Gangseo bakery in Dongchon-dong: chewy top 3 financiers, Byway Bakers

A review of chewy financiers, butter rice cake, and mocha salt bread from Byway Bakers Balsan branch

I fell in love with the butter rice cake here before, so I went back. This time I took home financiers, butter rice cake, and coffee salt bread, and I'm eating them as I write this haha. It's a café, but it's a neighborhood favorite where a lot of people just come to take out dessert ·͜·

Byway Bakers Balsan Station: location, hours and how to find it

Byway Bakers Balsan Station is at 678-1 Dongchon-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor of the Gangseo Hoguk Bohun Hall building. It's a 1-minute walk from Dongchon Jugong Apartments and NC Department Store!

• 🕒 Daily 09:00–20:00 (closed Wednesdays)
• ⚠️ Closed Sep 24–26 for Chuseok holiday

Byway Bakers financier flavours and prices

One reason I keep coming back to Byway Bakers is the variety of financiers. It's genuinely fun to pick.

Salty financier ₩2,900 (No.1 bestseller) — natural butter + almond powder, the textbook definition of crisp-outside, savory-nutty perfection

Almond chocolate financier ₩3,200 (No.2 popular) — roasted almonds + dark chocolate, a perfect sweet-and-nutty combo

Hwang cheese financier ₩3,200 (No.3 popular) — rich hwang cheese chocolate + crunchy cookie bits, a salty-savory charm

• Oreo financier ₩3,200 — crunchy Oreo cookies + white chocolate, 200% satisfaction for chocolate lovers
• Vanilla financier ₩3,200 — natural vanilla bean + white chocolate, a subtle sweet flavor
• Pistachio financier ₩3,200 — made with real pistachio nuts for a deep, cool nuttiness
• Fig financier ₩3,200 — premium flavor topped with figs matured directly in wine
• Pecan pie financier ₩3,200 — full of cinnamon flavor, rich pecan pie taste

There are also 5-piece and 10-piece packages, great for stocking up. But what really surprised me when I tried them was the texture. The outside is crisp but the inside is so chewy!!!! You'd normally think of financiers as moist, but the chewiness here is really different. I think I'll come back just for this haha.

Why I came back: the Shanghai butter rice cake at Byway Bakers

The butter rice cake is the whole reason I revisited — I already fell for it once. Shanghai butter rice cake ₩1,500 each / ₩7,500 for 5. It's a Shanghai-style dessert made with 100% domestic glutinous rice flour and natural butter, baked shiny and slightly crisp on the outside while staying moist and chewy inside.

One bite and the rich butter aroma spreads through your mouth, filling it with nutty flavor ㅠㅠㅠ They also sell condensed milk to dip it in, and apparently it's even better that way!

Byway Bakers salt bread and the three Wakppu salt breads

Salt bread is also a No.1 signature menu item. Salt bread ₩2,900 / 4-pack ₩9,900 (down from ₩11,600). Salt crystals scattered on top and a golden-baked exterior make it look irresistible 🤤

They also just released 3 Wakppu salt breads!? Peach yogurt, early-summer sweet corn, and blueberry yogurt. I'm so curious about the texture, I have to try these next time...

The golden egg tart at Byway Bakers

Crisp, layered pastry filled with yellow custard cream — one bite and the soft sweetness fills your mouth, a classic done right!

What else is on the Byway Bakers bakery counter

Butter bresan ₩3,800 — a fluffy, sweet bread topped with butter cream, I'm curious what that tastes like! Jambon-beurre baguette ₩7,500 — a French-style baguette sandwich with domestic ham, natural butter, and arugula, which looked great as a meal substitute.

Pistachio fig egg tart ₩5,800 — it's fig season these days, and it looked gorgeous in the display case.

Byway Bakers drink menu and prices

Since it's also a café, there's a varied drink menu too.

• Americano ₩4,000 / Latte ₩4,500
• Brown sugar cream latte ₩5,500 (popular)
• Salty cream latte ₩5,500
• Matcha latte ₩5,500 (seasonal)
• Matcha melon latte ₩5,500 (seasonal, iced only)
• Watermelon juice ₩4,800 (seasonal, 100% domestic)

Byway's baking blend beans are said to feature nutty savoriness, caramel-like sweetness, and buttery smoothness!

Is Byway Bakers Balsan Station worth a visit? Final verdict

This time I took home the salty, hwang cheese, and almond chocolate financiers — the top 1 through 3 — along with the butter rice cake and mocha salt bread haha. Once I tried them, the chewiness of the financiers was really on another level, so next time I think I'll stock up with the 5-piece package. Since they keep up to 14 days frozen, buying a bunch and pulling one out at a time is the way to go!