Big bakery café in Ulju, Ulsan: a ₩28,200 bread haul at MUG

Deep in Ulju, Ulsan, in a spot where you'd think "wait, there's a café out here?", MUG stands with serious black presence.!!!!

A few years ago this site was scorched in a wildfire, and this hip café was literally built out of charred black wood on the same spot. Instead of hiding the scar, they made it the signature — a total reversal that turns a painful memory into a very hip kind of healing. What confidence, haha!

MUG hours and parking

MUG is open daily 10:00–20:00, last order 19:30. Address: 90 Hyangsandagae-ro, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, South Korea.

There's also a wide parking lot right in front of the store, so even new drivers can park without worry!!

Café or art gallery? Inside MUG

I slid the door open and walked in and... wait, is this an art museum?

On one side of the café, artist Kim Miso's portfolio book and conceptual artwork were on display. I read the artist statement about "thought and visual perception" — came here for bread and left with some high-brow culture too, haha. A little everyday discovery that pleased both my eyes and my mouth!!

Once inside, the high ceilings and open, airy feel are just so good.!!!

Even the water here isn't ordinary — a lemon and grapefruit dispenser had me wondering if it was some kind of welcome drink??? Haha, I one-shotted two cups of water, haha.

A ₩47,500 tea break, with ₩28,200 on bread alone

I went in thinking "let's just have a light tea break~" and somehow the total came to ₩47,500! Haha.

I lost the receipt somewhere so I honestly can't remember the actual names of the bread, but after subtracting the ₩19,300 in drinks — a ₩7,000 strawberry yogurt smoothie, a ₩6,800 caramel macchiato, and a ₩5,500 americano — the calculator confirmed I'd thrown a ₩28,200 bread party. Haha. I don't know the official names, but let me reveal the lineup as my tongue and stomach remember it!

The bakery showcase had such a variety of breads neatly displayed! From golden-baked salt bread to plain pizza bread, pastries, and sweet cakes... this place is heaven too, hahaha.

It's a party..yar.

When I laid it all out, the tray was so full of bread it looked like it would burst.

Cream cheese balls at MUG

Packed inside with pale cream cheese, and the bounce when you stab it with a fork... haha.

Basil pizza pastry at MUG

Cheese, pepperoni, olives, corn — every good thing piled on top, an overpowered character that couldn't possibly taste bad.

Blueberry cream cheese cinnamon roll at MUG

A visual bully — cream cheese and blueberry jam poured insanely over a cube of bread.

Coconut cherry cake at MUG

Cut it with a fork and the outside is crumbly with coconut, while the inside has jam layered like a sandwich — fresh and sweet.

Drinks at MUG: strawberry yogurt smoothie, caramel macchiato, americano

The strawberry yogurt smoothie, topped delicately with raspberry and rosemary, is the undisputed 'best-looking' smoothie.

The caramel macchiato is the ultimate sugar-charge latte, with caramel syrup zigzagged over fluffy white milk foam! The moment you take that first sip, you go through the soft milk foam and then bitter espresso and rich caramel aroma burst in — ah, this is exactly why people come to cafés, haha.

The americano's nutty, deep coffee aroma completely cuts through the sweetness of the bread — honestly, without this I never could have finished all that bread, haha, yummy.

Who should visit MUG, and when

With its open view turning wildfire scars into a striking charred-black building, and everything from signature drinks to delicious bakery desserts done perfectly, this is a great large café to enjoy fully!