Fig quinoa amann on 2nd-floor sofa seats with friends: Bakerist Brown

SEOUL — Bakerist Brown, a Gangnam-station bakery, where we enjoyed fig desserts in a European-feeling café.

Bakerist Brown location and hours

• Location: 21 Gangnam-daero102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (B1, 1F–3F)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:30
• Group seating available, takeout, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms

A European-feeling bakery amid red brick

I met up with friends in Gangnam after lunch and, wanting a nice-looking café to chat over coffee and dessert, we headed to Bakerist Brown, a bakery café near Gangnam Station.

The building itself was so pretty when we arrived!! The warm tone of the reddish brick combined with a slightly vintage vibe made it feel like we'd stepped into a completely different space, even though it's right in the middle of Gangnam!!

Even from a distance, the exotic feel of the brick building already gave off strong bakery café vibes.

There were outdoor tables near the entrance too, and I imagine sitting there with a coffee on a nice day would feel amazing!!

Bakerist Brown runs from basement 1 all the way up to the 3rd floor, so basically the whole building is café space — spacious and comfortable.

A bakery display case that makes you happy just looking at it

Walking in on the 1st floor, you're greeted right away by the bakery display and ordering counter.

The first thing that catches your eye is the variety of bread neatly lined up!!

From croissants to pain au chocolat-style pastries, salt bread, madeleines, and pies, there was such a wide variety that it was genuinely fun just browsing the bread.

Living up to its reputation as a salt bread hotspot among Gangnam Station bakeries, there were so many kinds of salt bread — if you love salt bread, Bakerist Brown is highly recommended!!

Not only was the variety great, but every loaf looked gorgeous too — this Gangnam Station bakery really has it together visually.

Inside the chilled showcase there were plenty of desserts as well.

Since it was fig season, there was a whole lineup of fig desserts, and every single one looked incredibly delicious!!

Fig dessert prices

• Fig croissant: ₩8,300
• Fig quinoa amann: ₩9,600
• Fig panettone: ₩9,600

And on top of that, Bakerist Brown also has the Gangnam Sand cookies — an impressive dessert lineup overall. There was even a Gangnam Sand gift set, which looked perfect for presents.

What we ordered with friends that day: iced americano, hot americano, salt cream coffee, fig quinoa amann, and a Gangnam Sand set!

After ordering, we headed up to the 2nd floor.

Different seating, different mood on every floor

2nd-floor sofa seats

The 2nd floor had various table and seating styles, and I especially loved that there were sofa seats.

When meeting friends, it's nicer to sit comfortably and chat for a while rather than just grabbing a quick coffee and leaving — and in that sense, the 2nd floor had a pretty relaxed atmosphere.

The window-side sofa seats were pure relaxation! The whole café had such a nice atmosphere that any table would have felt great, but we ended up settling into the 2nd-floor sofa seats.

3rd-floor group table

Going up one more floor from the 2nd, you reach the 3rd floor. It gets natural light, so it felt a bit brighter and more relaxed than the 2nd floor.

There was also space for larger groups, which looked great for when a bigger crowd of friends gets together.

One of the charms of Bakerist Brown is that the mood shifts slightly floor to floor within the same café, so you can pick whichever space suits you. With the layout running from the basement up to the 3rd floor, the café felt quite spacious, and even with lots of people around, it didn't feel like everyone was crammed into one space.

Americano and the luxuriously salty salt cream coffee

While we were chatting after settling in, all our orders came out.

Iced americano, hot americano, salt cream coffee, fig quinoa amann, Gangnam Sand set! Coming with friends meant we could order several desserts and share, which was great.

True to a bakery café, the desserts and bread looked delicious, but the coffee itself was also good!! The iced americano was clean and easy to drink, and the hot americano was just as pleasant without being too heavy.

I also tried a sip of the salt cream coffee my friend ordered — so good! The creaminess mixed with the coffee's bitterness, plus a hint of saltiness, gave it a different kind of charm from a regular coffee.

Paired with the fig quinoa amann and Gangnam Sand, the coffee's flavor came through even more.

Tasting the fig quinoa amann and Gangnam Sand set

The fig quinoa amann looked gorgeous the moment it hit the table!!

With figs piled on top of a crisply baked pastry, the color was beautiful and it made for a really photogenic dessert.

One bite in, the signature crispy, sweet flavor of quinoa amann paired really well with the fig's gentle sweetness. Most of all, the figs themselves were delicious, which was satisfying. The crisp texture of the pastry and the soft, moist texture of the fig came through together, making it perfect alongside coffee.

Gangnam Sand, 8 flavors

Curious about the Gangnam Sand too, so we ordered the set!! Gangnam Sand comes in 8 flavors, so it's fun picking through different tastes, and the packaging is clean enough to make a nice simple gift.

• Raspberry Blossom
• Sweet Pumpkin Jack
• Golden Hour
• Black Grain
• Rich Ganache
• London Fog
• Cream Forest
• Peanut Butter

Both the colors and flavors were so varied. Each of the 8 flavors had its own charm and every one was good. Of them all, my favorite was the London Fog Gangnam Sand!

The combo of Earl Grey and white chocolate was so sweet. Recommend the Gangnam Sand set if you want a simple dessert gift!!

From the pretty exterior to the variety of bread, the comfortable seating, and the good coffee and desserts — if you're looking for a nice-atmosphere bakery café to spend some relaxed time with friends near Gangnam Station, I recommend Bakerist Brown!!