Seochon bakery café: gourmet butter salt bread & Fromance tea, Respire

I wanted a little rest while in Seochon and found this lovely bakery café, Respire Bakery (레스피레 베이커리)! It sits just below Cheongwadae, so it's a nice stop on a walk, and the European feel of the exterior was impressive right away.

It's also known as a go-to spot for salt bread in Seochon, so I was curious and had to visit!

Respire Bakery Seochon: hours, parking and how to get there

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is at 40-7 Hyoja-ro 13-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and is open 08:30-18:00 on weekdays and 09:00-19:00 on weekends. Paid parking is available: ₩3,000 for the first 60 minutes, ₩3,000 for each additional 60 minutes, and ₩60,000 maximum per day.

• Address: 40-7 Hyoja-ro 13-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon
• Hours: weekdays 08:30 - 18:00 / weekends 09:00 - 19:00
• Parking: available (paid), ₩3,000 for the first 60 minutes, ₩3,000 per additional 60 minutes, max ₩60,000 per day

It's about a 13-minute walk from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3. By public transport, take bus 1711, 7018, 7022 or 1020 from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3, get off at the Hyojadong stop and walk from there.

If you're driving, paid parking is available, but the lot in front of the shop belongs to the Cheongwadae security service and can't be used. I'd recommend checking the parking notice posted by the shop before you visit.

What's the atmosphere and 2nd-floor seating like at Respire Bakery?

Respire Bakery is a Seochon café decorated with wooden furniture and antique props, like a small European countryside bakery. The 1st floor is the bakery and ordering area, and the 2nd floor is a seating area where you can linger.

Inside it was full of vintage charm! Wooden furniture, antique props, framed pictures and handwritten decorations on the walls all come together, so just looking around was fun.

A variety of breads were on display on one side, and there were more kinds than I expected, so I spent ages deciding what to pick.

The 1st floor is mostly the bakery and ordering area, and the 2nd floor has a seating area where you can stay a bit more comfortably.

The interior is also done in wooden decor and vintage props.

The 2nd floor had more seats than I expected, and from the window seats you can look down on Seochon, which made it a nice place for a quiet cup of coffee.

It's good for spending time with a quiet coffee, and it suits a date as well.

Overall it felt cozy and warm rather than flashy, a Seochon bakery where you'd want to stay a long time.

What we ordered at Respire Bakery and the prices

At Respire Bakery we ordered the condensed milk salt bread for ₩4,300, the signature drink Salt Summer Latte for ₩8,000, and the tea Fromance (프로망스) for ₩7,500.

• Condensed milk salt bread ₩4,300
• Salt Summer Latte ₩8,000
• Fromance ₩7,500

How does the Seochon condensed milk salt bread taste? A sweet-salty gourmet butter combo

Respire's condensed milk salt bread (₩4,300) is a salt bread topped generously with condensed milk cream and cheese: the sweetness of the condensed milk comes first, followed by buttery flavor and a salty kick. Let's start with the condensed milk salt bread!

True to its reputation as a Seochon salt bread spot, it looked delicious from the start. With condensed milk cream and cheese piled on top of the salt bread, you can feel the sweetness just by looking at it.

Taking a bite, the outside was lightly crispy and the inside moist~ The sweet condensed milk hits first, then the buttery flavor and saltiness follow, and the sweet-salty combination worked really well.

They apparently use French gourmet butter, and the butter flavor really did come through richly. If you usually like sweet-and-salty breads, I think you'll be satisfied!

When does Respire bake its salt bread, and how should you pick one?

According to the notice in the shop, the salt bread dough is slow-aged at low temperature the day before and baked fresh every morning, with a policy of making and selling it the same day. As a tip, when choosing salt bread, pick one with a deep brown, crispy bottom, they say haha

What does Respire's signature Salt Summer Latte taste like?

The Salt Summer Latte (₩8,000) is Respire Bakery's signature menu item: a latte topped with gelato, sprinkled with cacao powder and Maldon salt. Next up was the Salt Summer Latte, Respire's signature!

At first it looked like a dessert, but once I mixed it and drank, I could faintly taste a sweet yet salty flavor.

As the gelato melted, the latte felt even smoother~

How is the Fromance tea served?

Fromance (₩7,500) is a tea on Respire Bakery's menu, served with a pot that you pour into a cup of ice. Last up, Fromance, a tea.

It came with a pot and you pour it into a cup of ice; with the ice cup I got, I could pour about 3 times. It was a fruity tea with a gentle aroma, and it went well with the sweet condensed milk salt bread haha

Overall verdict on Respire Bakery in Seochon

Respire Bakery, the Seochon salt bread spot, was satisfying right from the atmosphere~ It's near the Cheongwadae Sarangchae, so it's a good place to rest after walking around Gyeongbokgung or Seochon, and the cozy interior made it easy to relax.

The condensed milk salt bread paired sweet condensed milk with butter flavor nicely, and the Salt Summer Latte had a different kind of charm, as a signature item should. There are many kinds of salt bread, so bread lovers should enjoy a visit.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Seochon salt bread spot or a Seochon bakery café with a nice atmosphere.