Salt bread café takeout in Songdo: Mom's 3 plain, my garlic, Cozy Bear

I was hunting for good salt bread in Songdo, Incheon, and this time I visited Cozy Bear. The moment you walk in, the signature bear character is so cute it grabs your eye.

I heard Cozy Bear bakes its salt bread twice a day at set times, so I planned my visit around it on purpose. What I tried this time: 3 plain salt breads and a garlic salt bread! The basic one was delicious, and the garlic one has its own charm, so I ate both. Here's my honest taste review.

Where is Cozy Bear in Songdo, and what about hours and parking?

• Location: 160-19 Haedoji-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea (1st floor, Charisma Plaza)
• Hours: daily 09:00–19:00
• Parking: shared lot right in front of the shop
• Salt bread batches: 9 a.m. / 2 p.m.
• Outdoor tables / pets allowed
• Takeout available

Cozy Bear is in the Songdo academy district and fairly close to the Songdo food-ingredient mart, so it's a good stop if you have errands nearby. I came by car, and the shared lot right in front of the shop was quite convenient. (I used the Songdo 13 public parking lot.)

What time is the salt bread ready at Cozy Bear?

Salt bread comes out twice a day, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. They only bake a set quantity each day, so I hear it can close early if the bread sells out. I deliberately timed it for the 2 p.m. batch and arrived around 2:15 p.m., so I could see the freshly baked bread right away. If you love salt bread, this much effort is the least you can do, ahem.

What's the atmosphere like inside Cozy Bear?

Just like the shop's name, Cozy Bear's signature bear characters are dotted all over, and they're so cute they catch your eye,

and they go well with the warm wood tones, so the whole place felt comfortable and snug.

The salt bread is displayed right as you walk in! It was just the time the bread comes out, so warm salt breads were lined up. With that bread smell drifting around, even though I'd come knowing what to buy, I fell into dithering again haha. They also sell coffee to go with the salt bread, so it seems great for a quick bite and a cup of coffee.

There are outdoor tables too, so on a nice day you could sit outside and enjoy it at leisure.

Cozy Bear salt bread flavors and takeout boxes

As a salt bread specialist, Cozy Bear has many kinds beyond the basic plain: castella salt bread, ang-butter (red bean paste and butter) salt bread, potato salt bread, mentaiko (pollock roe) salt bread and more. The ang-butter and potato ones are said to use red beans and potatoes from Korea, with the fillings made by hand, so you can feel the care in even a single salt bread.

Cozy Bear also has salt bread gift boxes, so cute for a Songdo thank-you gift or a small present. The box looks neat and adorable, and seemed better for gifting or packing than just carrying the bread loose.

With the Naver review event, I'm definitely getting one more salt bread!

Mom's 3 plain ones, my garlic salt bread

Seeing the warm, fresh-baked bread, I'd planned to buy only the basic salt bread, but that failed, didn't it? This time I picked just two kinds.

• 3 plain salt breads
• 1 garlic salt bread

Mom said you have to try the basic one first and picked plain without a second thought, and I brought home one garlic salt bread.

The packaging is so cute.. Okay, let's get our salt bread home safe and sound!

How does Cozy Bear's plain salt bread taste?

On the first bite of Cozy Bear's plain salt bread, you feel the crispy top! The outside is baked crisp, and going further in it's moist, a little chewy, and soft.

Then the butter aroma rises, and the salty taste comes in with it, and the pairing worked far better than I expected. Salt bread can get greasy from the butter, but the saltiness balances it, so you keep eating. After trying it, I thought, good thing I bought 3.

How is Cozy Bear's garlic salt bread different from the plain one?

From the first bite, Cozy Bear's garlic salt bread feels clearly different from the basic one. It's not just garlic sauce brushed on the outside; the garlic flavor is soaked moistly all the way into the bread.

Each bite gives off that subtle garlic bread aroma, along with the salt bread's butter flavor, and it was so good. I'm a garlic bread fan, haha.

The taste is definitely different from the basic salt bread, so if you like garlic bread, try picking one too. I ate the basic one first and then the garlic one, and since they taste different, it's fun to alternate between them.

Is Cozy Bear's Songdo salt bread worth timing your visit?

The salt bread I had at Cozy Bear this time left me remembering its crisp outside and moist inside. So this is what "crispy outside, moist inside" means. I visited right at the 2 p.m. batch and got to see the bread fresh out, which was great. If you like salt bread, timing your visit on purpose seems worth it.

Next time I'll probably try the castella salt bread or potato salt bread! If you're looking for good salt bread in Songdo, visiting Cozy Bear at the 2 p.m. batch seems like a good idea.