No. 1 croissant and Monday rooftop at Yangsan bakery café Choi

This past Monday morning, I visited a café near Hopo, Yangsan, famous for its stunning river view. It's a spot where you can relax with a cup of coffee while looking out over the wide-open Nakdong River, so it made a great weekday-morning drive destination. I found it while looking for cafés near Busan, and I liked it even more because you get both a relaxed atmosphere and gorgeous scenery. Today I'm introducing this Yangsan café — a Hopo café where great coffee meets a great view :)

Where is Choi Main Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Choi Main Branch is a large bakery café at 83 Yangsan-daero, Dong-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do. Both the 1st-floor bakery and 2nd-floor café are open daily 09:00–21:50, last order 21:20, and it stays open through the Chuseok holiday too.

• Parking: available in the 1st floor and basement of the building
• Amenities: high chairs · group-friendly · disabled parking · wheelchair accessible
• Spaces: terrace · rooftop · floor seating · bar tables

Choi Main Branch is run by the winner of a croissant championship, and you'll find a wide range of bakery items here. Notably, they also have a 72-hour fermented panettone — worth noting if you're a bakery lover.

How big is the parking at Choi Main Branch?

When I visit a café or restaurant, parking availability is something I really pay attention to. Here, the basement parking lot inside the building was spacious and comfortable. On top of that, there's a separate outdoor customer-only lot, so I could visit without any parking worries.

True to a large café, the parking is generous too, making it a great spot to visit with family or a group.

1st-floor bakery counter: bread from a championship-winning baker

Coming out through the passage connected from the parking lot, it led straight into the café. The first thing that caught my eye was the bakery corner. I heard it's run by someone who won the 2024 Baguette & Croissant Championship, and my expectations shot up right away. 😆

Walking in with high expectations, the bakery scale was really impressive. The owner's résumé was quite varied too.

They were an opening member and head chef at Haewoldang, won the 2024 Baguette & Croissant Championship, and have also served as a judge. They also offer a 10% discount for police and firefighters — a small detail, but I appreciated seeing that kind of gratitude toward the community.

Beyond the ordering counter, there's also a space showcasing moments from the championship win. Knowing this backstory made me even more curious about just how good the bread here would taste.

The variety of bakery items really was enormous. From familiar breads to distinctive ones, there was so much variety that just browsing was fun, and there were plenty I wanted to try.

For a bread lover like me, this is not a place to pass by. It'd make a great stop on a bakery pilgrimage.

The 1st floor has a separate baking room. On the day I visited, staff were constantly baking and packing bread. Watching freshly baked loaves get continuously laid out really drove home how large-scale this bakery is.

With so many types of bread, it was honestly hard to decide what to pick. 😆 So after browsing for a while, I decided to check out Bakery Choi's best menu items first — see what's popular among all the options, then pick a few from there.

Green onion salt bread, 3,800 won

Looking over the best menu, the first thing that caught my eye was the green onion salt bread! 🥐 There wasn't just one type of salt bread — a whole range of anbutter (red bean butter) and salt bread varieties were laid out. The green onion salt bread, piled high with scallions, stood out as unique. I usually love salt bread anyway, so I was curious how this would taste and picked it right away.

I also spotted red bean bread listed as a popular item.

With so many bread varieties, descriptions were posted alongside each one, which made choosing easier. Among them, Gongju chestnut bread caught my eye! 🌰 I usually love chestnuts, so the name alone drew me in. It looked like it was packed with chestnuts inside, and it was one of the ones I deliberated over for a while.

Assorted cookie selection

The variety of cookies was really impressive too. There were far more options than you'd typically see at a bakery café, so it was fun to look through each one.

Strawberry Shot 🍓

There was also Strawberry Shot, whose name alone stood out. It turns out this is the 'sun bread' used inside the popular 'Moon Embracing the Sun.' Each bread has a fun name and a story behind it, which made browsing that much more enjoyable.

