Pastry bakery in Gwangjin, Seoul for crisp croissants: Stack Bakery

Stack Bakery Konkuk University Station Main Branch information

• 5 Ttukseom-ro 31-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st and 2nd floors)
• Mon–Sun 08:00–21:00 · Closed every Wednesday
• Nearby paid parking lots
• Children welcome · No high chairs · Stroller access available

Today, I went out to Jayang-dong with my little one. This neighborhood holds a few memories from my childhood, so I came back for the first time in ages after having a baby. It was the same, yet somehow parts of it had changed, too.

Hajun and I walked around Shinyang Elementary School, stopped by a playground for a little morning exercise, and then headed to Stack Bakery Konkuk University Station Main Branch, a popular bakery in Jayang-dong about a three-minute walk from the school. It is also close to the Ttukseom Jabeolle Island branch of Seoul-style kids' cafés, so I recommend it for a date out with your baby.

It is also close to Ttukseom Hangang Park and has a reputation for making excellent pastries. The owner personally mixes the dough at dawn every day; it is a precious working space and the neighborhood's go-to bakery. Just having a pastry shop like this in Jayang-dong feels like happiness and healing. ♥

The pastry lineup at 11 a.m.

If you stop by around 11 a.m., all the breads are out. They are displayed snugly together in the case, and since even international visitors have given them their stamp of approval, I was even more curious about the taste.

Fresh coffee, made with beans blended by a roaster with 15 years of experience, goes beautifully with the freshly baked bread, too.

There is outdoor seating on the first floor and hall tables on the second floor.

The crisp layers of croissants and pain au chocolat

I lived in Paris, so I have eaten a great many pastries, and above all, croissants and pain au chocolat are my favorites. Whenever I go to a bakery, those are the two basics I buy first. At Stack Bakery, a bakery café near Konkuk University, there is everything from classic options to inventive topped fusion pastries.

Looking at the baking color and the layers, I thought, yep, I really found the right place. With puff pastry and other pastries, the layers tell you everything, right? Stack Bakery is seriously devoted to its bread.

You could really feel all the trial and error that must have gone into developing such a varied lineup. It was that perfect. I wanted to taste every single one. If you ever need to give bread as a gift, I strongly recommend pastries like Stack Bakery's.

The pastries and drinks we chose with my 17-month-old

My 17-month-old knows what tasty, nutty bread is and loves it, so after playing at the playground, he followed right along when I said we were going to buy bread. I ordered a strawberry latte for him, and, being a latte addict, I got myself a lovely nutty café latte.

A croissant is all about taking a huge bite as the flaky crust goes crunch-crunch-crunch and scatters everywhere. Hajun ate almost an entire croissant by himself. He already knows the taste of bread made with premium butter—honestly, I can only be jealous.

After croissants and pain au chocolat, kouign-amann is my next favorite pastry. Stack Bakery also has pain suisse! The pastry lineup is seriously packed. Stack Bakery's bread is especially notable for its lively crisp texture: crisp + crisp + crisp. Then there is that full, nutty flavor of high-quality butter.

Stop by before a Ttukseom Hangang Park picnic

I was so happy spending time with my baby over our favorite pastries and drinks at Stack Bakery, a popular Jayang-dong bakery. ♥ If you have little bread lovers, do stop by Stack Bakery. It is nicely located for Konkuk University and Ttukseom Hangang Park, making it great for takeaway picnic treats or as a breakfast stand-in. They have a good variety of sandwiches, too.

Today, too, parenting felt like something I was doing together with people all around the neighborhood. I always go out feeling grateful for all the people who look at my child with a smile. We also happily said hello to some sweet older girls visiting from the UK.

He is in that stage where he is always on the move, so we briefly sat outside because of him, too. After having such a fun time eating bread and strawberry latte upstairs, we came down to a baby day filled with blooming smiles. Bread always makes both grown-ups and children feel warm and content.

Then we walked all the way to Seoul Forest. We ate, so we had to exercise, right? But as we happened to pass in front of the Gentle Monster building, everyone was dressed so fashionably. The Gentle Monster staff clearly had their own identity, too, and looked so cool. Once again today, I learned about another world.

After diligently pushing Hajun, asleep in his stroller, until we reached Seoul Forest, I found myself thinking of Stack Bakery.