Gangnam café with a 10+ seat table & apple crumble pie: Bakerist Brown

If you're still deciding on a café near Gangnam Station, I recently found Bakerist Brown, a big bakery café with lots of baked goods that's great for working on a laptop or chatting for hours. Here's my visit review.

Where is Bakerist Brown, and where do you park?

Bakerist Brown is in the CGV alley by Exit 11 of Gangnam Station, and it's easy to reach from Sinnonhyeon Station too. For parking, use a nearby paid lot through the Modu Parking app.

There's a terrace in front of the café, and since it's a shaded zone, it's perfect for getting that outdoor-terrace vibe without the sun.

Breads and desserts at Bakerist Brown

You feel the size of the place right from the entrance, and pretty dessert breads are on display.

The first things I spotted were 4 kinds of financiers, madeleines, pastries and a pumpkin pie,

plus croissants, sausage pastries and egg tarts. You can check the varieties and prices in the photos. The dessert items aren't listed in the menu on the Naver page, so the lineup seems to change from time to time.

True to its reputation as a salt bread hotspot, it had 6 kinds of salt bread, along with Bamti Malppang (chestnut bread) and plenty of other bakery options.

In the chilled case there were 3 delicious-looking puddings, 3 cakes and 2 desserts piled high with mango.

Seating and interior, floor by floor

Floor 1: ordering area and retro props

The ordering counter on floor 1 carries the red brick look of the exterior inside as a design accent.

Cute retro props make it a nice photo spot, and there are waiting chairs for takeout drink customers.

Floor 2: the main space with sofa seats and green-view windows

Floor 2 is the main space, with tables of all shapes, so it looks right for anything from a couple's date to a group gathering.

There were several comfy sofa seats like this, and since it's such a big café, curtains divide the space for a more private feel. From the windows you get a green, summery view.

Basement 1: the quietest floor, with a table for 10+

As the stairs down hint, the basement had the fewest people and felt cozy. It's only half a level down, so the windows near the entrance still show the Gangnam street.

There's a large table seating 10 or more, which seems great for group gatherings or group meetings.

The basement looks like this, with framed pictures on the walls as the accent and, as I said, a cozy feel.

Floor 3: study space divided by curtains and partitions

As a big Gangnam café, Bakerist Brown lets you use up to floor 3. There's a 4-seat table shielded by a wall beside the stairs for a bit of privacy, and like the basement, the walls on floor 3 have carpet decorations. There are also 3-seat window-view spots and tables good for groups.

On floors 2 and 3, partitions and curtains divide the space so it feels a little separated.

The restroom is on floor 2, and floor 3 has a hidden half-level space like this. It's walled off yet has two windows, so it's perfect for a study session or a group meetup.

How do the black sesame latte, Gangnam Sand and apple crumble pie taste?

Signature black sesame latte

The signature drink I ordered at Bakerist Brown was the black sesame latte.

The latte looked pretty too, and with nutty black sesame cream and a caramel flavor on top, I enjoyed it a lot. I'd recommend it to coffee beginners like me.

6-flavor Gangnam Sand set

The other signature, a set of 6 different sandwich cookies, comes in simple packaging that seems great for a casual gift.

Gangnam Sand pairs generous cream with a soft cookie-biscuit texture, and it comes in 6 flavors, listed here from left to right.

• Golden Hour: a sweet harmony of caramel and white chocolate
• Cream Forest: a taste where you really feel the bitterness of matcha
• London Fog: fragrant, with the chew of Earl Grey and white chocolate, and sweetness rising in the aftertaste
• Rich Ganache: chocolate cream with a deep, rich flavor
• Black Grain: a treat with a strong nutty black sesame flavor
• Peanut Butter Wave: packed with intensely sweet peanut butter

With 6 different flavors in one box, it's a great gift set.

Apple crumble pie

My next dessert pick was the apple crumble pie, topped with pieces of pickled apple.

It combined sweet marmalade-style apple with soft cream and pastry.

Bakerist Brown opening hours

Bakerist Brown is open every day from 11:00 to 22:00.

Which baked goods sell out varies by day, so late in the evening there's a good chance they'll be gone, but the drink menu is big too, from ube matcha latte to salt cream coffee.

Verdict: if you want a Gangnam Station café for studying or meetings

I'd walked past Bakerist Brown many times without realizing it was a bakery café near Gangnam Station. I recommend a visit.

Being so big, it has several spots suited to study groups, and with Wi-Fi available, it seems just right if you're looking for a Gangnam Station café for studying or meetings.

Unlike the modest terrace feel at the entrance, you can use everything from the basement up to floor 3, and the wide variety of baked goods is a real plus.