Evening date café in Gonjiam: decaf latte and mocha roll, La Cuesta
In short
La Cuesta is a large bakery café on Gyeongchung-daero in Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. A married couple visited on a Wednesday at 8pm and ordered a decaf Americano, a decaf La Cuesta latte, the signature mocha roll and a choco cookie, then took the leftover bread home to eat with milk. La Cuesta stayed quiet even at night and was easy to talk in, and the couple left wanting to return by day for a terrace seat.
Good to know
- Location
- 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Hours
- Closes at 10pm, last order 9:30pm
- Parking
- Two large areas, in front of the café and along the road
- What we ordered
- Decaf Americano, decaf La Cuesta latte, mocha roll and two other breads
- Facilities
- Cookie-decorating and drawing space on the 1st floor, photo booth and restrooms on the 2nd floor, outdoor terrace
as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026
Today it's the big café in Gonjiam — La Cuesta!
This time I visited on a weekday evening — La Cuesta, known as the huge café in Gonjiam, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. It's also well known as the bakery café connected to Hwadam Botanic Garden, and once I got there I immediately understood why it's so famous. Here's my review from a visit around 8pm on a Wednesday!
Where is La Cuesta in Gonjiam, and what are its hours and parking?
La Cuesta Gwangju is located at 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Last order is at 9:30pm and it closes at 10pm, so you can drop by with time to spare even in the evening.
- 📍 Location: 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
- ⏰ Hours: last order 9:30pm (closes at 10pm)
- 🚗 Parking: two spacious lots, one in front of the store and one along the road — plenty of room to park with ease!
Hahaha, my husband posing for the parking lot photo
What does La Cuesta look like inside and out at night?
The moment I walked in through the entrance, I thought, wow, this is really huge.
You go up a staircase to reach the entrance, and it's all floor-to-ceiling glass, so the view opens right up.
Past the entrance, going further up, there's an outdoor terrace too — if I'd come in daytime I think I would've sat there.
Right when you step in, there's a giant ribbon installation — it felt like walking into a house of gifts, haha, kind of surreal.
On the first floor there's a separate space where kids can decorate cookies or draw pictures.
Maybe because of that, I saw quite a few families, and since it was evening, plenty of couples on dates too.
Overall it wasn't noisy at all — a comfortable mood where everyone could talk at their own pace.
On the way up to the second floor there's a character figure holding candy? It was so cute!!
The 2nd-floor four-cut photo booth and restrooms at La Cuesta
A spacious second-floor area opens up, and surprisingly there's a four-cut photo booth up there!! And the restroom is also on the second floor!!
They even had cotton swabs and cotton pads for touching up makeup, and the restroom overall was clean and tidy in a white tone — I loved it!
La Cuesta's menu: which breads and drinks to choose
La Cuesta has such a wide range, from bread to drinks, that I really agonized over what to pick!
They seem to run a free-tasting corner for new bread so customers can give feedback before it goes on sale — that felt trustworthy and kind of neat! There was also a drawing contest corner, so I snuck in a quick doodle too, haha.
Okay, let's take a look at the types of bread at La Cuesta~~
So much delicious-looking bread, right?! Since I'd already eaten dinner and was pretty full, I only picked a few pastries and drinks.
What we ordered: one decaf Americano and one decaf La Cuesta latte.
For bread, I picked the signature mocha roll along with two other kinds.
True to a bakery café, there were so many kinds of bread, so I loaded up on the sweet desserts my husband likes!
Honest review of La Cuesta's mocha roll, cookie and decaf drinks
I tried the drinks first — the decaf Americano had a slightly roasty, charred bean flavor! The La Cuesta latte had cream on top, sweet and pretty to look at too.
The cream was soft and clearly sweet, so I think even people who can't handle bitter coffee could enjoy it comfortably.
I was too full for bread, so I only tried one choco cookie on the spot, but it was sweet and paired well with coffee!
The rest of the bread we packed to take home. At home I tried the mocha roll with milk, and the bread was really impressively moist and soft.
A sip of milk, a bite of mocha roll — it turned into a surprisingly satisfying snack time.
I think I liked it more paired with milk at home than eating it right there at the café.
Best photo spots at La Cuesta
Going up the stairs from La Cuesta's entrance, there's a photo spot with lighting and the staircase together! You know the rule of shooting from below to make your legs look longer, right? Haha.
Since it's such a large café, there are so many decorated spaces — if you take your time, you'll probably find plenty of spots for that perfect shot~
Pairing La Cuesta with a trip to Hwadam Botanic Garden
La Cuesta is located close to Hwadam Botanic Garden and the golf courses around Gonjiam.
So I heard many people make a course of visiting Hwadam Botanic Garden first and finishing up at the café.
Touring Hwadam Botanic Garden during the day and wrapping up the evening with bread and coffee at La Cuesta sounds like the perfect route.
Is La Cuesta worth it for a large café in Gwangju? Final verdict
If you're looking for a large café in Gonjiam, Gwangju, Gyeonggi, I think La Cuesta is worth a visit.
The space is so spacious that it seemed like it could work for a big family group or a couple, any combination.
I went in the evening this time, but next time I want to go back during the day for a terrace seat.
Where it is
278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea경기도 광주시 곤지암읍 경충대로 278 라꾸에스타
