Carrot slaw chicken sandwich at Goyang KINTEX bakery Boulangerie Tan

I visited the KOBE baby fair at KINTEX last week, and afterward looked for something quick to eat at Hyundai Department Store KINTEX, where I'd parked. I'd been rushing around picking out baby products since morning and was getting a bit hungry when I found a bakery called Boulangerie Tan. Turns out it's a pretty famous bakery with its flagship store in Paju!

Where Boulangerie Tan sits inside Hyundai Department Store KINTEX

Boulangerie Tan, Hyundai Department Store KINTEX is on the basement level, about a 15-minute walk from KINTEX itself. It was pretty hot that day, so as a heavily pregnant woman the walk wasn't easy, but stepping into the department store was cool and comfortable as expected!

Boulangerie Tan sits right in front of the eat-in seating area, so we grabbed a table right there before ordering. It was past the weekday lunch rush and there were still plenty of people, so it could be hard to find a seat — grab one before you order!

• 🚩Address: B1, Hyundai Department Store KINTEX, 817 Hoje-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea (near Exit 2 of KINTEX Station)
• 🕰️Hours: Tue–Sun 10:30–20:00, closed Mondays
• 🚗Parking: First 30 minutes free (₩1,000 per additional 10 minutes), register parking at the store

Boulangerie Tan's bread and drink menu, and what we ordered

The drink menu was simple, but since decaf was available, we ordered a decaf americano :)

The bread menu was dizzying..!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠ This is when my decision paralysis kicks in...⭐ After a lot of agonizing, I picked 3 items. And then later, for takeout, I ended up ordering one more that I'd been torn about ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

• Carrot slaw chicken sandwich
• Olive ciabatta
• Chocolate baguette
• Americano decaf

Boulangerie Tan had a sign saying they follow a same-day baked / sold / discarded principle. I felt bad thinking about all that getting tossed out(?), but luckily this place is popular enough that it probably all sells out before then...ㅎ(needless worry)

Decaf americano made with Fritz Coffee Old Dog beans

What surprised me first at Boulangerie Tan was the coffee ㄷㄷ Not sure if it was because it was decaf, but looking at the menu again, it said they use 'Fritz Coffee Old Dog' beans. Fritz, not Fringe — no typo there ㅋㅋㅋ It was my first time hearing of these beans, but it tasted so good I think I'll have to look into it more ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

My eyes went wide and I said to my husband, "Wait, why is this coffee so good?!?" ㅎㅎㅎ

Chocolate baguette: nuts and a deep cocoa flavor

Then our three breads arrived. The chocolate baguette had already been kindly sliced for us ㅎㅎ I ate that first, and it had a mix of various nuts along with a rich chocolate taste — so good 🥹👍

Carrot slaw chicken sandwich: choose baguette or salt bread

But there was one menu item that was truly a knockout..... the carrot slaw chicken sandwich. This is the shop's best-selling item, and honestly, I'd been looking forward to it even before coming. You can choose between baguette and salt bread for the bread, and since I like the chewy bite of a baguette, I went with that.

There were so many toppings piled on the baguette that it was a bit tricky to eat, but wrapping it in the parchment paper that came with the lunch box packaging made it manageable ㅋㅋㅋ (humans must use tools!) Haha, this sandwich had enough charm to make even someone who hates carrots (me) start liking carrots 👍👍 I'll definitely order this again next time!

Olive ciabatta, the bread this couple orders every time

Next up, the olive ciabatta, which (couldn't possibly) not be delicious. It's a bread both my husband and I love ㅋㅋㅎㅎㅎ We wiped this one out in no time too — I especially loved the cheese inside...💕

Vanilla cornet pie packed to go on the way out

Haha, I was already full at this point, but I felt like I'd really regret it if I didn't try one more thing, so right before leaving I packed one more bread. It was called the vanilla cornet pie, and it was packed absolutely full of my favorite vanilla cream inside that pastry-like shell....👍 I should have bought two more...!ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅋㅋㅋ It was truly delicious.

Who Boulangerie Tan at KINTEX is best for

This is a place where even carrot-haters might rediscover carrots thanks to Boulangerie Tan's carrot slaw sandwich, and where unusual bread options might leave your eyes wide. And if you want a taste of surprisingly deep, rich coffee flavor!! I highly recommend visiting Boulangerie Tan, Hyundai Department Store KINTEX — you don't even need to go all the way to Paju 🚗💕

Anyway, I feel like I've been eating way too much bread lately, but it's so good ㅠㅠㅠ(?) I can't help it.