Ikseon-dong bakery: rice chestnut bread over garlic bread, Munhwa

I was in Jongno today and stopped by Munhwa Bakery, a place I hadn't visited in a while. If you're someone who loves bread, this is not a spot you can just walk past. This time I picked a few breads I'd been curious about and tried them for myself! I'd been here before, and it's a bakery I keep recommending because it's just as good every time, no matter how much time passes.

Munhwa Bakery's location and parking

Munhwa Bakery, an Ikseon-dong bakery, is a 3-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jongno 3-ga Station. No parking available.

Exterior — easy to spot on the ground floor

Munhwa Bakery sits on the ground floor as you walk straight from the subway exit, so it's easy to spot just passing by. The exterior had that warm, cozy bakery feel. A great spot to stop by if you're hunting for good bread in Jongno!!

The inside is pretty small, so only 2 groups can enter at a time. I visited on a Sunday at 1pm and there was no wait, so I got in right away. Occasionally foreign visitors cut the line, so I wish they'd put up signage in English too.

Inside — three breads picked from the display case

Inside, all sorts of breads were laid out on display. There were so many delicious-looking options that I found myself going back and forth on what to pick. After much deliberation, I went with three: garlic bread, rice chestnut bread, and walnut bread.

Munhwa Bakery's garlic bread is honestly amazing, and at first I panicked thinking they were out — but luckily they had more in the back.

They also give away salt bread if you leave a receipt review, so make sure to take part!

Order details

• Garlic bread (₩6,800)
• Rice chestnut bread (₩5,800)
• Walnut bread (₩3,500)

Review — where we ate our takeout

I packed the bread to go so my boyfriend and I could eat it while watching the movie Odyssey.

If you want to grab Munhwa Bakery bread and eat it right away, I recommend Sool24 on Seosullo-gil. It's connected to a café and allows outside food, so I use it fairly often!!

Rice chestnut bread — my top pick this visit

This was my first time trying the rice chestnut bread! After discovering how good rice bread can be at a bakery near my house, I decided to try it at Munhwa Bakery too, and personally, it was my number one out of everything I ate. The bread itself was chewy yet soft, with a great texture, and it was packed with a good amount of chestnut, so every bite had that sweet chestnut flavor. I have a soft spot for chestnut breads in general, so this was exactly my taste. I'd definitely buy this again next time!

Walnut bread — crunchy walnuts on the outside

The walnut bread had a nutty, subtly sweet flavor, and with so many walnuts pressed into the outside, every bite gave that nutty taste along with a satisfying crunch! If you prefer nutty, sweet breads over plain ones, this one's for you.

Garlic bread — crisp outside, moist inside, sliced for you

Munhwa Bakery's favorite, garlic bread! It's already sliced into easy-to-eat pieces when they pack it up, which is great. The baguette is absolutely packed with garlic spread between each slice, so every bite hits you with a deep garlic flavor. Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside — if you love garlic bread, you'll enjoy this.

Which one should you pick?

This time, my top pick beat out garlic bread and went to the rice chestnut bread! The chewy, soft bread packed with chestnuts was genuinely delicious. The garlic bread had that deep garlic flavor with a crisp-outside, moist-inside texture, and the walnut bread was nutty and sweet with plenty of walnuts for a fun crunch. If you're looking for good bread in Jongno, give Munhwa Bakery a try :)