2-story café with mom near Hwadam Botanic Garden: La Cuesta

After having lunch in Gonjiam with my mom, we went looking for a café to grab coffee and dessert and ended up at La Cuesta Gwangju — it turned out to be much bigger than I expected.

I kept it simple that day with a latte, coffee and some bakery items. Looking around, the place has a spacious two-story layout with everything from bakery to brunch, plenty of seating variety and little extras to enjoy, so this should be useful if you're looking for a large café in Gonjiam, Gwangju.

Location and parking at La Cuesta Gwangju

La Cuesta Gwangju is located at 278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.

It's close to where we had lunch in Gonjiam, so I didn't need to plan out a big separate route. If you're heading to Hwadam Botanic Garden or the Gonjiam area, this feels like a good spot to slot in before or after a meal.

I drove there, and there were parking spaces both in front of and below the building.

How was the two-story space and seating?

The first thing I noticed walking in was the sheer size of the café. It's spread across two floors with a variety of seating types, so you can pick a spot to match whatever mood you're in.

Some large cafés end up with the same tables and chairs repeated everywhere despite the size, but La Cuesta had something a little different catching my eye in each area. So before settling down I ended up walking the whole place first. Visiting with my mom, it was nice that we could each pick a seat that suited our own taste.

It was especially fun to spot the cute little props and décor scattered around. Seeing these details, I got the sense the owner's taste and care went into every corner of the space.

Bakery and the self-packing bar

Since I'd already had lunch, I kept it simple with coffee, a latte and some bakery items.

There was a wide range of breads, so it was fun picking out dessert after a meal, and there was also a section selling gift-worthy sets on the side.

There was also a separate self-packing bar, and I noticed it even had a mini oven — handy for packing up leftover bread or warming it to your liking.

They also have brunch and bingsu

I didn't have brunch that day, but while walking around I noticed there was also a brunch and bingsu (shaved ice) menu.

It was a bit of a shame I couldn't try it since I'd already eaten, but next time I'd like to come specifically on a day I'm looking for a Hwadam brunch café and try the brunch menu.

Being able to choose between bakery items and full meals in one place also felt like more options overall.

Drawing contest, tasting corner, and a photo booth

What I found fun about La Cuesta was that it wasn't set up as just a place to eat and drink.

On one side there was a table set up with drawing supplies and signage for a drawing contest. At the time of my visit, they were selecting two winners a month to receive a gift.

They also seemed to run a tasting corner where customers can try new menu items and write feedback when new items come out. Seeing this, I felt the owner's approach of running the café while staying in touch with customers was pretty cool.

I also spotted a photo booth machine called Narang Hancut inside the café.

Like the four-cut photo booths (Inseang-necut), it lets you keep a photo from the day, so there was one more small thing to enjoy beyond just grabbing coffee and leaving.

Wandering the spacious café and discovering these little touches one by one was a pretty good time.

Overall thoughts

Looking around La Cuesta in person, what stuck with me was that it wasn't just a big café — it's a space with a lot to see and enjoy in every corner.

If you're looking for a Hwadam bakery café or somewhere to relax with coffee after a meal in Gonjiam, this is worth stopping by. Next time, I'm planning to try the brunch at La Cuesta.