Garden-walk café in Uijeongbu with window seat, two Basque

Once the weather turns nice, all I want is to be outside. Craving a relaxed coffee break in a wide, green space, I headed to Forerest in Nokyang-dong, Uijeongbu. True to its name, it's not just a place to drink coffee indoors — you get a big garden and forest to enjoy alongside it.

Forerest's location, hours, and parking

• Location: 181 Nogyang-ro, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–24:00
• Parking: Available

The entrance road that leads you into the forest

The entrance is no ordinary café entrance. Drive in past the gate and just a short way in, the café appears.

Driving from the entrance toward the café, it genuinely feels like heading into a forest.

There's a wide-open space surrounding the café, so the view feels expansive from the moment you arrive. With greenery and lawn blending together, it felt less like arriving at an urban café and more like a little trip into the woods. On a nice day, sitting outside in the garden seats with a coffee would be lovely too. It's great in the afternoon sun, but I'm curious what it looks like at night — since they're open until midnight, I'd love to come back in the evening and catch the sunset here too.

A garden walk past the sculptures

I started by wandering slowly around the grounds. Unique sculptures are scattered throughout, so it wasn't just a lawn-and-trees garden — there was the added fun of admiring artwork as I walked.

The café building itself fit right into the surrounding scenery — tucked between trees and garden, it looked like a house out of a fairy tale.

The entrance is full of warm charm, and it feels like stepping into a little forest space right from the doorway.

Indoor vibe and picking a seat

High ceilings and a spacious feel keep the room from feeling cramped, and the large windows frame the green garden view. The calm white-and-wood palette, layered with plants and artwork, gave the whole space a stylish yet comfortable mood.

The café looks like a converted house, split into a main space plus three smaller rooms, each with a slightly different atmosphere — some good for chatting with friends, others suited to a family sitting together.

We chose a spot with a good view of the trees. The trees and garden through the window felt like one giant framed picture.

What we ordered and the prices

Forerest's menu. Since this place is known for its Basque cheesecake, we ordered two hot caffe lattes (₩6,500), a Basque cheesecake (₩7,500), and a black sesame Basque cheesecake (₩8,000).

A nutty, smooth caffe latte. The soft milk and the nutty coffee flavor worked well together, making it a good pairing for dessert — the latte gently mellows out the richness of the cheesecake.

How the classic Basque compares to the black sesame Basque

We tried the classic Basque cheesecake first. Sinking the fork in, you could feel its density. The first bite delivered a deep cheese flavor with an appealingly rich, soft texture. Then the one I'd been looking forward to — the black sesame Basque cheesecake. Where the classic version centers on deep cheese flavor, the black sesame version adds a nutty aroma on top of that. You could really taste the distinctive toasty, nutty character of black sesame, giving it a clearly different charm from the classic. Ordering both together and comparing them side by side made it fun to pick out each one's differences.

Who should come here

What I liked best about Forerest wasn't just the good coffee and dessert, but the sense of ease you get from the space itself. Looking out through the full-length windows while sipping coffee, you can see the trees swaying gently in the breeze, and with that green scenery spread out in front of you, it's hard not to feel calm. The wide garden, the lush forest view, and the indoor atmosphere that lets you take in nature through the big windows were all wonderful.

Forerest seems like a café better suited to sitting and talking slowly with friends, family, or a partner than to grabbing a quick coffee and leaving. Next time, I'd like to come on a nice day and sit in the outdoor garden for a coffee, taking things even more slowly.