Timer event and buying 3 pies solo at Gyeongju Tokyo Pie

Today I want to write about my visit to 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie,' a handmade pie shop in Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju.

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie's business hours

<Gyeongju Tokyo Pie> Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 11:30 ~ 19:00 (Closed every Tuesday) Sat, Sun 11:30 ~ 20:00

Please check the map for exact location and hours!

Pies are baked only twice a day

Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju has all kinds of unique desserts and snacks, but I'd never seen a pie shop like 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie' before, so I'd been curious about it since it opened! It's a fairly new snack shop too.

At 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie,' all the pies are made in-house and sold on a same-day-made, same-day-sold basis! And every product is baked only twice a day (1st batch 11:30, 2nd batch 14:30). Since it runs on limited quantities, going later often means things sell out — so the earlier you go, the better!

The most basic item at 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie' is the apple pie, and seeing the boxes of apples stacked up in front of the shop made me trust that they'd carefully selected only the best apples! Apparently the owner ages carefully selected 100% domestic Fuji apples for a set period, deepening the apple's natural sweetness and tartness while keeping its rich juice and texture intact.

I arrived right before the second batch came out, so there weren't many pies left, but by the time I left, freshly baked apple pies were coming out!

I got there a little after 2pm, right before the 2:30 batch, and the chocolate/red bean/apple pies made that day were almost gone — but once 2:30 hit, I got to see the piping hot, freshly baked pies come out!

Each menu item has Japanese written below the Korean, which makes sense since the shop is run by a Korean man from Gyeongju and a Japanese woman. That's probably also why the shop's name combines Gyeongju + Tokyo + Pie = 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie'!

Birthday discount, receipt review, and timer event

'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie' isn't just about selling delicious pies — they run several events too, which made the visit even more fun!

If you visit during your birthday month (within 2 weeks before or after your birthday), you can buy one Gyeongju Tokyo Pie at 50% off, and if you write a Naver receipt review, they'll give you a cold Americano! We wrote a receipt review and got an Americano too, and it was so good paired with the pie!

There was also a timer event we had fun taking part in. The timer event challenges you to stop a timer exactly on the number matching the current month, and if you succeed, you get a free pie. Since I went in September, I had to pick either 9.00 or 9.99 seconds and hit it exactly!

So while waiting for our pies to be ready, we gave the timer event a try! I attempted 9.00 seconds and my boyfriend went for 9.99 seconds! They even give you one practice run.

I had to hit 9.00 seconds but unfortunately(?) got 9.18, so I failed ㅜㅜ...

Then it was my boyfriend's turn to try 9.99!! He hit stop at 9.76, so he failed too!! My margin was 0.18 seconds and his was 0.23 seconds, so I was closer, hehe!

Menu, prices, and buying 3 pies individually

And now the menu at 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie'! They sell 6-piece sets, 9-piece sets, and a 3-flavor premium gift set too, which makes it great for gifts! Plus, buying a set gets you a discount, making it even more worthwhile!

Since I'd already eaten a big lunch, I wanted to try a bit of each flavor, so I just bought one of each! I got one each of Gyeongju Tokyo Pie (₩4,500), Tokyo Red Bean Pie (₩4,500), and Tokyo Chocolate Pie (₩4,500)!

While waiting, we took a fun photo in front of the shop with the cold Americano we got from the timer event and receipt review!

Just as we were about to leave after happily joining in the events, freshly baked apple pies came out!! I couldn't walk past freshly baked pies without taking a photo. They'd probably taste great even cold, but fresh out of the oven must be even better?! In fact, the smell of delicious pie near the shop made me want to eat it even sooner!

How to store and reheat the pies

Anyway, I ended up eating the pies I bought from 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie' a few hours later. I couldn't eat them right away, which was a bit of a shame, but I really wanted to try them the same day! They even included a pamphlet, which was nice to read while eating.

The pamphlet explained each pie along with storage and eating instructions. For storage, it says refrigerate up to 2 days from purchase, or freeze up to 1 week from purchase. For eating, it recommends lightly reheating in a toaster oven (air fryer or toaster) for a crispier, tastier result. After refrigerating, air fry at 180°C for 5 minutes or eat cold as is; after freezing, half-thaw and then air fry at 180°C for 7–8 minutes!

First, we took out all three types of pies we bought, photographed them, and then tasted them one by one.

Gyeongju Tokyo Pie (Apple Pie)

The first thing I tried was of course the most basic one, 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie (Apple Pie)'! This signature pie uses whole apple rather than jam, so you can taste the living texture and the flavor of natural butter. It has a deep, nutty flavor from the crispy pie crust, and balances the apple's natural sweetness with its tartness.

When I cut it with a fork the look got a bit messy, but I split it in half anyway. Inside was yellow, sweet apple that wasn't overly sweet at all — it was delicious!

And true to a pie shop, the crust was crispy with visible layers, which made it even more delicious. All three pies were tasty, but both my boyfriend and I enjoyed the most basic 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie (Apple Pie)' the best!

Tokyo Red Bean Pie

The second one I tried was the 'Tokyo Red Bean Pie'! It's packed with plenty of domestic red bean paste, bringing out the nutty, deep flavor of domestic red beans while keeping the sweetness subtle rather than overly sweet. Inside the crispy baked crust, the soft red bean paste and natural butter flavor spread through with a light, mellow richness.

When I tried the 'Tokyo Red Bean Pie,' the red bean paste wasn't sweet at all, which made it light and refreshing.

I actually love snacks but hate anything too sweet, so having almost no sweetness was great for me.

Cutting it with a fork made it a bit messy looking, but it was packed full of red bean paste, which was even better.

Tokyo Chocolate Pie

The last one I tried was the 'Tokyo Chocolate Pie'! It's said to combine the soft flavor of natural butter with deep, rich chocolate. Using plenty of European chocolate, it has an even deeper, richer chocolate flavor.

Since it has chocolate in it, it was the sweetest of the three, but it felt like a sugar boost, which I liked!!

If you like sweets, I think you'll enjoy the 'Tokyo Chocolate Pie' the most!

A pie lover's final verdict

There are so many delicious snacks in Hwangnidan-gil, but I really hope you get to visit 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie' at least once. The pies were crispy yet soft, the butter flavor was wonderful, and each filling — apple, red bean, chocolate — had its own distinct charm, so I enjoyed every single one. The owners were also so kind, which made the whole experience even more pleasant. As a pie lover, this was a very satisfying visit to 'Gyeongju Tokyo Pie'!!