Café after a Yeongjongdo drive: pizza salt bread reheated at home, 5PM

Why stop at 5PM sunset hour for salt bread after a Yeongjongdo drive?

5PM sunset hour is a café known as a Yeongjongdo salt bread favorite, making its own salt bread and serving specialty coffee too. On the day I visited Yeongjongdo, I wanted to take home something easy to eat, so I dropped in. It also caught my eye that it opens earlier in the morning than a typical dessert café.

This time, rather than lingering in the shop, I decided to take a pizza salt bread home and enjoy it at leisure.

What is the atmosphere like at 5PM sunset hour?

5PM sunset hour feels like a small European neighborhood café, with orange accents and glass-block interiors. The name reportedly comes from the owner's memory of living in Porto, Portugal, where people would gather on a hill at dusk to watch the sunset.

The shop is decorated with orange accents and stylish little props. The glass-block interior was impressive too, and it felt like I had stepped into a small European neighborhood café for a moment.

It's not a huge dessert café, but the compact space is full of personality, and it was fun to look around slowly. If you're after a Yeongjongdo salt bread spot and care about the atmosphere as well as the taste of the bread, you'll probably like it.

Why the pizza salt bread?

The display case at 5PM sunset hour had plain salt bread along with several flavored versions, and what I picked that day was the pizza salt bread, which looked filling enough to be a meal-sized snack. It was the nutty salt bread dough with pizza toppings on top, so it felt both familiar and a little different.

I figured it would suit anyone who likes savory, filling bread more than sweet desserts.

If you can't decide what to get at a Yeongjongdo salt bread café, you could take home plain and pizza salt bread together and compare them.

Is takeout pizza salt bread still crisp at home?

The 5PM sunset hour pizza salt bread I brought home had a nicely baked surface. When I took a bite, the outer part was lightly crisp and the inside was relatively soft.

The buttery nuttiness of the salt bread blended with the flavor of the pizza topping, landing somewhere between a snack and a light meal. I wanted it warm, so I heated it up a little at home. The aroma of the bread came back to life, and the texture of the crust felt a bit more distinct.

How to reheat pizza salt bread at home

When reheating takeout bread, it's best to start with a short time and check on it so the toppings don't dry out. With coffee and milk on the side, I could spend a relaxed time at home as if I were sitting in a dessert café.

What other baked goods does 5PM sunset hour have besides salt bread?

Besides salt bread, 5PM sunset hour sells a range of baked goods, including scones, financiers, canelés, egg tarts and butter rice cake (beotteok, a soft chewy rice cake). There's plenty to choose from depending on your taste.

Buying sweet baked treats together with savory salt bread would be good for sharing among several people. It's a Yeongjongdo salt bread café that's also a dessert café with lots of choices, so it looked fine for picking up gifts or snacks too.

One catch: the bakery items are listed as being prepared in stages from the morning, so if there's something specific you want, check when the bread comes out before you go.

Bagel sandwiches for a light meal

5PM sunset hour also has bagels and sandwiches for a light meal. The main ones are the jambon (Korean-style ham) tomato arugula bagel sandwich, the egg mayo fig bagel sandwich and the Greek tomato basil sandwich.

They'd suit a day when you skipped breakfast or need a quick brunch in the middle of a Yeongjongdo drive. It felt practical that it isn't a dessert café with only sweet items, but has options you can have as a meal too. Next time I'd like to come a bit earlier and have a bagel sandwich with coffee.

What are the Sunset and Moonlight filter coffees?

Besides Americano and latte, 5PM sunset hour also sells filter coffees named Sunset and Moonlight. Sunset is introduced as an acidic style using Ethiopia Yirgacheffe beans.

If you enjoy the aroma and acidity of coffee beans, ordering a filter coffee with the bakery goods here would be a good idea. With a varied coffee menu, it's a dessert café that suits both people who come mainly for bread and people who care about the coffee.

The outdoor terrace on a sunny day

Outside the shop there's also an outdoor terrace with parasols. On a nice day, it looked like a good place to rest quietly under a parasol with coffee and salt bread. The surrounding trees and the compact shop went well together, so it seemed a decent spot for photos too.

I took the pizza salt bread to go, but next time I'd like to sit on the terrace and slowly enjoy fresh bread and coffee. The indoor and outdoor moods differ, so I think it's a dessert café you can visit with a new feel each season.

What time does 5PM sunset hour open, and when is the bread ready?

5PM sunset hour is reportedly open from 7 AM, which is convenient if you visit early. It's a good time to stop by for takeout coffee before work or at the start of an early Yeongjongdo drive.

Baked goods are usually listed as coming out in order from around 9 AM, so if fresh salt bread is your goal, check the preparation time before you go. There's also a note that it runs unmanned after the staff's hours, but opening times and available items can change, so it's most accurate to check the information at the time of your visit.

Is parking and takeout easy at 5PM sunset hour?

5PM sunset hour is on the ground floor of the KCC Swichen shopping arcade in Yeongjong Sky City, and you can use the arcade parking lot. It was fairly convenient to visit by car.

For anyone driving around looking for a Yeongjongdo salt bread spot, it's an easy route: park, then grab bread and coffee to go. Some visitor reviews mention a takeout drink discount, but events and perks can change over time, so it's a good idea to check whether it applies when you order.

Verdict: pizza salt bread that's still good at home

This time I finished my Yeongjongdo drive and brought home a 5PM sunset hour pizza salt bread.

Warmed up a little at home and paired with a drink, it made a simple but satisfying snack. I think the pizza salt bread suits people looking for something savory and filling that's different from plain salt bread, or bakery items to eat in place of a meal.

If you want a dessert café with salt bread, baked sweets, bagel sandwiches and specialty coffee, 5PM sunset hour is worth a stop. It's a good one to remember if you're looking for a Yeongjongdo salt bread spot you can visit early in the morning, or want to pick up bakery items during a drive.