Yangsan bakery café signature croissant and self-packing: Choi

Today I've got a recommendation for a Yangsan café that's perfect for a weekend mood-changer of a drive. I heard there's a hot spot that any bread lover simply can't skip, so I went to check it out — Choi (CHOI), the well-known bakery café in Hopo, Yangsan.

Choi Main Branch in Hopo, Yangsan: the bakery café of a croissant champion

Choi Main Branch is a large bakery café at 83 Yangsan-daero, Dong-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, in Hopo. Even from the outside, the grand, sleek building catches your eye right away. The dedicated parking lot is spacious with well-marked routes, so driving there felt completely stress-free.

What makes Choi bakery so famous is that a croissant champion personally bakes the bread here. Signs announcing the first-place croissant and best-menu boards are set up at the entrance and all around the store, so my expectations shot up the moment I walked in.

As soon as we arrived, we didn't hesitate — we grabbed a bunch of good-looking breads including the signature croissant, the store's flagship item.

What bread does Choi bake, and what does it cost?

Stepping onto the first floor of Choi Main Branch, you're greeted by a feast of breads that's a delight for the eyes.

From freshly baked salt bread to Mont Blanc, sliced bread, twisted donuts, and pastries topped with all kinds of seasonal fruit... the variety of bread is so wide that choosing becomes a happy dilemma.

Usually when you go to a big Yangsan café or a bakery café with a great view, the bread prices can be outrageously high and burdensome, right?

But at Café Choi, the prices were very reasonable considering the quality and size of the bread.

I thought this place would be excellent even if you don't spend time inside sipping coffee — it's just as great to stop by on a weekend morning or a weekday purely to pick up delicious bread to go.

Indeed, I saw quite a few regulars buying nothing but bread, bags full.

Choi's 2nd floor: window seats, coffee and the amenities on hand

We headed up to the second floor of Choi Main Branch to enjoy our delicious bread along with a leisurely cup of coffee.

There's an elevator inside the building, so even carrying a tray piled high with bread and drinks, we could move up without any worry, comfortably. I thought this was such a thoughtful touch for elderly visitors or families with young children.

Once upstairs, a sweeping window revealed a green landscape and blue sky all at once.

Sitting by the window, sipping cool coffee and eating savory bread while gazing out at the open scenery was pure healing. The sunlight streamed in beautifully and the space was pleasant, so we got to enjoy some real relaxation for the first time in a while.

How the self-packing corner at Choi Main Branch works

Right by the elevator on the second floor of Choi Main Branch, there's a thoughtfully placed self-packing corner. Since we got greedy and grabbed a bit of everything we wanted to try, we ended up with some leftover bread. There was a microwave along with hygiene bags, wrapping paper, and stickers all carefully prepared, so we could neatly wrap up the leftover bread ourselves without feeling awkward about it.

I wrapped up the leftover bread nicely and took it home, and even after warming it in the air fryer the next day, the croissant's flaky layers were still perfectly intact — delicious right to the last bite.

If you're looking for a Yangsan café that has it all — delicious bread, an open view, and thoughtful amenities for visitors — I recommend Choi, the bakery café in Hopo. Definitely try the soft-layered croissant made by the croissant champion, and go for a drive with some delicious bread shopping in mind.