Signature breads: Moon Bread and Moon Embracing the Sun 🌙☀️

There was the signature moon bread, and also 'Moon Embracing the Sun,' which combines the moon bread and sun bread. There happened to be exactly one of the best-selling Moon Embracing the Sun left! No need to think twice about that one. 😆 Since it's the best-seller and there was only one left, I got even more curious and picked it up right away.

Above all, this is a signature bread you can't find anywhere else — only at Choi. Being that special made me even more curious. Since it was the last one left, I figured I really had to try it, so I picked it up right there. :)

Cakes and desserts at Choi Main Branch

It wasn't just bread — the variety of cakes was impressive too. From cute little slice cakes to all sorts of desserts that looked delicious just to look at.

With so many breads, just browsing them one by one was fun. Thinking "this looks good too, I want to try that one too" — time really flew by. 😆

No. 1 croissant, 4,500 won 🥐

And finally, the No. 1 croissant caught my eye! Being from the bakery of the 2024 Baguette & Croissant Championship winner, I felt like this was truly a must-try. Seeing the croissant up close, its crisp, golden baked look was so appetizing I picked it without hesitation. :)

Wow, they even have macarons here! I thought it was just bread, but they had cakes, desserts, and macarons too — really a wide range. This place feels like it can go toe-to-toe with famous bakeries in scale and variety, all in one spot.

And then there was the 72-hour panettone that caught my eye! Knowing it takes such a long, careful fermentation process to make made it feel even more special. It'd be perfect on the table for a Christmas or year-end home party. 🎄

I was extra excited about Choi's unique signature menu combining moon bread and sun bread. And since it happened to be the last one of the best-seller left, I grabbed it right away. The look is so distinctive — if you've come all this way, it really feels like a must-buy.

How ordering works: pay on the 1st floor, pick up on the 2nd

At Choi Main Branch, you pay for both café items and bakery items together on the 1st floor, then pick up your drink on the 2nd floor. Heading up to the 2nd floor, the entire 1st-floor bakery spread out below in full view — seeing all that bread from above gave a completely different impression.

There was no need to go back down to the 1st floor to collect your drink after ordering — you could take a seat on the 2nd floor, wait comfortably, and pick up your drink right there. Even in such a large café, the flow wasn't inconvenient at all, and I appreciated this thoughtful system. :)

Inside the 2nd-floor café and the Nakdong River window seats

Wow, the moment I stepped into the 2nd-floor café, I was struck by the sheer scale and sense of space. The interior was really spacious and the seats had generous spacing, so even with quite a few people around, it never felt cramped.

It felt like a place worth visiting just to experience the scale and atmosphere of the café, not just for coffee.

And what impressed me most was the river view! The Nakdong River scenery unfolding beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows was truly gorgeous. Combined with the spacious seating and high sense of openness, the space felt relaxed and comfortable even with many people around.

What seating does Choi Main Branch have?

The seating wasn't just one style — there was a good variety. I especially liked having seats where you could drink coffee while looking out at the river. Sitting by the window and taking in the Nakdong River leisurely felt really nice.

On one side, there were large tables set under bright lighting. With such wide tables, it looked great for family gatherings or group meetups. With such varied seating across the spacious floor, it was nice being able to easily choose a spot whether visiting alone, with a friend, or with family.

Choi Main Branch prices and how the No. 1 croissant tastes

True to a spot known for its view, the Nakdong River scenery outside the window was truly beautiful. Sipping coffee while looking out at the river through the wide windows, I understood exactly why people come here.

• Americano ₩5,000
• Café latte ₩5,300

Let me also note the prices for the bakery items I picked.

• Moon Embracing the Sun ₩13,000
• No. 1 croissant ₩4,500
• Green onion salt bread ₩3,800

I'd had a pretty filling lunch before heading to the café, so even though I'd piled a lot onto my tray at the bakery, I actually ended up quite full. 😆

Taking a bite, the harmony of a crisp outside and soft inside was really great. The inside of the croissant had tight, dense layers, yet it wasn't dry or heavy at all. Instead, it chewed soft while still carrying that crisp exterior texture — something felt different from the croissants I usually eat.

