Songdo café by Haedoji Park: salt bread baked twice daily, Cozy Bear

I recently visited a dessert spot that has been getting fresh, piping-hot word of mouth among Songdo residents and quickly turning into a hot place. If you do bakery tours or you're a dessert fanatic, you can't miss it! It's the cozy, charming Songdo bakery café 'Cozy Bear (COZY BEAR)', newly opened on Haedoji-ro in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon.

I really love the smell of freshly baked bread drifting around in the morning, so I always seek out well-known bakeries. Cozy Bear had that snug, cutesy mood from the front entrance, and the bread quality, the coffee and the friendly service all won me over, with nothing lacking.

Cozy Bear hours, salt bread bake times and parking

Cozy Bear is open daily from 09:00 to 21:00 (last order 20:30), and the salt bread comes out twice a day, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. For parking, use the building's basement garage; free parking registration is available when you use the café.

• Name: Cozy Bear (COZY BEAR)
• Address: Haedoji-ro, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon
• Hours: daily 09:00–21:00 (last order 20:30)
• ★ Key tip! Salt bread bake times: twice a day (09:00 / 14:00). It can sell out early once the prepared amount is gone, so if you want the oven-fresh, piping-hot bread, I strongly recommend timing your visit!
• Parking: you can conveniently use the building's basement garage, and free parking registration is available when you use the café.
• Street parking around the building and nearby public lots are also plentiful, so driving here is no burden at all.

What does Cozy Bear's salt bread taste like? Why it's baked twice a day

Cozy Bear's salt bread is thin and crisp outside, moist and chewy inside, with a rich butter flavor. As soon as I walked in, a big standing banner caught my eye.

It read "Freshly baked salt bread twice a day (09:00 / 14:00)." Cozy Bear says it uses only top-grade French fermented butter and Guérande sea salt, and carefully bakes a set quantity every day.

As befits a proper salt bread specialist, the lineup starts with the basic plain salt bread and goes on to a full range of trendy varieties. The thin, crisp outside and moist, chewy inside are excellent, and I was really impressed by the nutty butter flavor filling my mouth with every bite. You can tell right from the first bite that they carefully picked good ingredients and made it with care.

As you can see in the photos, coarse sea salt is sprinkled on top of the plump, golden, glossy bun. Snip it open with the tongs and scissors provided and you'll find a hollow of rich butter inside, a "butter cave." Eaten warm, the crunch and the salty, buttery flavor are simply fantastic. It's great as a kid's snack, and as a snack for grown-ups' coffee (?) too, everyone gets hooked, no split opinions!

Cozy Bear coffee menu and prices

At Cozy Bear, the Americano is ₩3,800, café latte and cappuccino are ₩4,500, and the signature Cozy Latte is ₩5,000. True to the slogan "We take coffee as seriously as salt bread," the coffee doesn't lose out to the bread.

At cafés famous for bakery items, the coffee is sometimes a letdown compared with the bread, but Cozy Bear was unusually stubborn and proud about its coffee.

The sign at the counter reading "We take coffee as seriously as salt bread" was really reassuring. They say they use only premium beans roasted by a national-team barista, and pull comfortable, deeply flavored coffee every day with professional extraction skills learned through long experience.

• Americano: ₩3,800 (clean, subtle nuttiness, the best match for bakery items!)
• Café latte / cappuccino: ₩4,500
• Cozy Latte (signature): ₩5,000 (a signature drink that's sweet and smooth)
• Vanilla bean cream latte: ₩5,500
• Handmade ades and non-coffee lattes: ₩5,000 to the ₩6,000 range

Iced Americano, signature drink and strawberry latte: how they tasted

We ordered a clean iced Americano, the signature drink, and a nutty, sweet strawberry latte for the kid, and tried them together. The beans' nutty flavor and clean finish blended really well with the plain, salty salt bread. The cup sleeve with its cute little bear character was adorable too, perfect for Instagram-style photos.

Does Cozy Bear boil its own red beans?

Cozy Bear says it boils domestic red beans in the shop itself. In red bean breads like the ang-butter (red bean paste and butter) salt bread, you can taste a mild sweetness different from store-bought paste.

Another charm of Cozy Bear is its uncommon care and honesty. A frame on one side of the counter read "Domestic red beans, boiled by hand."

They say they pick only domestic red beans and slowly boil them in the shop every day, capturing a mild, natural sweetness that's neither harsh nor artificial. If you try the ang-butter salt bread or other bakery items with red beans, you'll taste a deep, refined flavor on a different level from the usual store-bought red bean paste. I'd also give high marks for it being healthy food that everyone from kids to grandparents can enjoy with peace of mind.

Cozy Bear atmosphere and a Haedoji Park walk

The shop is decorated in warm wood tones and soft lighting, with fairly roomy spacing between tables. It's also nice to pair with nearby Haedoji Park for a takeout walk.

True to the name 'Cozy Bear', the interior blends warm wood tones and soft lighting for a comfortable rest. The tables aren't crammed together, so it's fine for a date, a little chat, or a relaxed weekend brunch with kids.

Also, Haedoji Park, one of Songdo's landmarks, is close to the café. I'd really recommend taking delicious salt bread and a cold Americano to go from Cozy Bear and walking a loop of Haedoji Park or having a picnic!

How to get free salt bread with Cozy Bear's receipt review event

At Cozy Bear, write a Naver receipt review and show it to the staff to get one freshly baked salt bread for free. The words 'Songdo café' must be included in the review text.

• Event: write a Naver receipt review and show it to the staff to get 'one freshly baked salt bread' free!
• Required condition: the review text must include the words 'Songdo café'!

It's a really simple event for one more delicious salt bread as a bonus, so be sure to keep your receipt after ordering and join in!

Songdo Cozy Bear verdict: 200% I'll be back

Warm, crisp salt bread fresh from the oven, the deep flavor of coffee brewed with a national-team barista's beans, and the cozy warmth running through the whole shop: it was a new Songdo café where all three come together perfectly. If you're looking for an honest Songdo bakery café that puts care into good ingredients, I recommend 'Cozy Bear' without hesitation. Drop by with family, a partner or friends and enjoy a relaxed, warm healing time with delicious salt bread!