Seongsu ribbon building bakery café: buttery salt bread to go, LOOOP

How to get to LOOOP Bakery in Seongsu, and opening hours

LOOOP Bakery (LOOOP 루프) is at 9-13 Yeonmujang 5-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor. From Seongsu Station (Line 2) Exit 4, just walk straight and you'll be there in about 3 to 4 minutes. Follow the main road, turn slightly into the side street on the right, and the unusual building pops right into view, so it was really easy to find.

LOOOP opens early in the morning every day and stays open late into the night, until 2 a.m., so you don't have to worry about timing. If you're looking for a quiet place to stay near Seongsu late in the evening, or just a place with a nice mood, you can drop in any time, which was a big plus.

Does LOOOP Bakery have Wi-Fi, restrooms and parking?

The Wi-Fi inside LOOOP is strong, so it's fine for a laptop or a bit of work, and the men's and women's restrooms are neatly separate, so no inconvenience at all. All the bakery items and drinks can be taken away, and the space is roomy enough for groups, so it works well as a meeting spot too.

One catch: there's no dedicated parking, so I'd recommend public transport or a nearby public car park rather than driving.

LOOOP Bakery's ribbon-wrapped gift-box building and its four floors

The whole LOOOP building looks as if it's wrapped in a giant red ribbon, and that original look makes it stand out even among Seongsu's countless cafés. The moment I arrived at the entrance I felt that flutter of excitement, like facing a real gift box, and it works so well as a photo spot that skipping the camera felt like a waste.

The building is a large four-floor space, and each floor has its own charm. The 1st floor is the main lounge where you order and the bakery is displayed, with tables for relaxed chats, while the 2nd and 3rd floors are packed with office space, private rooms, and a lovely terrace and rooftop seating.

The top, 4th floor even has a special spot visitors can use freely, so it's not just a place to eat bread and leave. Looking around the space is half the fun at this Seongsu bakery café.

LOOOP Bakery interior and how to order at the kiosk

Step onto the 1st floor of LOOOP and you're greeted by an open hall and a huge white bar counter with soft curves. The whole interior is clean and modern with no fuss, capturing that urban, polished Seongsu atmosphere.

You order contactless at the kiosk on one side of the shop, so it's easy to go through the menu item by item with photos. The coffee menu lets you pick your beans to taste, and the dessert showcase was full of eye-catching pastries, so I agonized for ages over what to choose.

I heard the breads are kneaded and baked in-house with premium French flour and good-quality imported butter, which, as a total bread lover, made me even more excited.

How do you use the free self-studio at LOOOP Bakery?

Upstairs at LOOOP there's a compact self-studio booth that any café customer can use for free. As I wandered up through the building, I was like, "They have this inside a café?!" It comes with professional lighting, a monitor and a full shooting setup.

Each person can take photos within a set number of shots, and following the posted instructions, you watch the screen and press a wired remote to shoot yourself. You can check the results right away on the big screen and even take them away on your phone, which felt like a small but unforgettable souvenir for café visitors.

LOOOP Bakery salt bread box to go: how did it taste?

The main goal of my LOOOP visit was boxing up salt bread (sogeumppang, buttery rolls with a salted base). After looking around the shop, I picked out one of each kind of salt bread and asked them to pack it carefully in the white takeaway box.

I sat for a moment at a relaxed spot on the terrace and lifted the lid a little, and a rich, nutty butter smell wafted out through the gap of the box, which made me smile on its own.

• Golden-brown, appetizing plain salt bread
• Condensed-milk salt bread generously filled with soft cream
• A sausage-and-cheese bread with a salty, savory flavor

The box was packed snugly with no gaps. When I tasted it at home, the outside was crisp but the inside moist, with butter flavor filling my mouth, which made it a perfect snack alongside coffee.

It was a happy day at LOOOP, a Seongsu bakery café I'd happily revisit whenever I want tasty bread and some downtime in a spacious, comfortable setting in Seongsu.

Thanks to the variety of bakery items and the special layout, I stayed in good spirits the whole time I was there.