Hongdae café with tomato basil chimney bread & decaf: Chimney Mansion

Chimney Mansion (침니맨션): a quirky chimney bread bakery café in Hongdae

I wanted to go somewhere a little unusual around Hongdae and Hapjeong, and I found this place while searching! A café selling chimney bread (kürtőskalács, a spiral pastry baked on a roller) called Chimney Mansion? I had to go!

Chimney Mansion location and opening hours

• 📍Address: 14 Jandari-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• 🕰️Hours: Weekdays 11:00-20:00 / Weekends 10:00-21:00

It's between Hongdae and Hapjeong. It's an unusual spot even for Hongdae, so I think it would be great for a date, a group get-together, or just something to do in Hongdae.

This detached-house café is decorated so cutely. Whenever I visit a café converted from a house like this I get a little giddy, because it feels like being invited over to a rich friend's house to hang out...

If you go up the stairs...

There are terrace seats on the first floor, and you can open the door on the right to get inside the café. It was too hot to use the outdoor terrace, which was a shame, but I'll come back in autumn.

Chimney bread flavors at Chimney Mansion

As soon as you walk into Chimney Mansion, you see lavishly decorated chimney breads. There were lots of kinds and all of them looked so delicious.

The melon turtle one is so cute, haha.

I couldn't really imagine what the tomato cream cheese one up there would taste like, but there was only one left, so I figured it must be good!! and picked it, haha.

It's made like a hot dog, so it's like a sandwich. I think you could have this as a meal.

Inside Chimney Mansion on a weekday afternoon

Chimney Mansion has seats on the first and second floors, and when I went on a weekday afternoon there were plenty of open seats. It seems to get crowded on weekends, though.

The interior has a slightly... Halloween vibe?!?! There weren't any Halloween decorations, but it feels like a big mansion with a chimney, so the interior gave off that kind of feeling, haha.

On the first floor, is that a real chimney?! Or a decoration? I wonder if they light the stove here when it's cold... haha.

It was pretty, so just one more shot.

What we ordered and prices

• Decaf americano ₩5,500
• Chimney Choco Sora ₩5,200
• Tomato Basil Field chimney bread ₩4,700

Ta-da, our order has arrived!

Tomato Basil Field chimney bread ₩4,700

The Tomato Basil Field has sun-dried tomatoes, basil pesto and cream cheese. Hmm... now I see why only one was left. It's sooo good, haha.

The sun-dried tomato is slightly tangy but not overpowering, with a kind of savory umami?? that's crazy good, and the bread is chewy, with basil cream cheese inside...

Can you see how full of cream it is?!?! The thick cream cheese with a waft of basil was so delicious. It feels less like a dessert and more like a meal replacement?? The chimney bread itself is a bit chewy, and how do I put it... it's like pretzel bread? It might be a little different, but when you buy a pretzel abroad it's a meal bread, so it's not very sweet, it has layers and it's chewy. Kind of fermented, I guess, haha. Anyway, it went well with this bread too!!

Chimney Choco Sora ₩5,200

Dun dun, the Chimney Choco Sora bread. The moment I saw it I thought, I have to eat this, haha, because it's the choco sora bread (a cone-shaped spiral pastry) you often get at Paris Baguette (a Korean bakery chain)!!

Inside there's moist chocolate cream, the bread is chewy, and the outside is covered with plenty of chocolate coating. I liked that the coating was thick, haha.

Having dessert with an americano is the golden rule!! The drink prices were reasonable. I enjoyed it.