Gwangju bakery café with mountain views and brunch: Sum

I stopped at Sum (숨) for a light brunch after taking my child for a drive toward Namhansanseong. We had bread and drinks, then spent time sitting indoors and on the terrace while looking out at the mountains.

Where is Sum, and what is parking like?

Sum is at 108-11 Ojeom-gil, Namhansanseong-myeon, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. There was a large parking lot in front of the building, so it was a convenient stop during a drive around Namhansanseong.

The hours listed in the original information are 10:00–20:30 Monday to Friday and 10:00–21:30 Saturday and Sunday. Last order is at 20:00 on weekdays and 21:00 on weekends.

When I arrived, the café was larger than I had expected. Several exposed-concrete spaces were connected together, and the exterior looked modern and clean. Surrounded by mountains, it felt like I had come out to enjoy the breeze.

What kinds of bakery items are available, and how much do they cost?

The interior felt airy, with high ceilings and large windows. Mountains and green scenery were visible outside, while a long bakery display filled one side of the space.

Perhaps because I visited a little early, the displays were fully stocked with different kinds of bread. There were croissants, scones, sausage bread, and sweet desserts, so it took a while to choose. We ordered three breads and two drinks.

• Basil cheese green onion bread: ₩7,000
• Chocolate éclair: ₩3,600
• Tongtong Sausage: ₩5,800
• Iced Americano: ₩6,500
• Strawberry yogurt smoothie: ₩8,000

I expected the prices to be high because it is a large bakery café in the woods, but they felt more reasonable than I had expected.

What are the seats like for mountain views?

After ordering, I went up to the second floor first. Looking down from above gave me a clear view of the café’s scale, and there were plenty of seats on both the first and second floors. There were not many customers at first, but the café became noticeably busier after lunchtime. Based on my visit, I felt it would be better to arrive a little early to look around and choose a seat at a relaxed pace.

I initially sat on the second floor, then moved down to the first-floor terrace because the weather was nice. Outside, white tables and parasols were set out, with the surrounding mountains and wide-open sky in view. The sky was clear that day, and I enjoyed sitting outside for a while.

How were the bread and drinks I had with my child?

My child wanted something with chocolate, so we chose the chocolate éclair. It had a generous chocolate cream filling all the way inside, and my child enjoyed it. The strawberry yogurt smoothie was moderately sweet and easy to share with a child.

The sausage inside the Tongtong Sausage was quite large. The basil cheese green onion bread was generously filled with ingredients including green onion and cheese, making it satisfying as a simple brunch. Overall, the bread was generally good.

Is there anywhere else to look around besides the terrace?

After eating the bread, I also looked around the outdoor spaces. Sum consists mainly of two connected buildings, so there was more to explore than I had expected.

The first floor of the other building, which connects to the outside, had a SCREEN & MUSIC space. A music program was playing on a large screen, and low sofas and tables were set out, making it a comfortable place to sit briefly, listen to music, and rest.

What stayed with me most from this visit was the spacious layout and the wide-open mountain views. After eating bread with my child, we were able to spend time moving between the indoor seating, terrace, and music-listening space.