Balsan Station study café with almond choco financier: Byway Bakers

In short

Byway Bakers Balsan Station is a baked-goods bakery café on the 1st floor of the Gangseo Patriots and Veterans Hall, in front of the NC Department Store by Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. The pistachio financier and the almond choco financier cost 3,200 won each, and both were crisp outside and chewy inside with restrained sweetness alongside a 4,000 won iced americano. Seating at Byway Bakers is limited, but the calm wood-tone lighting makes it a good place to open a book and study.

Main image of Byway Bakers Balsan Station

Good to know

Location
1st floor, Korea Disabled Veterans Association (Gangseo Patriots and Veterans Hall), 45 Gangseo-ro 56ga-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
Hours
Daily 09:00–20:00, closed Wednesdays
Closure notice
Closed Sept 24–26 for Chuseok
Seating
Four 2-person tables, two 4-person tables
Ordering
Kiosk to the left of the counter
Morning set
09:00–12:00: corn cheese + americano 6,900 won / corn cheese + latte 7,400 won
What I ordered
Pistachio financier 3,200 won, almond choco financier 3,200 won, iced americano 4,000 won ×2
Restroom
Building restroom outside to the right; ask the counter for the doll-shaped key
Price reference
₩6,900 ≈ $5.1 · ₩7,400 ≈ $5.5 · ₩3,200 ≈ $2.4 (2026-09-15)

as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026

Main image of Byway Bakers Balsan Station

Byway Bakers Balsan Station, a bakery in Gangseo-gu famous for financiers, salt bread, and egg tarts — a Balsan Station café worth knowing.

I was looking for a café near Balsan Station and ended up at Byway Bakers Balsan Station ☕️ The bakery lineup ranges from salt bread to financiers, and the coffee was clean and satisfying too — I was really happy with this place .ᐟ The financiers especially were not too sweet, crisp outside and chewy inside, amazing, and they also sell the wakppu salt bread, so everyone should try it - ♥ If you're looking for a good study café near Balsan Station, come check this place out :)

Where is Byway Bakers Balsan Station, and what are the hours?

Byway Bakers Balsan Station is on the 1st floor of the Korea Disabled Veterans Association building, 45 Gangseo-ro 56ga-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, inside the Gangseo Patriots and Veterans Hall. It's open daily from 09:00 to 20:00, closed Wednesdays, and there was a notice that it would be closed September 24–26 for Chuseok.

Exterior of Byway Bakers Balsan Station on the 1st floor of the Gangseo Patriots and Veterans Hall
Front view of the Byway Bakers entrance near Balsan Station

Byway Bakers Balsan Station, located on the first floor of the Gangseo Patriots and Veterans Hall, is a well-known dessert spot in Gangseo-gu .ᐟ These days it's mostly known as the place selling the trendy wakppu salt bread, but it was originally famous for its financiers and salt bread ♥ I came out from lunch with my mom and browsing the NC Department Store, and it was right there in front — such a great location > <

Sign for the Byway Morning Set breakfast discount

Byway Bakers morning set: the 09:00–12:00 discount

Byway Bakers Balsan Station is currently running the Byway Morning Set breakfast discount 🥞 available only from 09:00 to 12:00 — corn cheese + americano for ₩6,900, or corn cheese + latte for ₩7,400 .ᐟ

Interior of the café with wood-tone design
Two-person seating at Byway Bakers Balsan Station
Seating area with calm lighting

How many seats does Byway Bakers have, and what is the mood?

Inside Byway Bakers Balsan Station there are 4 two-person tables and 2 four-person tables .ᐟ Since the wakppu salt bread is super popular right now, there were a lot of takeout customers 🥐 The interior has a clean wood-tone design that isn't too bright, making it a perfect spot to relax and take it easy ☕️

Bakery display case with a spot to grab a tray

I came for the desserts again, and even though I'd already eaten lunch, there's always room for dessert, right? Let me grab a tray and think about what to get ♥

Which financiers are on display at Byway Bakers, and what I chose

The display case at Byway Bakers Balsan Station had a huge variety of financiers .ᐟ Among them, I chose the pistachio financier and the almond choco financier.

