Dosan Park bread café: onion soup toast set & Earl Grey, Option Black

Looking for a bakery café in Apgujeong? Let me introduce Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black (압구정생식빵옵션블랙).

• 📍51 Apgujeong-ro 34-gil, Quantum Building 1F, Unit 101, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• ✅Hours: daily 07:00-18:00

Today I visited a special bakery café near Dosan Park in Apgujeong that really wins over bread lovers. It's a loaf specialist called Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black! It's a lovely, upscale space where you can toast the bread yourself however you like. I'll walk you through the atmosphere, the menu and even parking tips~

What kind of bakery is Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black?

Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black is a bakery café specializing in loaf bread (siktppang), near Apgujeong Station and Dosan Park. The exterior is neat and stylish and stands out even from far away!

It has also appeared on SBS's Master of Living (Saenghwalui Dalin), in the episode 'Bread War - The Best Milk Cream Loaf', and it carries the know-how of baker Lee Cha-hwan, former head pastry chef at the Plaza Hotel Seoul, so my expectations were high before I even went!

Atmosphere and seating

The interior is upscale and clean, with a calm, cozy mood that makes it really nice to linger. There were plenty of tables for two and for four.

Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black menu

The café offers signature loaves, set menus, and coffee and tea drinks. As you'd expect from a place serious about bread, there are lots of signature loaves and hearty sets.

• Loaf varieties: the 'S' loaf with a plain, mild texture, and the 'D' loaf made with 100% animal-fat fresh cream and full of butter aroma. Pick whichever suits you.
• Set menus: a good-value bread set, a soup bread set that comes with onion, mushroom or potato soup, plus hot sandwich and cold sandwich sets.
• Drinks: specialty coffee brewed from the world's number-one beans, and a nice range of fragrant teas.

There's a takeout-only kiosk too, so grabbing something to go is easy.

The loaves and baked goods are neatly lined up on display: whole wheat loaf, chestnut loaf, S loaf, D loaf, scones, cookies and more~!

Can you order draft beer at a loaf café?

Yes! Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black unusually sells draft Yebisu beer too! Bread and draft beer is such a fresh combo, and at another table I actually saw older gentlemen enjoying a cold draft beer with their bread! Haha. If you love a drink, give it a try!

The refrigerated showcase has egg mayo sandwiches, almond cake, and handmade jams made in the shop!

They even have toasters in different colors, the perfect partner for loaf bread~!

Review: bread and jam set and onion soup set

At Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black we tried the '2 slices of bread (S and D loaf) + 3 jams (strawberry butter, blackberry, apple cinnamon)' set (6.5), the 'onion soup + 1 slice of bread' set (6.5), and French Earl Grey tea. After you order and sit down, a staff member brings the tray to you! They ask whether you need a toaster, and if you say yes, they set one up on your table. Being able to toast the bread comfortably at your seat was really great!

S loaf and D loaf: eat them untoasted or toasted?

The 'S' loaf is dense and mild, and untoasted its chewy, soft charm really shines, so I liked it better untoasted! The 'D' loaf is the buttery type, and toasted golden in the toaster it was the textbook crispy-outside, moist-inside, with amazing flavor!

Ordering it as a set like this made it a really satisfying meal!

Put the bread in the toaster and 2-3 minutes later, pop! it comes up. The staff set the timing for me, so it was easy and comfortable.

As a loaf specialist, the bread itself is just delicious.

My top pick of the 3 handmade jams: strawberry butter

The three handmade jams, strawberry butter, blackberry and apple cinnamon, were each charmingly sweet and tangy, and the texture is on the runny side, so they're great for dipping the bread.

My number one jam is the strawberry butter! It's much nuttier and more buttery than the strawberry jam you know, with a luxurious feel, and it went really well with the loaf.

Can the onion soup + bread set replace a meal?

The warm onion soup had a deep onion sweetness and worked great as a meal replacement, and dipping toasted bread into it was a perfect match. Eaten as a set with the bread, the onion soup + bread set was even more filling and delicious.

Where do you park at Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black?

• Own parking lot: the shop has no dedicated parking space.
• Nearby parking tip: if you come by car, the paid Somang Church parking lot near the café is convenient!

Overall verdict: Apgujeong Station loaf café

In a calm, upscale atmosphere I got to enjoy a full course at Apgujeong Saengsikppang Option Black: master-crafted fresh loaves, handmade jam, and warm soup. I especially recommend the set that lets you taste the 3 handmade jams plus the 'S' and 'D' loaves at once. It's good for eating in comfortably and good for takeout, and I recommend it as a Dosan Park bakery worth visiting~!