Namhansanseong bakery café with a music room annex and cream bun: Sum

The weather has been so nice lately, perfect for a drive, so this time I headed to Sum (카페숨) in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, to spend some relaxed time in nature. 🚗 With open views, lots of bakery items and plenty of space, it was a great place to recharge.

Where is Sum? A Namhansanseong drive course

Sum is in Namhansanseong-myeon, Gwangju, near Namhansanseong fortress, so it's fairly easy to get to.

It's a popular stop on the Namhansanseong drive, so on weekends I saw lots of families and couples.

It's an especially good spot to take a break in the middle of a Namhansanseong drive, so it works well as part of the route.

A big café in nature: Sum's main building and outdoor area

Sum is a large café set in nature, split into a main building and an annex.

The main building has a high ceiling and a two-floor layout, so it feels really open. The big windows let the sunlight in naturally, and it felt airy, not stuffy at all 😊

The outdoor area is spacious too, nice for enjoying a coffee while looking at the scenery. There are plenty of photo spots, so I'd recommend it as an Instagram-worthy café too ><

What's Sum's annex like? A music room and a birch-tree 2nd floor

The annex was really charming too. The 1st floor is styled like a music listening room, good for resting quietly while listening to music, and the 2nd floor is decorated with birch trees, which gave it a cozy, sentimental mood.

Each space has a different mood, so it was fun just to look around. I could see why so many people pick Sum out of all the Namhansanseong cafés.

Sum's bakery menu: from croissants to meal breads and desserts

As a proper Namhansanseong bakery café, Sum had a really wide variety of breads.

Croissants, meal breads, desserts: so many choices that picking was half the fun.

I chose one sausage bread and one cream bun. The smell of freshly baked bread was so good that bread lovers should be happy here.

Sum's drinks: vanilla latte and iced Americano

The drink choices were more varied than I expected. They had jujube tea, strawberry latte and assorted teas, so you can pick to your taste.

I ordered a vanilla latte and an iced Americano. The vanilla latte was sweet and smooth, and the iced Americano was clean and went well with the bakery items.

The salty sausage bread went well with coffee, and the cream bun was packed with soft cream, great as a dessert 😋

My favorite part of Sum: the outdoor views

Personally, the best part of Sum was the outdoor area. Green trees and natural scenery blend together, giving a calm you can hardly find in the city.

It's pretty for photos and nice for strolling, so I ended up staying a long time.

There are lots of good Namhansanseong restaurants nearby too, so it looked like a fine stop after a meal! The café is big, so I also liked that you can relax without worrying about finding a seat.

Verdict: Sum, a great stop on a Namhansanseong drive

Sum was a Gwangju, Gyeonggi café that's great for spending relaxed time in nature.

The spacious, comfortable layout, the sentimental annex, and the varied bakery items and drinks all satisfied me, and above all the natural scenery was really impressive. If you're looking for a café to visit on a drive, I recommend Sum in Namhansanseong! 😊

Sum opening hours

• Mon–Fri 10:00–20:30 (last order 20:00)
• Sat–Sun 10:00–21:30 (last order 21:00)
• Address: 108-11 Ojeon-gil, Namhansanseong-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea