Jongno 3-ga bakery first visit: Gangneung-level garlic bread, Munhwa

What kind of bakery is Munhwa Bakery?

Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵) is a bakery on Donhwamun-ro in Jongno, Seoul, near Ikseon-dong and Seosulla-gil, famous for its garlic baguette. It's an Ikseon-dong garlic baguette spot with a line, one of the so-called "Seoul's top 3 bakeries", and I finally made it!!! It's right by Seosulla-gil, so I kept saying "I have to go🥹" and never did, but now I've finally picked up the garlic baguette✌🏻 I'll tell you everything: the wait, the breads, the taste.

Munhwa Bakery is open 11:00–19:00 with no regular closing day, so you can drop by any time🙆🏻‍♀️ It also accepts the high oil price relief support fund. It has over 6,000 reviews, apparently, and it's a famous Jongno bakery-hopping stop for its garlic baguette. I feel like I've tried so many garlic baguette places, but this was my first time in Jongno.

Getting to Munhwa Bakery: which exit of Jongno 3-ga Station?

Munhwa Bakery is on the main road, just one alley past Seosulla-gil :) If you're coming from the subway, Jongno 3-ga Station Exits 6 and 7 are the fastest!

How long is the wait at Munhwa Bakery?

I got to Munhwa Bakery around 2 p.m. and there was already a line out front, wow. But it's takeout only, so the line clears fast!! There's no café inside, they only sell bread, so turnover is super quick🙌🏻

The inside is small and only 2 groups can enter at a time, so it seems you can't avoid the wait! Looking in from outside while waiting.. people really buy a LOT of bread in one go🫨

What I like even more about Munhwa Bakery is that it bakes and sells on the same day, and the bread that doesn't sell goes to underprivileged groups at social welfare facilities, such as children who miss meals, elderly people living alone, and free meal centers.

I waited about 10 minutes and then went right in🙌🏻

What breads does Munhwa Bakery have?

These are the breads I saw at Munhwa Bakery that day. There was a surprisingly wide variety!

• Injeolmi bread (injeolmi: chewy rice cake with roasted soybean powder)
• Peanut bread
• Mugwort rice cake bread
• Cheese bread
• Squid-ink condensed milk bread
• Milk cream bread
• Black sesame bread
• Onion bagel
• Rice flour sandwich loaf
• Rice flour cheese loaf
• Sweet potato bread
• White bean paste bread
• Walnut bread
• Coffee bun
• Garlic bread

While I was waiting, I heard this right behind me and my ears perked up 👂👂 haha

The coffee bun is worth trying once, the garlic baguette is really good, and I recommend the onion bagel ..!!

What to buy on a first visit to Munhwa Bakery?

On my first visit I bought Munhwa Bakery's two signature breads, the coffee bun and the garlic bread. I agonized over it, but it's my first visit! Coffee bun and garlic bread!!!!!

I saw quite a few people carrying Munhwa Bakery shopping bags nearby, so that's what those were.

They don't pre-slice the garlic bread; when you order, they cut it on the spot and pack it. There are lots of breads, so while you're here it'd be nice to try a variety. People say most of them are good!! ♥

Munhwa Bakery garlic bread, finally picked up. I'll have it with coffee when I get home 😌

They cut the coffee bun just once, and the garlic bread is cut up into easy bite-size pieces!

The garlic bread passes on looks alone💯

How does the coffee bun taste? Fine even if you dislike cream buns?

Munhwa Bakery's coffee bun has cream that isn't greasy and goes well with the coffee-scented powder on the bread, so I fully recommend it 👍👍 I tried the coffee bun first, and even though the taste is what you'd expect, the cream isn't greasy and pairs really well with the coffee powder on the bread. Predictable, yet better than expected!!!!

Hahaha, huh? I don't really like cream buns because they're too rich, but this coffee bun cream isn't greasy and tastes like a proper coffee bun haha. Ordinary but delicious, so I highly recommend it✌🏻

Munhwa Bakery garlic bread vs Gangneung garlic baguette?

Munhwa Bakery's garlic bread is soaked with garlic sauce all the way through, almost wet, so the garlic aroma is strong, and it was so good that I don't feel I need to bring back Gangneung garlic baguettes anymore. The grand finale, the garlic bread 💯 First, on looks: there's so much garlic sauce soaked into the bread, so it passes.

It's a garlic baguette, but the bread is soggy with sauce haha. The garlic aroma is just as strong and it was delicious,, 💗💗 I get why this garlic bread became famous. It's in the style of the garlic baguette I used to buy every time I went to Gangneung, and Munhwa Bakery's is so good I don't feel the need to buy it in Gangneung anymore.

If you're visiting Ikseon-dong in Jongno, it's a Jongno bakery-hopping stop worth taking away and eating once🙌🏻 I recommend Munhwa Bakery, the Ikseon-dong bakery.