Mangwon bakery baguettes instead of croissants: Boulangerie Copain

🥐 Mangwon bakery, Mangwon bakery tour — search either of those and you'll come across this place at least once. It's Boulangerie Copain.

The name doesn't stick right away, but there's a saying that once you've tasted the bread here, you'll never forget it again. Haha. I was curious whether it could really be that good, and I kept hearing especially good things about the croissants and the baguettes. Since I'd already eaten plenty of croissants recently, I decided to boldly skip them this time and pick baguettes and other breads instead. 🥖

Boulangerie Copain location, hours and parking in Mangwon-dong

Boulangerie Copain is a bakery on the 1st floor of 115 Huiujeong-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, right along the main road toward Han River Park. It's open daily from 11:30 to 21:40, with a break time of 15:30–17:30 on weekdays and 16:30–17:30 on weekends, so it's best to avoid those hours.

• Phone inquiries available, open daily 11:30–21:40
• Break time: (weekdays) 15:30–17:30 / (weekends) 16:30–17:30
• Parking available — use the underground (B2) commercial parking at City One Square to the right when entering the lot (Block C elevator recommended)
• Keywords: chewy baguettes and butter-scented croissants, featured on a TV show about masters of their craft

Boulangerie Copain values the basics of dough and fermentation above all else. Drawing on experience from baking at an S-brand five-star hotel, we knead and bake by hand every day to bring out the true flavor of our croissants and baguettes. Since being featured on the TV segment about croissants and baguettes, many people looking for a Mangwon bakery or a great baguette in Mangwon have visited us, and we continue to be loved for our crisp exterior and moist interior.

A Mangwon-dong bakery on the way to Han River Park

Boulangerie Copain sits right on the main road toward Han River Park.

When I visited, the area didn't seem to have a huge amount of foot traffic, but strangely enough, people kept coming in to buy bread.

Everyone from young college students to neighborhood locals stopped by. I guess a bakery famous on Mangridan-gil isn't famous for no reason.

How many kinds of bread does Boulangerie Copain bake?

The moment I walked in, breads everywhere~ Wow... I want to try all of these. 😂

Each loaf had such a pretty shape and appetizing color that it was fun just to slowly browse. The store itself was neatly organized, with the breads lined up along one side.

Maybe because of the black-toned interior, the golden-brown color of the bread stood out even more!

Looking around slowly, I thought, 'Ah, no wonder they were featured on a masters-of-their-craft show.'

Everything looked so well made that I spent a long time agonizing over what to pick. 😆

The five breads picked at Boulangerie Copain

After much deliberation, here are the five breads I picked at Boulangerie Copain: ham cheese baguette sandwich, salt bread,

fig cream cheese baguette, quinieman,

and chestnut bread. That's what I ended up bringing home. Adding one item at a time, somehow I ended up with five... haha. Honestly I wanted to buy even more in the store, but I told myself 'that's it for today!' and hurried the breads home.

What does the ham cheese baguette sandwich taste like?

Back home, the first thing I tried was the ham cheese baguette sandwich. Cutting into the baguette, the first thing I noticed was that crisp-outside, moist-inside texture.

Taking a bite, I loved the savory flavor coming from the baguette dough itself, and the ham and cheese went together really well.

The baguette wasn't just hard — the savory flavor built up the more I chewed! 'Oh... so this is why people say baguettes here are good,' I thought. 😋

Fig cream cheese baguette: filling enough for a meal

It's fig season these days, isn't it? Korean figs are famous for being sweet, so I picked a bread with figs in it too.

It's the fig cream cheese baguette, and this combination worked even better than expected. The savory, plain flavor of the baguette, the soft and savory cream cheese, and the sweet figs on top all together were really delicious.

This is truly bread, but it felt as filling as a whole meal. After one bite, my hand kept reaching for more, and I thought, 'When am I ever going to diet...?' 😂

Kouign-amann (quinieman) with coffee

I tried the quinieman with coffee, and this combination... well, what more is there to say. A sip of coffee, then a bite of quinieman — pure heaven. ☕🥐

Crisp and sweet on the outside, and with coffee the sweetness wasn't overwhelming at all — it was just right. Personally, this is the bread I'd recommend eating with coffee!

Chestnut bread and salt bread at Boulangerie Copain

I shared small bites of the chestnut bread and salt bread, and both were plain, easy breads to enjoy. 🍞I only meant to have one🍞

But buying several kinds of bread means you end up tasting each one. In the end, I bought five and, snacking on this and that, I properly turned bread into a full meal.

Why Boulangerie Copain is worth the Mangwon-dong bakery tour

I didn't get to try the croissant this time, but after tasting the baguettes, I could somewhat understand why Boulangerie Copain is so often mentioned as a Mangwon bakery favorite.

I loved the baguette's crisp crust, moist interior, and savory dough flavor, and the fig-cream cheese combination was also delicious.

It's a place where it's fun just to walk in and browse the breads, and just as fun to pick one out and try it. Next time I visit, I'll be sure to get the chocolate baguette I missed this time. And then I'll have to give the croissant another shot too. 😋

If you're looking for a bakery in Mangwon, Boulangerie Copain is a Mangridan-gil favorite worth stopping by at least once. 🥖🥐🍞