Gyeongju pie shop 5-minute reheat taste test: Gyeongju Tokyo Pie

Hi, this is Hanttadui 😇 Today I visited a snack spot on Hwangnidan-gil

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie

and here's how it went.

Where is Gyeongju Tokyo Pie on Hwangnidan-gil?

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie is on the first floor of a hanok-style building across from Korea Semiconductor Meister High School. It faces the street directly, so I found it right away.

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie sits right on the corner of a hanok-style building — a Hwangnidan-gil dessert spot. Off I go, quick quick quick.

Pies come out only twice a day: 11:30 and 14:30

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie is a handmade pie shop where a Japanese baker makes everything herself, following a same-day-baked, same-day-sold policy.

• ✔️First batch: 11:30
• ✔️Second batch: 14:30

So the pies come out twice a day. When I paid, a Japanese staff member who spoke fluent Korean helped me out.

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie is a great spot to pick up a Hwangnidan-gil snack — pies made with fresh domestic Fuji apples, so let me take a closer look.

Red bean and chocolate pies, not just apple

I thought it was all apple pie, but there's red bean and chocolate too!! Lucky for me all three were available to buy, and I got excited.

Since Fuji is a winter apple, they seemed to be using Arisu apples instead. As someone whose family runs a fruit shop, Arisu is the tastiest apple around these days, so I got even more excited for the pie.

They also run several events — not just a review event but a birthday event and a timer event, which felt refreshing haha (brings back memories of getting burned a lot at claw machine places, whispers).

Choosing the 3-flavor premium 6-piece set

Here's the Gyeongju Tokyo Pie menu board! Since I wanted to share with family at home, I went with the 3-flavor premium gift set's 6-piece option (4 apple + 2 of your choice from red bean/chocolate), picking one each of red bean and chocolate. Single pies are available too, so it'd make a nice snack if you get hungry walking around Hwangnidan-gil.

I spotted the timer for the timer event too haha. I've usually seen bakeries use apple jam, but a whole apple inside is so cool and surprising.

A gift box printed with Cheomseongdae and Tokyo Tower

A Gyeongju x Tokyo Pie box printed with Cheomseongdae and Tokyo Tower. Let me quickly try Gyeongju Tokyo Pie with the whole apple inside.

When I picked up the pies, they explained the storage method, but a printed insert with storage and eating instructions was included too — nice attention to detail for people like me who didn't fully catch it the first time ^^,,,

Each pie was individually wrapped inside the box, so I tried one right away. The red bean one had writing on it to mark it, and the chocolate one was identifiable from the chocolate peeking out.

Eaten unheated: the Tokyo Pie with a whole apple inside

First up, tasting the Gyeongju Tokyo Pie itself. Round and hefty — the moment I opened the box, a buttery aroma burst out along with apple scent.

With ripened apple inside as-is, I could feel a bit of apple texture along with the crisp pastry — sweet, tart, and savory all in one bite. Even without air-frying it, it was so crisp.

After 5 minutes in the air fryer: what changes

This time, to enjoy it even more, I ran it through the air fryer for about 5 minutes. The temperature was set high so the top got a little burnt — not telling anyone...

Baked and baked, let's take a peek at the cross-section.

Tokyo chocolate pie

Can you see the layers of pastry still holding up? After going into the air fryer, it got wayyyy crispier. The rich chocolate flavor came through strongly, sweet like a pain au chocolat but with a heavier, well-matched chocolate sweetness.

Tokyo red bean (angko) pie

A red bean pie generously filled with domestic red bean paste. You can feel the individual beans nicely, not overly sweet with a mild sweetness, and the pastry was great with it. The buttery flavor was insane (P).

Verdict: reheated pies taste fresh from the oven

With Gyeongju Tokyo Pie, I ate it plain earlier, and this time I properly baked it before eating. Need I say more? Warm and crisp just tastes better. I imagine this is what a freshly baked Gyeongju Tokyo Pie tastes like. With a whole apple inside, Gyeongju Tokyo Pie feels extra special — I'd recommend visiting if you're looking for a gift set on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju. Bye 👋