Gwangju forest-view café: first canelé and chestnut bread, La Cuesta

Ever since we moved, I keep looking for places with good air. You know that feeling when you live surrounded by exhaust fumes and then visit somewhere full of forest smell, and your nose just opens right up? You don't even have to go far to get it. This is the story of La Cuesta, a bakery café near Hwadam Forest where I got a proper nose-full of forest air.

Is parking easy at La Cuesta?

La Cuesta is a large café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, with a big parking lot, so you can visit without worrying about parking. Even when we came on a weekend, a few spots were still open, so parking was no trouble, which I loved.

La Cuesta's outdoor space: coffee in nature

The outdoor area is landscaped, so it looks like a great spot for photos on a sunny day. The weather was fantastic the day we visited, and I felt healed from the moment I climbed the steps.

This is where we sat. It was a private table, and the second we sat down the forest smell hit us.

This is the view if you sit facing the forest. It looked like a space where kids or dogs can play. When kids were there, there were no dogs, and when dogs were there, there were no kids. Everyone who brought a dog kept it on a leash.

Which floors are the indoor seats on at La Cuesta?

La Cuesta isn't only outdoor seating. The indoor space has a 1st and 2nd floor, and there were plenty of seats inside too.

Sunlight comes in nicely inside too. Sunshine just puts you in a good mood, doesn't it? It's a great place to come to recharge.

It's not only the 1st floor; there are seats on the 2nd floor as well. The café is huge, so I don't think you need to worry about finding a seat.

Is there anything to do with kids?

La Cuesta had lots for kids to do. They could draw, and they could take photos too! And since it was Halloween season, one part of the café was decorated for Halloween. On top of that, there was a cookie-making DIY kids would love!! Kids get their own time, and parents get theirs.

La Cuesta's menu and signature meju bread

La Cuesta has all kinds of cakes and drinks kids can have. Kids love Pororo drinks, right? They were displayed at kid-eye level, haha.

Meju bread with kidney beans and green peas

La Cuesta's signature bread is the "meju bread" (named after the fermented soybean blocks used for soy sauce and doenjang). It's said to be a low-carb, high-protein bread with kidney beans and green peas. It's even shaped like a block of meju, so it catches your eye.

Besides the signature bread, there were many other kinds. There are so many types that you can just order whatever suits your taste.

La Cuesta latte, canelé and chestnut bread: how did they taste?

We ordered the La Cuesta latte, an Americano, and several kinds of bread.

First, the La Cuesta latte is topped with a thick layer of cream, a great latte for a big sugar recharge. It was sweet and delicious. I liked that it wasn't one of those lattes with barely any coffee in it. The Americano was solid and basic, the kind nobody dislikes.

With the canelé, my first bite threw me because the outside was quite hard, but when I cut it with a knife the inside was super moist. It was my first time trying a canelé, so the texture surprised me, but as I kept eating, the crisp outside and moist inside made me keep reaching for more.

This was a bread with chestnuts in it, and it was the best one. It was super moist and soft, and I think anyone would like it. There were quite a lot of chestnuts inside, too! If you like chestnuts, give it a try.

Who would I recommend La Cuesta to?

If you want to heal in the forest, relax over coffee at a café nearby, or are looking for a café to go to with kids, visit La Cuesta, the bakery café near Hwadam Forest! It was great for spending time with kids and for relaxing with a forest view. My husband even took photos, saying it would be a good place to come with our parents later.