Do you recall your most recent indulgence in a delectable pie or cookie? Your answer is undoubtedly "Yes" if you are like most people. Pastries are one of the most popular treats in the world due to their rich and sweet taste. Nowadays, desserts revolve around most of our social engagements. An excellent pastry shows us how to socialize, enjoy, and dine. Large franchise bakeries were once at the pinnacle of service to satisfy the demand for these sweet treats. Recently, small bakeries have, however, entered the competitive pool with new recipes, new tastes, and healthier options to appeal to the growing taste for new pastries. The streets of Gwangju do not let you down when it comes to showcasing its assortments of healthy bakeries, which draw their aesthetics and taste from healthier options. If you are still on the fence, the Chonnam Tribune has curated four bakeries from the streets of Gwangju: Yangrim-dong, Chungjang-dong, and Dongmyeong-dong.

Yangin Bakery and Penguindang

The famous streets of Yangrim-dong boast the intricacies of Korean architecture and culture in modern history. The streets are also lined up with galleries, cafes and cultural villages including the Penguin Village, which is famous for being a mural village. Near the bakery of our choice, Yangin Bakery, the artistic street also features the Lee Kang Ha-Art Museum, the Lee Lee Nam Studio and the Yangrim Art Museum.

Yangin Bakery is a cosy bakery with a lot of delectable bakeries exhibited. It boasts stacks of vibrant, picture-perfect petits gâteaux and pastries. Tribune reporters decided to try Cro Chox, a croissant with homemade custard cream and 100% animal cream, from a lot of pastries. Boni Balm Cream Ball Dongji Pie is named one of the ‘best menus’ at the bakery. The owner offered us the chance to taste another item from the menu for free. He was nice and polite, which would be one of the reasons why it is a well-known bakery.

Penguindang is a bakery well known for its sourdough bread and is situated in the same neighborhood. An intriguing sign that reads, “It refers to bread that has been fermented for a long period of time using natural yeast that’s found naturally in the air,” is mounted on the entryway of this bakery cafe. With jam, butter, peanut butter, or even as a base for sandwiches, sourdough bread can be enriched. Such bread brought back memories of Ethiopian breakfast delights from a reporter’s hometown.

Somac Bakery and Dongmyeong Bread

Chungjang-dong and Dongmyeong-dong are home to distinctive and bustling streets. Different types of cafes have emerged recently, defining themselves with unique shop fronts and interiors, and by serving pastries and drinks. Clothing outlets and bars can be found on the busy Chungjang-ro street. The K-pop Street exhibits images of numerous fan favorites along with their handprints. For fans of K-pop, it is a holy place and nirvana.

Somac Bakery is known for its Bean Cream Bread. To obtain a greater flavour of the cream within, eat this bread while it is still warm. The bean cream bread has a gentle sweetness that will appeal to both sweet and savoury palates. The most impressive thing about this bakery is how generous they are with the bean cream filling. The bakery seems to have been in the area for a long time. This bakery is very close to the Asian Culture Center which is another perk.

Domgmyeong Bread, which is famous for a simple loaf, is the last bakery. One of the finest menus in town is the pastry stick, a long loaf of bread glazed in liquid sugar and stuffed with almonds. While being modest, the bakery is stocked with a huge variety of pastries. This bakery offers an assortment of pastries, from those baked in the French style to those with a Korean twist.

Happiness Is Just Around Gwangju’s Streets

Korea has a very sophisticated cafe scene, and Gwangju offers an extensive selection of exquisite pastries and coffee that are deeply ingrained in the history and culture of the city. Spend a day discovering these eclectic bakeries on fine spring days, strolling through these neighborhoods and browsing galleries on the abovementioned streets in downtown Gwangju. Take a detour by these bakeries and savor the delectable pastries on the go while you relish life on these streets. You can set off on a one-day trip to the bakeries at the art museums in Yangrim-dong, or café streets in Dongmyeong-dong. Happiness is walking through the streets of the city to find tasty pastries and breads at the small-but-best bakeries.

By Gutema Saron Samuel, Editor