Gonjiam café with milk cream salt bun and mango smoothie: La Cuesta
In short
La Cuesta is a large two-story bakery brunch café in Gonjiam, Gwangju, Gyeonggi, a short drive from Hwadam Botanic Garden. One order of milk cream salt bun 4,800 won, rice white roll 5,900 won, choco cake 7,800 won, a La Cuesta latte and an apple mango smoothie came to 34,500 won, and the wide outdoor garden behind the building even lends out picnic props. La Cuesta is an easy stop for couples, kids and dogs after a walk through Hwadam Botanic Garden.
Good to know
- Hours
- Daily 10:00–22:00 (last order 21:30)
- Brunch service
- 10:30–20:30
- Parking
- Private lot right in front, plenty of space
- Dogs
- Allowed (spacious outdoor garden)
- Drink prices
- 5,000–8,000 won
- Brunch prices
- Sandwiches, pasta and platters 16,000–18,000 won
- What we ordered
- Milk cream salt bun 4,800 won / rice white roll 5,900 won / choco cake 7,800 won / La Cuesta latte 8,000 won / apple mango smoothie 8,000 won, total 34,500 won
- Promotions
- Free bread for writing a review, 10% off one drink for soldiers, police and firefighters with ID, americano refills and more
- Price reference
- ₩5,000 ≈ $3.6 · ₩16,000 ≈ $11.5 · ₩4,800 ≈ $3.5 (2026-09-18)
as written by the visitor on Sep 17, 2026
Hwadam season is slowly coming around again. Here's my review of La Cuesta, a large brunch café that's great to visit after a walk through Hwadam Botanic Garden.
The café building you see out front isn't all there is. Once you check out the picnic space behind the building too, you'll understand why so many people come here.
La Cuesta hours, parking and dog policy
La Cuesta is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:30. Brunch can be ordered until 20:30.
🚗 Parking 🚗 There's a dedicated lot right in front of the café with plenty of space, so parking is easy. 🐶 Dogs welcome 🐶
Inside La Cuesta: first-floor bakery, second-floor seating
The café is split across two floors, and both the 1st and 2nd floors have indoor and outdoor seating.
There's a huge variety of bread, and the prices aren't too intimidating either. They even had sample stations here and there so you could taste before buying — I love that so much, honestly touched 💛
Found a candy service on the way up to the 2nd floor~ There's also a space where kids can draw freely, and cute little touches like this pop up everywhere you don't expect them. It kept me feeling warm and happy the whole time I was there.
The 2nd floor has a cozier, warmer vibe than the 1st floor — a nice space to settle in and relax.
La Cuesta's outdoor garden and free picnic props
La Cuesta's biggest charm is the outdoor garden space. The moment I spotted the garden I told my boyfriend we had to go outside right now lol. Total healing spot.
The garden is so spacious that some people were playing badminton, and others had laid out mats for a picnic.
The café even provides picnic props directly, and they're aesthetic enough that they're great for photos too.
La Cuesta menu prices and promotions
Drinks range from ₩5,000–8,000 and come in a wide variety.
For brunch there are sandwiches, pasta, and platters, priced reasonably at around ₩16,000–18,000.
They also have bingsu (shaved ice dessert) that's perfect for summer~ This café really has everything.
I've seen free americanos before, but free bread is a first for me. Write a review and you get bread as a gift — definitely don't forget to claim it.
They're also running various events like 10% off drinks for the cardholder themselves with a public servant ID (military, police, firefighters), and americano refills, so if you qualify, make sure to take advantage.
Milk cream salt bun, rice white roll and choco cake: how they taste
What we ordered at La Cuesta: milk cream salt bread ₩4,800, rice white roll ₩5,900, choco cake ₩7,800, a La Cuesta latte ₩8,000, and an apple mango smoothie ₩8,000. Total ₩34,500.
- Milk cream salt bread ₩4,800
- Rice white roll ₩5,900
- Choco cake ₩7,800
- La Cuesta latte ₩8,000
- Apple mango smoothie ₩8,000
- Total ₩34,500
We'd planned to get bingsu, but the bread looked so delicious that we gave up on the bingsu and went with 1 cake + 2 popular breads instead.
The choco cake has a dense, cream-cheese-like texture, and the moment you take a bite, a heavy, rich chocolate flavor hits — chocolate lovers would go crazy for this.
The rice white roll has light, soft cream, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy. It's mildly sweet, and sipping coffee alongside it made for a great pairing. I ended up eating my way through the whole roll like it was gimbap (seaweed rice roll) before I knew it...
The salty salt bread combined with the sweet, soft milk cream makes for an addictive sweet-and-salty flavor in the milk cream salt bread — but my boyfriend ate the whole thing so I never even got to taste it!
Apple mango smoothie and the signature La Cuesta latte
The apple mango smoothie and La Cuesta's signature La Cuesta latte! Both ₩8,000.
The apple mango smoothie had such a deeply sweet, refreshing natural mango flavor that I really enjoyed it!! Light, tangy, and sweet, it goes down so easily.
The cream was the kicker on the La Cuesta latte. It has a sweetness similar to condensed milk, and the cream itself is so soft that it makes the latte go down even more smoothly.
The soft, sweet cream blending with the coffee just gets better the more you drink. Since when did I start liking cream this much...?
Why La Cuesta is a good stop after Hwadam Botanic Garden
La Cuesta lets you self-pack any leftover bread, so you can easily take home what you didn't finish. There's also a well-set-up space inside for babies to play, so it's good for visiting with little ones, and the spacious outdoor garden makes it great for visiting with dogs too.
Since it's located near Hwadam Botanic Garden, it's the perfect spot to stop by after a Hwadam date and enjoy a relaxed time together. If you're looking for a large brunch bakery café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, I recommend La Cuesta.
Where it is
278 Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea경기도 광주시 곤지암읍 경충대로 278 라꾸에스타
