Seocho cake shop, free parking & my birthday Real Mango Rose: Chef Cho

Chef Cho, the cake favorite in Sweet Park at Shinsegae Gangnam, gave me a sweet, bright birthday present with its Real Mango Rose.

Why I chose a Chef Cho mango cake for my birthday party

This year my birthday was shared with a friend, which made it extra special, so I really wanted to pick the cake carefully. Taste matters, but it also had to look pretty in photos on the party table and be easy to carry.

After some thought, I chose the mango cake from Chef Cho, the Shinsegae Gangnam cake favorite. Let me walk you through the location, parking, menu and my overall verdict!

What is Chef Cho? One of the "Four Kings of Cake" from TV's Master of Living

Chef Cho at Shinsegae Gangnam's Sweet Park is a cake specialist that Chef Jo Jeong-im has run steadily for 23 years.

Her training in Japan, France and Italy is built into the cakes too. A nameplate from the TV show Master of Living (Saenghwarui Dalin) calling her one of the "Four Kings of Cake" sits in the shop, so I trusted it the moment I walked in. They say Chef Cho values the ingredients' own flavor along with soft texture, rich ganache, abundant cream and fresh fruit. They use 100% dairy fresh cream and pile on fruit delivered daily, so every bite had real ingredient flavor.

There was even a sign saying the cream is approved by the couple Ki Tae-young and Yuri Jin, so you can feel their pride in the cream. Chef Cho cakes keep for 2 days if refrigerated well, so buy one on the day of your party and you can enjoy it fresh. It is a premium cake brand that began at the Mullae main shop and has run for over 20 years, built on the skill of master pastry chef Jo Jeong-im and stylish designs.

Where is Chef Cho in Shinsegae Gangnam?

Chef Cho is in the basement 1 food hall of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, connected to Exit 3 of Express Bus Terminal Station, where subway Lines 3, 7 and 9 meet.

I took the subway and went straight into basement 1.

Walk past the food hall toward Sweet Park, where Shinsegae Gangnam's food spots line up. Chef Cho is right at the start, so it was easy to find.

Is there free parking for Chef Cho at Shinsegae Gangnam?

Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam gives free parking based on the amount of your receipt or e-receipt from Chef Cho. There are several car parks, so it works well if you come by car, and you only need to keep your receipt.

🅿️ Free parking rules

• ₩50,000 or more: 1 hour
• ₩100,000 or more: 2 hours
• ₩150,000 or more: 3 hours (maximum 3 hours)

💰 Parking fees

After the free time, it is ₩1,500 per 15 minutes.

📍 Car parks that qualify

• Department store basement car park
• Tower car park
• Famier car park
• Gyeongbu-seon Sai-gil car park

Must read: the Gyeongbu-seon Plaza car park and the Gyeongbu-seon Deck car park cannot be used.

Does Chef Cho have seating?

Chef Cho in Sweet Park is pick-up only, so there are no seats inside. The showcase sorts the cakes by type, so it was easy to choose at a glance.

Around Sweet Park people kept coming and going, so it felt lively. There are seats nearby where you can sit and rest, so you could eat a slice cake right away.

When I visited, plenty of people were picking cakes as gifts, enough that I understood why it's called a Gangnam cake favorite. They packed mine carefully in a box, so I could walk right out with it.

Chef Cho cake menu and prices

Chef Cho's cakes come in three lines: No. 1 cakes (whole cakes), mini cakes and slice cakes.

No. 1 whole cakes

• Cacao 52% Choco Whole Strawberry ₩56,000
• Whole Strawberry Fresh Cream ₩48,000
• Pistachio Forest ₩56,000
• Strawberry Shortcake ₩59,000
• Apple Mango Strawberry Flower ₩54,000
• Real Mango Rose ₩56,000

Mini cakes

• Autumn Forest Marron ₩39,800
• Whole Sweet Potato Mousse ₩33,000

Slice cakes

• Matcha Coco Strawberry ₩11,000
• Real Mango Fresh Cream ₩9,800
• Dark Choco Forest ₩9,800
• Sebit Crepe ₩12,000

Even among Seoul's cake favorites, the fruit cake lineup is varied, so choosing was fun.

How was the Real Mango Rose No. 1 at my birthday party?

I chose the Real Mango Rose No. 1 (₩56,000), which is counted among Chef Cho's popular items.

Fresh mango covers the whole top of the cake, so the moment I lifted the box, its heavy weight raised my expectations.

As soon as I opened the box, a fragrant fresh-mango scent spread and I felt a happy flutter. The yellow fresh mango was in full bloom like a flower, making the birthday party table brighter and lovelier.

Chef Cho's mango cake is densely packed with mango, and the dairy fresh cream and mango cream together gave it a deeper flavor.

It is a generous build, with cream and fruit filling the layers over the sponge. Cut a single slice and you fall for the plentiful mango inside; take a bite and the mango's freshness and soft cream fill your mouth, which made for a happy birthday.

Verdict: Chef Cho is the birthday cake to get at Shinsegae Gangnam

If you are wondering which cake to get at Shinsegae Gangnam, Chef Cho is well worth a stop.

• Chef Jo Jeong-im's 23 years of know-how
• 100% dairy fresh cream and fresh fruit
• A Chef Cho mango cake that brightens the party table
• A varied lineup from whole cakes to slices
• Free parking by spend amount

If you're looking for a birthday or anniversary cake, do try Chef Cho's Real Mango Rose!