Bakery near Hongik Univ. Station, taste before you buy: Mandong Jegwa
In short
Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch is a garlic baguette bakery in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, a short walk from Hongik University Station. While you choose, the staff cut a slice from each kind of bread so you can taste first and buy only what you like — here that meant a garlic baguette, a pretzel-shaped cheese bread and a cream bun that looks like a dinosaur egg. Mandong Jegwa has no indoor tables and is mostly takeout, but you can eat your bread at the Ediya Yeonnam-dong branch if everyone orders a drink.
Good to know
- Hours
- 11:00 – 21:00
- Signature
- Garlic baguette
- Tastings
- Staff cut a slice of each kind while you choose, so you can taste before buying
- Eating in
- No indoor tables; with one drink per person you can eat at the Ediya Yeonnam-dong branch
- Packaging
- Free wrapping; paid paper bags sold separately
- Breads that need no tongs
- Garlic baguette, onion bagel, basil tomato, cucumber baguette and cappuccino bread are bagged separately on request; the rest come individually wrapped
as written by the visitor on Sep 21, 2026
Mandong Jegwa, a garlic baguette bakery in Yeonnam-dong near Hongik University Station
Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch is a garlic baguette spot that's become part of the Yeonnam-dong bakery-hopping course. It's not far from Hongik University Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport. There are also plenty of cafés nearby, so it could make a nice date course too.
This Yeonnam-dong bakery near Hongdae lets you eat their bread at Ediya Yeonnam-dong branch if you order one drink per person, so it's fine to just buy bread here and eat it there.
Hours are 11:00 – 21:00.
How Mandong Jegwa's tasting service works: a slice of every kind
At Mandong Jegwa, while you're browsing, a staff member quietly comes over and cuts off a slice of each kind of bread. You can taste before you even buy! The staff were friendly and welcoming from the moment we walked in. The shop is smaller than expected, but the variety is pretty wide.
Nice to be able to taste around and only buy what suits your palate, right?
For this Yeonnam-dong bakery's signature garlic baguette and onion bagel / basil tomato and cucumber baguette / cappuccino, staff will bag them separately if you ask. Everything else is individually wrapped, so no tongs needed. Handy if you're just popping in quickly when busy — packing is fast.
What the bread display at Mandong Jegwa looks like
The visuals at Mandong Jegwa lean toward the basics rather than flashy toppings. Instead of piling on fruit or nuts, it feels more focused on the bakery essentials. Honestly, bread like this tends to be tastier and you don't get sick of it, so you end up going back often. Something everyone, young or old, could like.
This Yeonnam-dong bakery's bread isn't overly strong in flavor and feels healthy, so you could probably finish it all in one sitting haha. It paired well with coffee too.
One garlic baguette is enough for two people
The garlic baguette at Mandong Jegwa is famous, so you've got to pick one up. The size is generous too, so one is plenty for two people to share. It's nice that you can buy this plus a few other breads without spending much more than expected.
This Yeonnam-dong bakery near Hongdae — lately, whenever I meet friends outside, the routine is always café after a meal, and it feels a bit empty without dessert or pastry. There's got to be at least one, and preferably a tasty one haha. If my neighborhood had a bakery like Mandong Jegwa I'd definitely stop by and buy something every time I passed, ugh.
Seating and packaging at Mandong Jegwa
Since there are no proper tables inside Mandong Jegwa, you'll need to visit Ediya Yeonnam-dong branch or take everything to go. There are paid paper bags for wrapping, and free wrapping is also available. The word 'bread' printed huge on the packaging was oddly cute — I liked it haha.
If you're buying at this Yeonnam-dong bakery as a gift or to bring to a gathering, the paid paper bag might be the way to go. I only glanced at it, but the design looked the same across sizes. Simple and clear — I liked that haha.
How the garlic baguette and pretzel cheese bread tasted at home
I brought it home, set up a cup of coffee, and opened it right away — the garlic aroma from Mandong Jegwa's garlic baguette really hit. They clearly didn't skimp on ingredients: the garlic sauce oozed out thick, and it was packed with cheese too. The dough itself was tasty, which made the chewy texture even better.
This Yeonnam-dong bakery's pretzel-shaped bread had just the right amount of cheese inside, so the flavor balance was good. A bread stuffed entirely with cheese might be great for cheese lovers, but it starts to feel like you're eating cheese rather than bread — personally, I preferred this kind of balance.
The cream bun shaped like a dinosaur egg
Two felt like not enough, so I bought a small bread too — the dinosaur-egg-shaped cream bun was also delicious. The cream flavor and soft texture were great, and the balance between bread size and cream amount was good.
This Yeonnam-dong bakery's bread has good balance overall, so it's plenty tasty eaten plain, and personally I think pairing it with an Americano or latte would work well as a meal too. It wouldn't feel like too much as a snack either. Just the right amount of sweetness, good texture. Overall taste and aroma — passed! Gotta go buy more bread again.
Where it is
32 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 서대문구 연희로 32
