The country's first Pompompurin Cafe is in Gangnam, on B1

To cut to the chase: if your trip to Korea is all about Pompompurin, your destination is "Sweet Park" on basement level 1 of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam. Korea's first "Pompompurin Bakery Cafe" has opened here (announced by the Shinsegae Group Newsroom on 7/29).

It's a combined-format space with the bakery, drinks, and merchandise all in one place. What's more, there are about 100 items, including 30th-anniversary goods, with products imported directly from Japan mixed in alongside Korea-exclusive items. In other words, "characters you've seen in Japan are on display with a slightly different look."

Pompompurin took 1st place in both the global and Korean categories of the "2026 Sanrio Character Ranking". The timing of this launch, right at the peak of its popularity, is the setup here.

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First, check out the bread lineup

The bakery lineup shapes the character directly into the bread. If you're going for photogenic picks, this is the list to choose from.

1️⃣ Pompompurin Chestnut Bread
Introduced as the signature menu item. Start here.

2️⃣ Face-Shaped Custard Bread
That face, exactly as is. Filled with custard.

3️⃣ Bottom-Shaped Red Bean Bun
The point here is that it shows the rear view rather than the front. Likely to be one of the first things circulating on the cafe's social media.

4️⃣ Beret Chocolate Bread
Modeled after the trademark hat.

There's also a muffin set themed around his close friends and a chocolate banana madeleine. It's too much for one person to finish alone, so splitting purchases with a group is the realistic move 🐰

Three signature drinks

The drinks are three signatures: Chocolate Banana / Caramel Fondant Latte / Pancake Shake. Their flavor profiles are close to the bakery items, so before ordering, just double-check you're not ending up with "sweet × sweet."

About 100 goods — the ones to target are "Korea-exclusives"

There are about 100 goods, including 30th-anniversary items. The range is wide: plush toys, key rings, mugs, eco bags, and stationery.

The dividing line here is that direct imports from Japan and Korea-exclusive products are mixed together. Buying things in Korea that you can get in Japan just makes your luggage heavier, so the priority is clear: check the Korea-exclusives first, then look at anything that seems not to be sold in Japan. That order is the most efficient.

Category	Details
Goods	About 100 items including 30th-anniversary goods (plush toys, key rings, mugs, eco bags, stationery)
Bakery	Chestnut bread, face-shaped custard bread, bottom-shaped red bean bun, beret chocolate bread, muffin set, chocolate banana madeleine
Drinks	Chocolate Banana / Caramel Fondant Latte / Pancake Shake

Even the interior is built around the "worldview"

The interior is also styled after the character's backstory. Basket-shaped display stands, ceiling decorations, and a display of bread moving along rails create a warm bakery atmosphere.

If you're planning to take photos, get a wide shot of the interior as well as close-ups of the products. The basket-shaped display stands and rails make a background that's instantly recognizable as this store.

Editor's note: In Japan too, themed cafes were run this March in Tokyo's Ikebukuro and Shibuya, and Osaka's Umeda, to commemorate the 30th anniversary. For those who followed those, the Gangnam store can be seen as "a different version of the same anniversary year." Same character, but change the country and the bread changes — that's the fun part.

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Worth doing a lap of Gangnam's Sweet Park while you're there

Sweet Park at the Gangnam store has established itself as the place where buzzworthy F&B brands first enter Korea. It's the area where Japan's "I'm donut ?", Chinese tea brand "CHAGEE", and New York premium ice cream "Van Leeuwen" have opened one after another.

In other words, it would be a bit of a waste to leave after just Pompompurin. Do a full lap of B1 and add one more brand that catches your eye — that's the efficient way to use the Gangnam store. And since it's a department store basement, your route stays uninterrupted even on rainy days — quietly a big plus ✨

You can check the primary source for the announcement in the official release from the Shinsegae Group Newsroom.

Summary

The destination is Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, basement level 1, Sweet Park. There are about 100 goods including 30th-anniversary items, and since direct imports from Japan are mixed with Korea-exclusives, the right move is to check the Korea-exclusives first. The bakery items are character-recreation types like the face-shaped custard bread and bottom-shaped red bean bun, and there are three signature drinks.

If you're adding it to your Korea trip list, the most natural way is to fold it into a Gangnam shopping day. Do a lap of B1 as-is and collect the other trending brands in one go — that's the easiest way to move.

FAQ

Where is the Pompompurin Bakery Cafe?

It's inside "Sweet Park" on basement level 1 of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam. It opened as Korea's first Pompompurin bakery cafe. Since it's a department store in the Gangnam area, you can fold it right into a shopping itinerary.

Are the goods things you can also buy in Japan?

Both direct imports from Japan and Korea-exclusive products are carried. There are about 100 items in total, including 30th-anniversary goods. Since some may overlap with what's available in Japan, it's most efficient to look at the Korea-exclusive products first.

How many kinds of drinks are there?

There are three signature drinks: Chocolate Banana, Caramel Fondant Latte, and Pancake Shake. Since the bakery side is also heavy on sweets, we recommend choosing with the balance of the combination in mind.