Fountain terrace and strawberry kouign-amann at Gonjiam café La Cuesta
In short
La Cuesta Gwangju is a large two-story bakery café on Gyeongchung-daero in Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. On the way back from the Icheon ecology learning center, a family of three ordered a fresh fruit croissant for 6,200 won, a strawberry queen amann (kouign-amann) for 4,900 won and a rolled long sausage bread for 5,800 won with a La Cuesta latte and an iced americano, eating on the second-floor outdoor parasol seats facing the fountain. A 10-minute drive from Hwadam Botanic Garden, La Cuesta makes an easy rest stop before or after autumn leaf season.
Good to know
- Rolled long sausage bread
- 5,800 won
- Strawberry queen amann (kouign-amann)
- 4,900 won
- Fresh fruit croissant
- 6,200 won
- Americano (iced)
- 5,500 won
- La Cuesta latte (iced)
- 8,000 won
- Location
- La Cuesta, 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Getting there
- About 10 minutes by car from Hwadam Botanic Garden, about 3 minutes from Gonjiam IC
- Size and seating
- Large two-floor café; second floor has indoor seats, outdoor parasol seats and restrooms
- Parking
- Easy parking, as expected at a large café
- Also good to know
- Free in-store tasting corner; teddy bear photo spot on the second floor
as written by the visitor on Sep 21, 2026
On the way home from visiting an ecology center in Icheon with my kid, I got a bit hungry and craved a coffee — and some good bread as a snack, too. Searching for cafés nearby, I found La Cuesta Gwangju. For anyone looking for a café or bakery near Hwadam Botanic Garden, here's my honest review of the visit 😊
How far is La Cuesta from Hwadam Botanic Garden? Location and parking
La Cuesta Gwangju is located at 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, about 10 minutes by car from Hwadam Botanic Garden — a great fall foliage spot — and about 3 minutes from Gonjiam IC. Being a large bakery café, it was easy to get to and parking was convenient too. Since I'm always with my kid, I'll admit we tend to only go places with easy parking.
What La Cuesta Gwangju looks like: exterior and two-floor layout
The green English signage reading LACUESTA catches your eye right away! Climbing the entrance stairs carefully, a large two-story bakery café unfolds in front of you. Stepping into the spacious, comfortable space, I already got excited thinking about the bread and coffee ahead 😊
The free bread tasting corner at La Cuesta
On one side of the store, La Cuesta had set up a free tasting corner where you can confidently sample the bread. Seeing them let customers try the bread directly gave me a glimpse of La Cuesta's philosophy — confidence in their bread and a wish to connect with customers 😊
La Cuesta's bread lineup, what we ordered and what it cost
Now, let's take a look at the breads that have made La Cuesta famous as a bakery spot near Hwadam Botanic Garden.
Starting with the signature meju bread (fermented soybean-shaped bread), then white roll bread. The injeolmi (sweet rice cake) roll bread was sold out, sadly ㅠ_ㅠ
On the first floor, croissants, melon bread, honey butter corn bread, strawberry queen amann, rolled long sausage bread, fresh fruit croissant, olive ciabatta, and more filled the shelves — the kind of distinctive breads you can't find at a neighborhood bakery.
After a happy struggle deciding which bread to try, here's what we ordered.
- Rolled long sausage bread ₩5,800
- Strawberry queen amann ₩4,900
- Fresh fruit croissant ₩6,200
- Iced americano ₩5,500
- Iced La Cuesta latte ₩8,000
Inside the first floor: the giant red ribbon interior
In the center of the first floor at La Cuesta Gwangju stands a giant red ribbon installation that really stands out. Looking at the pretty oversized ribbon, which seems to wish that every day could feel as precious and meaningful as receiving a gift, made me feel happier too 🎀 It was impressive — the moment I stepped in, I felt like I'd received a special gift.
There were plenty of tables on the first floor too, but since I wanted to enjoy the bread and coffee while looking at the mountain view on the second floor, we grabbed a seat upstairs after ordering.
How the fresh fruit croissant, strawberry kouign-amann and sausage bread tasted
The bread was ready first, so we brought it up to the second floor to eat, and were given a buzzer to pick up the drinks separately once they were ready, heading back up again. The gorgeous look of the rolled long sausage bread, strawberry queen amann, and fresh fruit croissant! The rolled sausage bread was for my daughter, who loves sausage bread; the strawberry queen amann was my husband's order; and I ordered the fresh fruit croissant since I love cream-filled bread.
The La Cuesta latte — a signature drink you can only get here! I ordered it iced and enjoyed it with the bread. The creamy texture combined with the rich coffee flavor felt similar to an Einspänner. Personally I don't love overly sweet drinks, but the La Cuesta latte wasn't too sweet — just right, and easy to drink without feeling heavy. It paired beautifully with the breads we ordered, making for an even more satisfying dessert time ☕🥐
The fresh fruit croissant, especially with shine muscat grapes and sweet, creamy whipped cream together, filled my mouth with soft, rich bread flavor. Weekends are cheat days for me, so eating the bread and coffee I wanted felt like a small happiness. (Yeah, eating well really is what matters in the end...)
The strawberry queen amann tasted like strawberry milk and was pure sweetness in crystallized form. Paired with a cool, tangy iced americano, it was a perfect flavor match.
My kid, who'd been devouring sausage bread all weekend as if her appetite had exploded, turned into a chubby-cheeked squirrel before I knew it 🐿️ Watching her happily enjoy the bread made our time at La Cuesta, near Hwadam Botanic Garden, even more fun.
Second floor: forest-view indoor seats and fountain-side parasol seats
The second floor at La Cuesta Gwangju has more space between tables than the first floor, and you can enjoy bread and drinks while taking in an open forest view, so most customers seemed to stay up here.
Outside on the second floor, there are also parasol seats where you can enjoy bread and coffee outdoors, so on a nice day you can enjoy a more leisurely dessert time in the cool breeze ☕🥐 Next to the parasol seats there's an outdoor fountain installed, creating a lovely sight that's refreshing for both the eyes and ears.
Eating cream-filled bread while watching the fountain somehow made it taste even better 😊 With autumn weather turning cool, it seemed like a perfect time to enjoy bread and coffee outdoors before it gets colder. Since you can enjoy a relaxed dessert time while watching the fountain scenery, I'd recommend the outdoor seats on a nice day.
There are men's and women's restrooms on the second floor too, which was convenient in terms of flow, and they were clean.
The teddy bear photo spot on the second floor
With Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving) coming up soon, the second floor at La Cuesta had a photo spot decorated prettily with teddy bears, great for a commemorative visit photo. Taking pictures with the cute teddy bears made for an extra special, memorable time 🧸📸
Final verdict on La Cuesta Gwangju
- La Cuesta Gwangju is about 10 minutes by car from Hwadam Botanic Garden and about 3 minutes from Gonjiam IC — easy to reach and easy to park, as befits a large bakery café.
- The first floor is filled with distinctive breads you can't find at a neighborhood bakery: croissants, melon bread, honey butter corn bread, strawberry queen amann, rolled long sausage bread, fresh fruit croissant, olive ciabatta, and more.
- Since you can enjoy a relaxed dessert time while watching the fountain scenery, I'd recommend trying the outdoor seats on a nice day.
Where it is
278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea경기도 광주시 곤지암읍 경충대로 278 라꾸에스타
