Mango snowflake bingsu at La Cuesta, a large Gonjiam café in Gwangju

My go-to café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi — a large café in Gonjiam with great-value bingsu (shaved ice dessert) and all kinds of bread: this is La Cuesta, the bakery café near Hwadam Botanic Garden!!

With space stretching from the terrace to the first and second floors, I came to this large Gwangju café to plan out my autumn trip this year!

Where do you park at La Cuesta in Gonjiam?

Parking at this large Gonjiam café, La Cuesta — besides the space in front, there's a big lot below it too, so you can park for free with room to spare even on weekends!!

There's even an artificial waterfall along the path to the entrance, great for cooling off in the late-summer heat!

La Cuesta drink menu and prices

Drink menu at this large Gonjiam café: Americano 5,500, Café Latte 6,800, Vanilla Bean Latte 7,300, La Cuesta Latte 7,800, Einspänner 7,300, Café Mocha/Caramel Macchiato 7,500, and more. All coffee items can be switched to decaf, and non-coffee options include Green Tea Latte 7,300, Choco Latte 7,500, and more.

Seasonal items: Watermelon Juice 8,500, Snow Red Bean Bingsu 14,000, Snow Watermelon Bingsu 17,000, Snow Mango Bingsu 18,000. There are also teas, smoothies, and ades — a wide range of drinks all around!

Bakery lineup at La Cuesta near Hwadam Botanic Garden

White roll, sweet pumpkin campagne 6,400, sausage bread, melon bread 4,300, addictive corn bread, croissant 4,500, custard cream bread 4,300, garlic baguette 5,300, kouign-amann 3,900–4,300, bagel 3,800, egg tart 3,900

Olive ciabatta 4,200, pollock roe baguette 4,500, olive baguette 4,900, red bean bread 4,200, manju (Korean sweet bun) 1,300, canelé 2,900

Fig campagne 6,400, autumn chestnut bread 6,600, Mont Blanc 6,800, and more — from meal breads to old-style French breads, plus cookies and other pastries, and even the signature meju (fermented soybean block) bread: a bread lineup that really lives up to being a Hwadam Botanic Garden bakery café.

They also had a free tasting corner for new menu items (sadly it was sold out when I went...) where they even collect feedback directly — this place is serious about its bread.

Why La Cuesta is easy with kids

La Cuesta has a cookie-making set, a drawing corner, and plenty of high chairs, making it a great café to visit with kids in Gwangju! That's probably why there were so many families visiting!!

First and second floor seating at La Cuesta

The first floor at La Cuesta is also mostly 4-tops with comfortable chairs and plenty of window seats, plus a private 6-seat room — perfect for family gatherings or group meetups!!

We went up to the second floor~ There's a wide range of book genres here too, so you can even enjoy reading at the café!!

The second floor has group seating in various layouts besides 4-tops, including sofa-style seats — comfortable and perfect for resting up!!

The window seats especially are great for enjoying the surrounding scenery — perfect for soaking in the feel of the season!

Snow mango bingsu for 18,000 won: how big is the portion?

This was my first mango bingsu of the year — even though it's frozen mango, it was really generous, with snow-milk shaved ice topped with ice cream too!! All that for just 18,000 won is a great-value snow mango bingsu><

Condensed milk comes on the side too, so you can drizzle as much as you like!

The portion was so big it was almost too much for two people! Properly enjoyed this year's last bingsu of the season^^

The signature La Cuesta Latte

The signature drink, La Cuesta Latte (7,800), is a must! A strong latte topped with a generous swirl of soft, sweet whipped cream, and a stick cookie on top!! Don't mix it at first — enjoy it as is, then stir it in later for the full experience~

If you're looking for a bakery café in Gwangju, or a large café in Gonjiam, how about La Cuesta, the bakery café by Hwadam Botanic Garden?! From brunch to bakery bingsu, it's a great spot to rest and unwind.