# Jongno 3-ga bakery that cured my TV-hype doubts: garlic bread, Munhwa - By Eunsol (https://superchart.com/en/@lunch-break-seoul/) - Written Sep 12, 2026 - Local places › Cafés › Jongno, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@lunch-break-seoul/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@lunch-break-seoul/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/index.md) ## In short Munhwa Bakery is a hanok-style, wood-toned bakery on Donhwamun-ro by Jongno 3-ga Station, on the Ikseon-dong side. On a weekday visit at 2pm there was no queue, and the order was garlic bread and mugwort rice cake bread, plus a free white bean paste bun (baek angeum bread) sample at the counter: the garlic bread was soft with sauce soaked right through to the crumb, while the mugwort bread had a faint mugwort aroma and was only so-so by personal taste. That one garlic bread was enough to end any doubts about bakeries famous from TV and to make Munhwa Bakery worth a second trip. ## Good to know - **Visit time**: Weekday around 2pm, walked straight in with no parties waiting - **Entry**: Normally appears to admit only 2 parties at a time - **Items bought**: Garlic bread, mugwort rice cake bread - **Free sample**: White bean paste bun sliced and set out at the counter for tasting - **Event**: Free salt bread for a Naver receipt review - **Payment and packaging**: Bank transfer accepted; paper bags at no extra charge - **Tip**: Ask when buying the garlic bread and staff cut it with scissors into easy-to-eat pieces *as written by the visitor on Sep 12, 2026* ## Munhwa Bakery: the Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong bakery known for garlic bread Today I'm writing about a visit to Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵), the famous bakery near Ikseon-dong by Jongno 3-ga. Whenever a bakery shows up on TV programs, I tend to get suspicious that it's just heavily marketed, so I always wonder if it's really as good as they say. This time too I went in half-doubting, but after actually buying and eating the bread, my mind completely changed haha. ![Hanok-style exterior of Munhwa Bakery near Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-01-1peez-1200.webp) Passing by near Jongno 3-ga station, I stopped at Munhwa Bakery, and even from the outside a faint, savory bread smell drifted out — it was hard to just walk past! The interior, from the outside all the way in, had this hanok-style wood tone that made it look even prettier. ![Wood-toned interior of Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-02-fujhz-900.webp) ![Hanok-style entrance of Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-03-1e1c7-900.webp) ## Is there a queue at Munhwa Bakery at 2pm on a weekday? I visited around 2pm on a weekday, and maybe because of that there were no waiting parties, so I was lucky enough to get in right away. Just note that it seems normally only 2 parties are allowed in at a time! ![Sign about entering Munhwa Bakery with no wait on a weekday afternoon](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-04-1eyfg-900.webp) ![Bread display shelves inside Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-05-3q2of-900.webp) ## What I bought at Munhwa Bakery: garlic bread and mugwort rice cake bread Inside, the store was packed with all sorts of breads that looked absolutely delicious. I'd originally planned to buy the bakery's most famous best-sellers, the garlic bread and coffee bread. But after browsing around and thinking it over, I finally settled on two things: garlic bread and mugwort rice cake bread. ![Assortment of breads on display at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-06-1oj0h-900.webp) ### Free salt bread for a receipt review, plus the white bean paste bun sample There was a sign saying you'd get a free salt bread for leaving a Naver receipt review~ But there was no salt bread on display, so I wondered if it's not actually sold and is only for giveaways. At the counter, a white bean bun was sliced and set out for tasting, so I tried a piece. It wasn't overly sweet and had a clean, plain taste, so I thought it might be worth buying next time I get the chance. But there were so many other tempting-looking breads that I'll probably end up actually buying the white bean bun a bit later. ![White bean bun sliced for tasting at the counter](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-07-1q59s-900.webp) Paper bags came with no extra charge. Bank transfer is also possible! ![Bread display at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-08-dd09w-900.webp) ![Variety of breads on the bakery shelves