That contrast — crisp outside, moist and soft inside — really came through clearly. Taking a bite, I could kind of see why it's called the No. 1 croissant. It was light yet had great texture, and paired really well with coffee. ☕🥐

3rd-floor rooftop: the best Nakdong River view at Choi Main Branch

The 3rd-floor rooftop at Choi Main Branch is off-limits to children for safety reasons. It's also quite windy up there, making parasols hard to set up, so umbrellas are provided for shade instead.

The Nakdong River view from the 2nd floor was already gorgeous, but heading up to the 3rd floor, the view opened up even wider — genuinely the ultimate view.

Looking out from up high, the Nakdong River scenery came into full view, and being outdoors made it feel even more open. On a nice day, it'd be great to enjoy a coffee up here in the cool breeze. If you're looking for a Yangsan café or a café near Busan, this river view alone makes the trip out to this Hopo café worthwhile. :)

At sunset or once the lights come on at night, it seems like it'd be really atmospheric with a cool autumn breeze.

It was also convenient that you can take the elevator straight up to the 3rd-floor rooftop. No need to climb stairs while carrying coffee and desserts — you can just take the elevator up, making it easy to bring drinks and bakery items up to the rooftop without much hassle. Even as a large café, the floor-to-floor movement is well thought out for visitors. :)

Getting to Choi Main Branch by subway from Hopo Station

Looking out from behind the café, Hopo Station was visible across the way. Even without a car, you could take the subway, get off at Hopo Station, and walk over to the café, so it's also a decent option for visiting by public transit. Since it's close to Busan, accessibility is good, so if you're looking for a café near Busan, it's worth visiting either by car or subway. :)

In front of the café, the wide-open Nakdong River stretches out, and every so often you could see a train passing in the distance. 🚆 Watching the river with the occasional passing train added to the enjoyment. This place truly lives up to being a view spot. With the Nakdong River and passing trains together, it'll be hard to find a river-view café I like more than this one anytime soon.

Taking leftover bread home from the self-packing station

Leftover bread isn't just handed to you to carry off — there's a self-packing station where you can wrap it up yourself. Packing supplies were available so you could sort and pack different types of bread neatly to take home. This thoughtful setup, letting customers take care of what they need themselves, felt like a small but considerate touch. :)

Sharing Moon Embracing the Sun with the kids 🌙☀️

I brought home the signature bread I couldn't finish at the café, 'Moon Embracing the Sun,' to share with my beloved kids. The moment I pulled it out, the first thing my kids said was, "Wow, it's so pretty!" 😍

Being girls, I guess, they seemed totally taken by the pretty shape before even tasting it. With its unique combined sun-and-moon shape, it looked special to them too — they spent a while just admiring it before eating, clearly loving it. Winning the kids over visually before they even tasted it — that's Moon Embracing the Sun for you!

Moon bread: stewed apple and vanilla cream

We tried the moon bread first. 🌙 Inside was crunchy stewed apple and soft vanilla cream.

The crisp texture of the stewed apple paired with the sweet, soft vanilla cream worked better together than I expected. The soft bread combined with the crunchy apple made every bite fun to chew. The kids loved not just the pretty shape but the taste too, and ate it right up.

Sun bread with Strawberry Shot 🍓

Next we tried the sun bread, Strawberry Shot. Biting in, the outer bread felt crisp first, and inside was chewy, dense chocolate brownie. Adding to that was a fragrant, tangy strawberry compote, which cut through the richness of the chocolate.

The dense chocolate brownie filling your mouth, the fragrant strawberry compote, and the crisp outer bread — the harmony of textures and flavors was really great.

Since they're open as usual for Chuseok too, this could make a nice light outing with family over the holiday. Enjoying good bread and coffee while taking in the wide-open Nakdong River view is a great way to get some fresh air and spend relaxed time with family. With such a wide bread selection, a spacious café, and a gorgeous river view, I get why so many people come here after visiting myself.

If you're looking for a Yangsan café or café near Busan where you can properly enjoy a Nakdong River view, this Hopo café, Choi, is well worth a visit. :)