Yeonnam-dong bakery opening run, 5 breads reheated: Mandong Jegwa

Today I'm introducing my favorite bakery in Yeonnam-dong. This place... I'm not exaggerating when I say I've been here more than 10 times. If I'm ever passing by, I always end up walking in and walking out with a garlic baguette — it's basically my real-life 방앗간 (my go-to spot, like a mill everyone stops by).

I stumbled in here a long time ago while just walking around, and the bread was so good..! It was the first time bread made me feel like I'd discovered a whole new world. Later I saw Jang Do-yeon mention it as her go-to bakery on Na Honja San Da (I Live Alone). Anyway, if you're a bread lover, there's no way you don't know this adorable Yeonnam-dong bakery.

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch hours, parking and how to book

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch is open daily 11:00–21:00, and there's no dedicated parking lot, so you'll need a nearby paid lot. In order of distance: Dongjin Parking Lot, Yeonnam 3 Public Parking Lot, and Yeonnam 4 Roadside Public Parking Lot.

Reservations are only available on weekdays.

• Naver Reservation
• Instagram DM
• Phone reservation

Same-day reservations aren't possible — you need to book up to 2 days before your pickup date. Since this is a pickup-only store, there's no space to eat inside, but you can eat at the Ediya Yeonnam-dong branch 2 minutes away on foot (with one drink ordered per person).

The interior is small, so it's a wait-and-enter system with 3 groups or fewer at a time. I did an opening run and made it in on the first turn~~!

Everyone here is so diligent. Honestly, I find people who love bread kind of cute... like Animal Crossing villagers. The staff member was busily restocking bread right as they opened. It's a small shop — just a bread counter and a register.

For the garlic baguette, onion bagel, basil tomato, cucumber baguette, and cappuccino, don't pick them up yourself — just tell the staff at the register when you check out.

Getting into the first entry group, and the generous tasting bread

This is exactly why you do an opening run... I got there right at opening time and the Mandong Jegwa shelves were completely stacked.

They used to cut up tasting bread and leave it on the side, but now a staff member walks around handing pieces out. They hand out a random mix of types, and before you know it you're full just from tasting. Legendary generosity. Try a piece of each and buy whatever suits your taste. As someone who's tried almost every bread here, let me give you my recommendations.

3 breads worth ordering at Mandong Jegwa

Garlic baguette

Mandong Jegwa's garlic baguette is the type that's thoroughly soaked in sauce, and it's my number one repeat purchase — I've bought it more than ten times. Now the moment I even see a garlic baguette, I start salivating like Pavlov's dog. It's not like it was my first time trying a garlic baguette, but this one genuinely shocked me. Unless you're allergic to garlic, just buy it.

Cappuccino bread

This is my sister's favorite. Think of it as a mocha version of castella cream bread. Soft castella coated in fine coffee-flavored castella on the outside, with vanilla cream inside. Eating it with milk is heaven.

Onion bagel

Honestly, this is what I come here for. On my first visit to Mandong Jegwa, I came for the garlic baguette, tried a tasting piece of this, and ended up buying a ton of it. It's a crunchy walnut bagel sandwiched with onion cream, and it's genuinely a sensation...

Cooler bag for ₩1,000, plus how to pack cream bread

The cappuccino tastes best chilled, so they pulled it out of the fridge for me.

A cooler bag plus ice pack is an extra ₩1,000. I'd recommend getting one in summer or if you have a long trip home, since a lot of these breads are filled with cream.

The fillings here are so generous my bag genuinely got heavy. (That's because you bought so much.) I got the garlic baguette, onion bagel, cappuccino, shrimp baguette, and salt soboro! I meant to buy just one or two, but that never works out.

The cappuccino gets packed separately with insulation. If you're not eating it right away, you should keep it refrigerated — but since it's a cream bread, eating it soon is best!!

All 5 breads at home: microwave and air-fryer times

My beloved onion bagel. The bread is crunchy, and you can really feel the onion pieces in the onion cream. An absolute charmer.

No need to even explain this one. The garlic baguette, thoroughly soaked in sauce. I'll officially name it the best garlic baguette in Seoul — no, in the world. Best eaten warm after 20 seconds in the microwave. You'll have to brush your teeth a hundred times after, but I forgive it,

The shrimp baguette is generously filled with something like tartar sauce inside. Apparently ground dried shrimp is mixed into the baguette dough — there's a subtle shrimp aroma and it pairs well with the sauce. This one's best in the air fryer at 180°C for 3 minutes, so the surface gets a little crispy.

The sweet pumpkin ciabatta is a ciabatta filled with sweet pumpkin and cream cheese. Chewy texture, with plenty of real pumpkin inside.

The salt soboro looks like an ordinary soboro at first, but there's a saltiness that keeps you reaching for more. Strong butter aroma, and the inside is a mochi dough, so the texture is unique. It's a weirdly addictive flavor — I think I'll buy this one again too.

Went back to Mandong Jegwa after a while and it's just as good as ever. How is it that literally nothing here misses. Whatever you pick is delicious, so just grab whatever you're craving. If I could only go to one bakery in Yeonnam-dong, it's this one. Can you tell how serious I am about this place? If you're on a Yeonnam-dong bakery tour, you have to stop by — and if you're out visiting the pretty cafés in Hongdae, swing by here too haha.