Year-end group café in Gonjiam: squid ink triple cheese, La Cuesta

On a sunny fall day, after a lovely walk through Hwadam Forest in Gonjiam, I was desperate for a sugar boost and a healing place to sit back and rest. And just 10 minutes by car from Hwadam Forest, I found a huge café where you can enjoy high-quality bakery goods with a panoramic forest view. It's spacious and comfortable, perfect for year-end get-togethers or the Christmas season. Let me start my visit story of La Cuesta Gwangju (라꾸에스타 경기광주점), a big Gonjiam café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi ^^

Parking and space at La Cuesta Gwangju: is it good for groups?

La Cuesta Gwangju is a standalone building near Hwadam Forest and Gonjiam Resort. Lot 1 in front of the building and Lot 2 by the road together hold about 100 cars. They can even handle large buses, so it's ideal for group gatherings or big family visits. Truly a big Gonjiam café, the scale starts with the parking ^^

Inside, a bright white-toned interior with potted plants here and there catches your eye. The first floor has the counter, the bakery display, and a neat self-packing station (with an oven, cushions, blankets and picnic goods) that shows real consideration for guests ^^

Upstairs on the second floor, big windows open onto a view surrounded by forest on all sides. Soft natural light comes in, and just sitting there is healing. The tables are spaced widely and comfortably, so for a year-end gathering café or a Christmas café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, nothing beats La Cuesta!

What breads and brunch does La Cuesta have?

The bakery display is set out temptingly with more than 30 kinds of bread, starting with the signature meju bread (said to be a low-carb, high-protein bread made with kidney beans and green peas). There are plenty of tasting samples too, so you can try before you choose, which I really liked ^^ Prices are also fairly reasonable for a big café like this.

We came around 3 pm and mostly picked breads for a sugar boost, but from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm they also sell good-value brunch sets such as pasta and platters, so it looks like a great option for anyone searching for a big brunch café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi.

On one side there's also a drawing event space with colored pencils and drawing paper, a thoughtful touch for visitors with families ^^

How do the La Cuesta latte and Americano taste?

The signature La Cuesta latte is, hands down, the best cream latte I've ever had, the cream quality was overwhelming ^^ It's not a heavy, greasy whipped topping. It has a fresh, fluffy texture like real milk fresh cream that wraps softly around your mouth.

The latte base underneath isn't too sweet either, and the coffee flavor is strong like a flat white, so it balances the cream perfectly. Dunking bread into the cream is pure bliss!

The iced Americano we ordered alongside has almost no acidity and a hearty body, a clean taste that anyone can enjoy with bread, no matter their preferences ^^

Milk cream salt bun, Emmental mochi bread, squid ink triple cheese: which was tasty?

La Cuesta's milk cream salt bun has a crisp, hard-type salt bread base packed with more than 70% soft milk cream. The saltiness of the salt bread meets the sweetness of the fluffy cream for an extreme sweet-and-salty combination ^^ It isn't overpowering, so you can keep eating it endlessly.

The Emmental mochi bread was moist and chewy like ciabatta, with a subtle cheddar flavor, very appealing. But today's number one pick is the new squid ink triple cheese! Inside the chewy squid ink bread are generous amounts of Emmental, Parmesan and roll cheese, and the more you chew, the more the rich, varied cheese flavor fills your mouth.

If you toast the squid ink triple cheese briefly in the oven at the self-bar, the cheese stretches and it's twice as delicious ^^ With its relaxed forest view and a perfect sugar recharge, La Cuesta gave us true healing, a must-stop on the Hwadam Forest route.

Worried about weekend parking? Is La Cuesta okay?

La Cuesta Gwangju has ample space with Lot 1 right in front of the building and Lot 2 at the roadside entrance, so about 100 cars, including large buses, can park for free. If you were worried about the weekend parking chaos at big cafés, you can toss that worry away ^^ Even for year-end group gatherings or big families arriving in several cars at once, there's no parking stress at all!

La Cuesta Gwangju overall review

A perfect healing collab of a panoramic forest view and the life-changing cream latte!

What I liked

• Parking for 100 cars! A comfortable, large 100-seat space with an open forest view and white-toned interior ^^
• The La Cuesta latte, hands down the best cream latte I've ever had, with rich, fresh cream
• A lineup of about 30 breads, with the quality of the chewy squid ink triple cheese and the salty-sweet milk cream salt bun

Recommended for

• Anyone looking for a bakery café to rest at after a Hwadam Forest trip without parking worries
• Anyone who wants a Gonjiam year-end gathering café with plenty of space for friends
• Anyone looking for a Gonjiam date course with brunch, bread and a forest view all in one ^^

La Cuesta Gwangju store info

• Address: 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do (10 minutes from Hwadam Forest, 3 minutes from Gonjiam IC)
• Hours: daily 10:00–22:00 (last order 21:30 / brunch 10:30–20:30)
• Facilities: free dedicated large parking lot (100 cars), group seating (up to 80 people), outdoor terrace, baby high chairs, separate men's and women's restrooms