Gonjiam bakery café before Hwadam Forest fireflies: cookies, La Cuesta

Why we stopped at La Cuesta in Gonjiam before the Hwadam Forest fireflies

La Cuesta (라꾸에스타) is a large bakery café in Gonjiam, Gwangju. Before going to see the fireflies at Hwadam Forest, I was looking for a café nearby to have coffee after dinner, and I found a bakery café that was totally my taste, can you believe it?!

It's La Cuesta, a big café in Gonjiam, Gwangju~ We had a bit of time before the fireflies, so we dropped in for a short break, and it was bigger than I expected, the bread was good and the mood was nice, so I was really happy with it haha.

La Cuesta is an easy drive from Hwadam Forest!

Is parking easy at La Cuesta?

The parking lot is fairly large, so you can visit without worrying about parking! If you're looking for a café near Hwadam Forest, you might want to save this one haha.

Near the entrance there was a sign about an appearance on SBS Live Today~ Turns out the place is famous for its meju bread! My expectations went up before we even went in haha.

What breads does La Cuesta have?

The bakery has a wide display, from salt bread to assorted bagels, pastries and desserts. The moment we opened the door... the smell of good bread greeted us! If you're a real bread lover, brace yourself before you go in haha.

With everything from salt bread and bagels to pastries and desserts, just looking around was fun.

The signature meju bread (메주식빵, a bean loaf named after fermented soybean blocks) grabbed our eyes right away!! At first I honestly thought it was a real meju block?! haha. Anyway! After some deliberation we ordered a La Cuesta latte, a lemon bow ade, meju bread, sausage bread and a cookie decorating set!

How does La Cuesta's meju bread taste?

La Cuesta's meju bread is a healthy loaf packed with kidney beans and green peas, more nutty and plain than sweet. At first, because of the name, I wondered if it was a loaf shaped like a real meju block, but it turned out to be a bread full of beans!

It's less a soft, sweet sandwich-loaf style and more a plain bread with a strong nutty flavor. I liked the texture of beans popping as I chewed, and the subtle nuttiness kept me reaching for more haha. It isn't very sweet, so it goes well with coffee, and I think people who like healthy breads will love it!

We liked it so much after one bite that we packed two more meju breads to take home on the way out haha.

La Cuesta latte and lemon bow ade

The La Cuesta latte is a latte topped with cream. The cream was really soft and sweet, totally my taste~ The bitterness of the coffee and the sweetness of the cream blend well, so it's perfect with dessert.

The lemon bow ade is fresh and fizzy, and a sip between bites of bread cleans up your mouth! Personally I was happy with both haha.

La Cuesta's cookie decorating set: fun for couples too?

At La Cuesta you can order a cookie decorating set and decorate cookies yourself at the table. Honestly, the most memorable part of the day was the cookie decorating haha. My boyfriend brought it over all excited, and at first I was like, "Why are we doing this?"

But once we started, we both went totally silent and focused haha. It was so much more fun than I expected that we lost track of time decorating. I think it's worth trying once with kids or as a couple haha.

And now, the big reveal....

That's how it came out... I think we're breaking up^^ It was so funny that we laughed for ages... haha. Still, I think making a small memory like this made the day even more memorable.

Why I recommend La Cuesta before or after Hwadam Forest

La Cuesta was a Gonjiam café we stopped at briefly before seeing the Hwadam Forest fireflies, and the visit turned out much better than I expected. A big parking lot, a pleasant space, a wide range of bakery items and tasty drinks, plus the cookie decorating, made it even better haha.

If you're looking for a big café in Gonjiam, Gwangju, or a bakery café near Hwadam Forest, I totally recommend La Cuesta! Stop by before or after Hwadam Forest for a cup of coffee and some delicious bread :)