at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-09-8b4m3-900.webp) ![Breads placed around the store at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-10-nago6-900.webp) ![Fully stocked bread display at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-11-1aunt-900.webp) ![Bread display and signage at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-12-3q5jg-900.webp) ![Best-selling breads on display at Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-13-ltppq-900.webp) ### Munhwa Bakery breads I want to try next time While I was in the store, I watched other customers carefully, and someone bought an onion bagel along with garlic bread. It definitely gave off best-seller vibes as one of the store's signature items. Personally, if I visit again, I'd like to try black sesame bread, coffee bread, and the onion bagel. I personally love black sesame as an ingredient, and the other two are famous best-sellers that a lot of people seek out! ![Munhwa Bakery's signature garlic bread](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-14-1ng0s-900.webp) ## Munhwa Bakery garlic bread: ask and they cut it with scissors The signature garlic bread~~ If you ask for it to be cut when you buy it, they'll slice it up nicely with scissors so it's easy to eat! If you want to eat it right away, be sure to ask for a cut. ![Garlic bread from Munhwa Bakery cut with scissors and packed to go](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-15-qpkdo-900.webp) ![Munhwa Bakery garlic bread taken out of its packaging at home](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-16-vbmf9-900.webp) ### How the garlic bread tasted: moist right through to the crumb I brought everything home and ate it there, starting with the garlic bread, which I bought with equal parts anticipation and doubt. Garlic bread as a menu item can easily go wrong — too oily and greasy, or with sauce only coating the surface without soaking into the inside. On top of that, the baguette itself is often so hard it scrapes the inside of your mouth, so I honestly didn't expect much. But the moment I took a bite, the texture and taste completely flipped my expectations. It seemed to be made from a baguette, but the garlic sauce had soaked all the way through to the inner crumb, making it thoroughly soft. The only slightly tough part was at the very ends of the loaf, which I guess is just the crust-only section that lost its crispness once soaked with sauce and turned a bit chewy instead. But even accounting for that, the overall flavor and softness of the sauce were perfect — truly a home run. ![Cross-section of garlic bread showing sauce soaked all the way through](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-17-1pn1m-900.webp) ![Munhwa Bakery's mugwort rice cake bread with rice cake filling](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-18-fdwx9-900.webp) ### Mugwort rice cake bread: faint mugwort aroma, so-so for my taste Next I tried the mugwort rice cake bread I'd bought. I don't usually like rice cakes much, but I love the flavor and scent of mugwort, so I picked this one. Eating it, the mugwort flavor wasn't as strong as I expected, so by my personal taste it was just so-so. The sweetness spread on top especially felt a bit strong. But I think anyone who likes the combination of rice cake and bread would really enjoy this. The rice cake filling was evenly distributed inside, and the combination of sweet topping, plain bread, and chewy rice cake worked pretty well together. ## Would I go back to Munhwa Bakery in Jongno 3-ga? Munhwa Bakery in Jongno 3-ga delivered a flavor satisfying enough to wipe out all the doubt I'd had about bakeries featured on TV. In conclusion, if I have another reason to be around Jongno 3-ga, I'll definitely stop by again to buy bread. The garlic bread I tried this time was so satisfying that it naturally made me curious about the other breads too, haha. If you want to taste garlic bread with sauce soaked all the way through near Jongno 3-ga, or you're looking for a great bakery, I highly recommend stopping by Munhwa Bakery~~ ![Garlic bread and mugwort rice cake bread bought from Munhwa Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno-19-rydkk-900.webp) ## Where it is - Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵) - 65 Donhwamun-ro, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 종로구 돈화문로 65 1층 - 37.5742708, 126.9908703 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%AC%B8%ED%99%94%EC%A0%9C%EB%B9%B5/@37.5742708,126.9908703,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@lunch-break-seoul/munhwa-bakery-garlic-bread-jongno/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt