Café near Gyeongbokgung Palace with ginkgo street views: The Baum

Baumkuchen is rare to find in Korea — and there's actually a café dedicated entirely to it near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. It's quite sizeable too, a standalone two-story building with ginkgo trees outside the window that are about to look their most beautiful. The taste feels confidently made with premium ingredients, and it pairs really well with coffee. This is The Baum.

Since it's an oval-shaped dessert, the real charm shows when you cut it in half. The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch.

What kind of café is The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch?

A mid-sized café near Gwanghwamun, 2 minutes from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3 — good for office workers too

The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch is a 2-minute walk from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3, and just 5 minutes on foot from Gwanghwamun. The location is really great — it's right on the main street so it catches your eye immediately. It's also close to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, with many famous landmarks nearby.

As you can see, the finish is polished, with baumkuchen used in cheesecake, crème brûlée, custard, and even gourd-shaped versions with a Korean touch. Sizes vary too. It's been a while since I thought a dessert genuinely tasted good — The Baum is worth visiting for the flavor alone.

With such a clean exterior, it's well suited for gift sets.

Why baumkuchen works as a business gift near Gwanghwamun

I strongly recommend this as a gift for business contacts near Gwanghwamun. Baumkuchen is really distinctive — people will feel you brought something special.

Getting to The Baum and the first- and second-floor seating

It's really easy to find — just walk straight up from Gyeongbokgung Station. There's a bit of a hanok mood, and it's open daily 10:00 - 22:00. The café is split between the 1st and 2nd floors, and the 2nd floor is the one to go for. The reservation-only group seating could even work for gatherings like book clubs.

The tables and chairs are the comfortable kind you can settle into for a while. But more than anything, it's the view outside the window —

— the ginkgo trees are just gorgeous. Jongno's thumbs-up ginkgo trees, you're so beautiful. You could lose track of time completely.

How did the baumkuchen and coffee taste?

This place is genuinely good — I hope more people find out about it since they're doing it this well

The coffee at The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch is solid too. A nutty americano paired with the harmony of sweet cream full of butter and milk flavor. If you go for the crème brûlée or yanggaeng (sweet red bean jelly) option, you get either a Western or Korean mood, both work.

Baumkuchen's characteristically dense texture means it fills you up fast. I'm a classic-flavor person myself, so now I'm curious about the plain, traditional baumkuchen.

There's real charm in splitting it exactly in half

The cross-section shot is adorable. Someone, somewhere, gazing out the window while eating baumkuchen baked layer by layer with such care.

If I'd been living this lifestyle in the 1920s, I'd probably have been a pro-Japan collaborator or a Japanese person, haha. In 2026, though, it's just a guilt-free, luxurious life of Gyeongbokgung café-hopping.

Wrap-up: who should visit The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch?

Baumkuchen packed with cream tastes good to Koreans too — I wonder if Japanese visitors would like it as well? It's not common to find a place that executes a specific dessert this well, so I hope it gets the recognition and the right audience to stay open for a long time. More than anything, I really don't want to lose this street view of Gyeongbokgung's ginkgo trees.

Foreign tourists are already visiting a lot, but if you're in the area, it's a place where you can spend a quiet, cozy time with people who matter to you.

• Vegan menu available
• Indoor restroom available — especially well-kept and clean

A good spot in every respect, nothing lacking. The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch.