Hapjeong dessert café for first-time chimney bread: Chimney Mansion

What is chimney bread (trdelník) at Chimney Mansion?

Chimney Mansion is a chimney bread dessert café near Hapjeong Station. I heard there was a great dessert spot at Hapjeong Station, so I went on a Hongdae bakery pilgrimage. I'd never even heard of chimney bread before, but apparently it's a thing!

Chimney bread is called "trdelník" (뜨르들로). The dough is wrapped around a stick and baked while it turns round and round, and the name apparently went from the tool, meaning "wooden stick," to the bread itself. I'm told it's a common street food in Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Chimney Mansion location, hours and parking near Hapjeong Station

Chimney Mansion is at 14 Jandari-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 494 m from Hapjeong Station Exit 3. It's open Mon–Fri 11:00–20:00 and Sat–Sun 10:00–21:00. Parking is paid, with a nearby private lot at ₩4,000 per 60 minutes.

What are the atmosphere and seating like at Chimney Mansion?

Chimney Mansion, a Hapjeong Station dessert spot, felt like a scene from a fairy tale, a healing space in Seoul. It honestly felt like I'd traveled to the Czech Republic. I wonder how many cafés in Seoul have an atmosphere like this. You have a separate stomach for meals and for dessert, right? After a meal, you just have to have dessert. Since it was my first time with chimney bread, I was even more excited.

Inside, it has a classy feel, starting with group seating that's good for big parties. Upstairs there are sofa seats, 2-person tables and multi-person tables, so lots of options. There's also a terrace outside, so on a nice day it's perfect for a date, and you can relax over a drink on the terrace.

Chimney Mansion menu and ordering rules

There's a wide range of drinks too, but I had chimney bread and ice cream. It's an unusual menu where the ice cream goes inside the bread. If you don't buy bread, I think you have to order one drink per person. Just so you know!

A wide range of chimney bread flavors

The variety of breads here is seriously wide. There are sandwich-style breads, breads with salad (sarada) inside, breads with sweet cream, and more. There were so many that I got totally indecisive.

After much agonizing, I ordered Sea Salt, Double Pistachio, Peanuts House and Plain Vanilla Ice Cream. If I hadn't eaten a meal first, I think I'd have picked one of the sandwich-type breads.

How does Chimney Mansion's ice cream chimney bread taste?

The chimney breads at Chimney Mansion were so pretty, almost like display models, that I hated to eat them. I'd never seen ice cream put inside bread, so I ordered it, and I'm amazed at whoever came up with this. It was a moment that made me feel how endless the world of food is, and how varied desserts can be.

Plain Vanilla Ice Cream chimney bread, 7,500 won

The Plain Vanilla Ice Cream is vanilla ice cream inside a cinnamon chimney bread, for ₩7,500. I was so curious about ice cream in bread, and the vanilla turned out to be exactly my style. I don't like vanilla that's too sour, but this ice cream was nicely creamy.

The bread underneath turned out to be cinnamon. I don't like cinnamon, but the cinnamon bread here at Chimney Mansion by Hapjeong Station was so good! I ate it without knowing, and I was surprised at how delicious it was.

Peanuts House, 3,800 won

Peanuts House is a bagel-like bread spread with not-too-sweet chocolate and nutty peanuts, for ₩3,800. It's moderately sweet, you get the crunch of peanuts, and a gentle nutty aroma spreads, so it was perfect as a dessert.

Sea Salt, 3,500 won

Sea Salt is a plain, salty and nutty chimney bread for ₩3,500. It looks a bit like a salt bread, but the taste was soft, like milk bread. I think people who don't like sweets much would be happy with it.

Double Pistachio, 5,000 won: the best chimney bread

Double Pistachio is a chimney bread generously filled with pistachio cream, for ₩5,000. The smooth cream, like green tea ice cream, is the kicker. The outside seems to be a cinnamon bread, and the bread and cream go together really well. Of the three, I enjoyed this one the most. Highly recommended!

Chimney Mansion, the Hapjeong Station dessert spot that opened my eyes to a new dessert, is a place I'll probably visit again to try the other breads.

Is Chimney Mansion's chimney bread box a good gift?

For takeout, it looks like Chimney Mansion packs the chimney breads 4 to a box. The box is elegant and pretty, so I think it'd make a nice gift. Bread is so expensive these days, right? Chimney bread especially takes a lot of effort, so it's unusual, and considering how hard it is to make, the price is reasonable and the taste is good, so it seems perfect as a gift.

I tried chimney bread for the first time today, and I think it's much better than dujjonku (Dubai chewy cookies) or butter tteok (butter rice cakes). It's great value and feels like it could become a trend. If you're ever in Hongdae or Hapjeong, please give it a try. I'll vouch for it as a top Hongdae dessert spot.