one, the original Basque cheesecake is still more my style, but the chocolate was fun to alternate with while drinking coffee. Above all, if you're looking for a Uijeongbu cake spot and prefer a rich, fudgy style over fluffy cake, Forerest seems worth a visit at least once.

An afternoon of forest shade and cake at Forerest

Last time I watched the rain falling; this time I got to spend time outdoors with the breeze blowing through the sunlight. It's the same café, but with different weather, the feeling of being there was completely different.

Sitting under the trees, sipping coffee, and slowly eating fudgy cheesecake, I really felt like I'd had a proper little getaway without having to travel far. The fact that I've already visited a place I only discovered this year three times probably shows best how much I like it.

Overall, the wide forest and outdoor seating gave it a different kind of ease from a downtown café, and I was quite satisfied — the Basque cheesecake being this solid made it even more memorable. That said, it's worth keeping in mind that the road into the café is a bit uneven if you're driving in. If you value spending time in nature just as much as a fudgy dessert, Forerest is more than enough as a Uijeongbu cake spot.