Jongno bakery repeat order of sweet potato mousse bread: Munhwa Bakery

I once bought a sweet potato bread while on a bread tour around Jongno, and it was so good that it kept popping into my head every now and then, even long after. So I went back to Munhwa Bakery, a well-loved bakery in Ikseon-dong, to buy it again.

Where is Munhwa Bakery and what are its hours?

Munhwa Bakery is an old bakery I found on the hanok street in Ikseon-dong. It's less than 5 minutes from Exit 7 of Jongno 3-ga Station, so if you take in the autumn air while walking, you'll arrive at Munhwa Bakery before you know it!

That said, it's easiest on foot, so go by public transit!

⏰ Hours are 11:00–20:00. Popular breads often sell out after evening, so I'd recommend a lunchtime visit. If you're planning to go in the evening, it's worth calling the shop to check stock 🤗

Something I learned on this repeat visit: leftover bread from the day's baking gets donated to children in need, elderly people living alone, people with disabilities, free meal centers, and more. So touching 🥹 The places that do well always seem to have a reason for it.

Which breads I chose at Munhwa Bakery

Munhwa Bakery's signature items are said to be garlic bread, coffee bread, and onion bread. When I visited, in fact, a whole tray of garlic bread was already sold out.

But I picked out a few things in the ten-thousand-won range, since I prefer breads with a mild, deep flavor over something too strong or sweet.

• 🌿 Mugwort rice cake bread — ₩5,700
• 🌼 White bean paste bread — ₩3,800
• 🍠 Sweet potato bread — ₩3,800

I picked these three.

When I asked the staff about the bread, they kindly explained the characteristics of each item, which really helped with choosing. They told me the black sesame bread has black sesame cream inside, while the walnut bread is plain, with no cream.

A bread picnic at home with the Munhwa Bakery takeout 🧺

This time I packed Munhwa Bakery's bread to go and tried each one at home. Tasting through the lineup, I felt it would especially suit people who like soft bread and old-fashioned, classic styles.

White bean paste bread, 3,800 won — pulls apart like flower petals

Munhwa Bakery's white bean paste bread is so pretty just to look at, I couldn't pass it up. It's shaped like a flower, so you can pull it apart petal by petal, which also makes it easy to share. There's a generous amount of white bean paste inside — moderately sweet but with a deep flavor, which I found really appealing. It seems like a good match for a glass of juice. If you want to try something different from the usual red bean bread, I'd recommend this one.

Sweet potato bread, 3,800 won — moist sweet potato mousse inside

Munhwa Bakery's sweet potato bread might look plain from the outside, but the moment you take a bite, that impression will probably change. Every time I handed a piece to someone around me, their eyes went wide 🤣 The twist is the moist sweet potato mousse inside — the more you chew, the more the sweet potato's sweetness comes through, and it made me genuinely happy.

Which Munhwa Bakery bread suits your taste?

Today's clear favorite again: the sweet potato bread‼️

• 💕 If you're with kids: garlic bread / onion bagel / milk cream bread / squid ink milk cream bread / cheese bread
• 💕 Breads adults tend to love: injeolmi (rice cake) bread, peanut bread, mugwort rice cake bread, black sesame bread (with cream), coffee bread
• 💕 Safe picks for everyone: sweet potato bread, white bean paste bread
• 💕 If you like sweet bread: maple cream cheese bread, squid ink milk cream bread
• 💕 If you like savory/nutty flavors: peanut bread, walnut bread

Visiting Munhwa Bakery again, it didn't feel like just another bakery riding a trend — it felt like a place that's been baking for a long time with the mindset of passing on baking as a culture. Rather than flashy, trendy bread, it leans soft, familiar, old-fashioned and full of warmth. Add to that the kind gesture of donating the day's leftover bread to those who need it, and it sticks in my memory a little more.

Especially if you're someone who loves sweet potato bread like me, this is a place worth stopping by! Add it to your Jongno bread-tour route while wandering the Ikseon-dong hanok street.