Choosing baked goods with a tray at the display case
A wide variety of financiers on display
Close-up of golden-brown baked financiers
Financiers arranged on the bakery display shelf

I'm a baked-goods geek so I can tell how good something is just by the baking color 👀✨ These were beautifully browned outside, you can practically feel the crackle 🌬️ I figured the plain ones would be delicious even without trying, so I went for the ones I was curious about — pistachio financier and almond choco financier ♥

Pistachio and almond choco financiers on a tray
Order kiosk to the left of the counter
Bakery menu on the kiosk screen
Order screen with desserts added to the tray

You order at the kiosk to the left of the counter .ᐟ There's no drink menu because I always drink an iced americano with dessert no matter what, so I just ordered an iced americano without even thinking ... ♥

Refrigerated showcase with wakppu salt bread and dujjonkoo cookies

The cream-filled desserts, the Dubai dessert, the dujjonkoo (chewy cookie), and the wakppu salt bread are all in the refrigerated showcase. It's genuinely full of everything I love, except I don't like white chocolate ... I should've gotten the dujjonkoo ... 🥹

Financiers and iced americano on the table

Pistachio financier, 3,200 won: how it tastes

We took a table and our order came out right away ♥

  • Iced americano ×2 — ₩4,000 × 2
  • Pistachio financier ₩3,200
  • Almond choco financier ₩3,200

Pistachio financier, ₩3,200. This dessert is made generously with real pistachio nuts, so its defining feature is a rich, deep flavor .ᐟ

Cross-section of the pistachio financier cut into bite-sized pieces

I cut it into bite-sized pieces with the knife and fork they provided, and wow ... even cutting it, you could feel how dense and chewy the inside was .ᐟ I figured they used pistachio and white chocolate, so I thought I'd just settle for a taste if it was too sweet, but it was less sweet than expected and had a great nutty, natural flavor coming through — I ended up eating almost the whole thing ... 💚

Almond choco financier, 3,200 won: how it tastes

Almond choco financier, ₩3,200. Loaded with almonds and buried in chocolate — I couldn't resist the look of this chocolate dessert 🤎

Almond choco financier covered in chocolate
Close-up of the chocolate financier topped with almonds
A piece of the almond choco financier cut with a fork
Cross-section of the almond choco financier's interior

The almonds are roasted once, giving them an extra nutty flavor, and the financier is crisp outside and chewy inside, while the chocolate adds another crunchy texture — since it's dark chocolate, the bittersweet flavor is amazing .ᐟ .ᐟ The owner is really skilled at baked goods (*´꒳`*) ♥

Table with iced americano and an open book

Studying at Byway Bakers near Balsan Station, plus a restroom tip

The coffee had no sourness and was nutty and smooth, so I finished it fast :) The vibe at Byway Bakers Balsan Station was so good that I brought a book and got some real studying done. I wish it were right in front of my house ... ( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ )

Oh, and one more thing — the restroom is outside, in the building to the right, and you need to bring the doll-shaped key from the counter. Don't make the mistake of going back and forth twice not knowing this -> let me spare you the trouble ... 🚽

Who will like Byway Bakers Balsan Station

  • Anyone looking for a Gangseo bakery that bakes its goods fresh in-house
  • Anyone who needs a good café near Balsan Station in Gangseo for studying or chatting
  • Anyone in Gangseo-gu looking for a place selling wakppu salt bread

Where it is

Byway Bakers Balsan Station바이웨이 베이커스 발산역점

45 Gangseo-ro 56ga-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1F, Korea Disabled Veterans Association)서울특별시 강서구 강서로56가길 45 대한민국무공수훈자회 1층

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