Ikseon-dong alley bakery: sliced garlic bread and onion bagel, Munhwa

I was wandering around Ikseon-dong in Jongno-gu and it felt like a waste to just walk past Munhwa Bakery, so I stopped in.

Ikseon-dong is packed with hanok cafés and good restaurants, so wandering the alleys always turns up places you didn't expect. This time I decided to just grab a simple snack from a bakery.

I like bread in general, so I tend to look up bakeries around Ikseon-dong too, and this time Munhwa Bakery caught my eye.

Munhwa Bakery is takeout only, two parties in at a time

I'd seen reviews calling it a bakery near Jongno 3-ga with a queue, and since it's takeout-only there was a sign asking for entry two parties at a time. Once inside, I understood — the space really is small, so it seems worth following!

What bread Munhwa Bakery sells

Injeolmi (rice cake) bread, peanut bread, mugwort rice cake bread, black sesame bread, milk cream bread, cheese bread, squid-ink condensed milk bread.

There was also an onion bagel, rice-and-chestnut loaf, rice cheese loaf, maple cream cheese bread, sweet potato bread, white bean paste bread, walnut bread, and more — such a variety!

Having already eaten and had a café stop in Ikseon-dong, I picked out bread to take home. At a bakery with this many options you want to buy everything, but in the end I packed up two things: garlic bread and an onion bagel.

Coffee bread was also one of the popular items.

Bread you eat right away is great, but packing it up like this to bring home means you can enjoy it again after finishing a trip or outing.

The garlic baguette caught my eye the most, too — I knew it was famous going in, so it was one of the things I made sure to pack!!

Especially in a neighborhood like Ikseon-dong in Jongno-gu, where there's so much to see, I think stopping at a bakery for a snack to go is just as fun as chasing restaurants and cafés. Munhwa Bakery is one of those spots.

First pick: garlic bread sliced to go

The first thing I picked was the garlic bread. It's one of those items that naturally catches your eye at any bakery, and I couldn't pass it up this time either. As I mentioned, it's famous, so I knew I had to buy it — Munhwa Bakery's garlic bread.

If you ask them to slice it for packing, they will. If you need a quick snack for a nearby park in Ikseon-dong, or bread to bring home, something easy to eat like garlic bread seems like a solid choice.

Second pick: onion bagel with walnuts and sesame

The second thing I picked was the onion bagel.

I like bagels, so I always check if a bakery has any, and this time I went with the onion bagel. It had walnuts inside and was covered in sesame seeds. True to its name, the onion cream tied the walnuts and onion together really well, and the ends of the bagel were crisp! It was delicious.

Since it has a totally different vibe from the garlic bread, I packed the onion bagel and garlic bread together. When you want to buy several kinds of bread but don't want to overdo it, picking one meal bread and one snack bread like this seems like a good approach.

Paper bag and wet wipes with every order

If you say you need a paper bag, they'll pack it in one.

They tossed in wet wipes too~ Next time I come back to Ikseon-dong, I want to try some of the other breads. 😊

Same-day baking policy and Munhwa Bakery hours

Munhwa Bakery says it only sells bread baked that same day, and any unsold bread is donated to underserved groups — children skipping meals, elderly people living alone, homebound people with disabilities, free meal centers, homeless shelters, and welfare facilities! Hours are daily 11:00–20:00, so do check for closed days before you go.