Ikseon-dong bakery, 30-min summer queue: garlic bread by bus, Munhwa

What kind of bakery is Munhwa Bakery in Ikseon-dong?

Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵) is a hanok-style (traditional Korean house) bakery on Donhwamun-ro, near Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong. I've got a lot on my mind these days, so I stopped by to eat some bread and cheer myself up.

There's a sign saying "bread" by the roadside. It feels classy, and the sign pointing the way to the bread is really stylish.

How long is the wait at Munhwa Bakery?

The inside is quite small, so only 2 groups can go in at a time. The customers ahead of me were buying lots of bread. So I just waited.

The hanok-style exterior is beautiful. It's Korean, and it feels like it's trying to share Korean culture too. Waiting in the heat of midsummer was tough, but thinking about browsing and eating the bread made it more fun.

Customers kept coming. I stood in line and waited well over 30 minutes. Still, it's nice that I get to eat delicious bread.

Is Munhwa Bakery easy to reach by public transport?

It isn't on a main road, but it's beside a road that buses run along. I took the Jongno 12 village bus. Plenty of people pass by. Go a little further and there are even more people, but this spot has its share too. It was my first time there, but transport was so convenient that I arrived easily.

The waiting got a little boring, so I wondered what to do. Then I started watching the customers inside place their orders. Some ordered a bit of everything, and some bought a lot of just one kind. With so many kinds of bread, you can simply pick and order to your taste.

I kept wondering when I'd finally get inside. It was so hot! Some of the people behind me stood there and then just left, and some asked me, "Is the bread good?" It's a famous bakery and a bread specialist, so I figured it would be, but I couldn't say for sure. You have to taste it to know. Later I ate it and it really was delicious. Of course, the people behind me went in and bought bread too. I bet they figured it out themselves: the bread is good.

What breads does Munhwa Bakery sell?

There's a nice variety: mugwort rice cake bread, cheese bread, squid ink condensed milk bread, milk cream bread, black sesame bread and more.

Many breads sell out before they're even put out. Browsing began, with the fragrant smell of bread all around. I stopped when I realized lingering too long over the fun could be rude to the person behind me. I wondered if there was somewhere to enjoy this healthy, happy bread, but decided to just eat it at home. It was so hot that going anywhere else felt awkward.

There's also injeolmi bread, peanut bread, mugwort rice cake bread, black sesame bread and more.

• Sweet potato bread
• White bean paste bread
• Walnut bread
• Garlic bread
• Onion bagel
• Rice cheese loaf
• Rice chestnut loaf
• Maple cream cheese bread

There's sweet potato bread, white bean paste bread, walnut bread, garlic bread, onion bagel, plus a rice cheese loaf, rice chestnut loaf and maple cream cheese bread. They all look delicious.

Does Munhwa Bakery slice and pack the garlic bread?

I ordered the garlic bread, and they sliced it up carefully for me.

It's glistening with shine, so appetizing.

Packed in a box, it looks classy and delicious.

Even the parsley flakes are sprinkled neatly.

I had to hurry home to get to that moist bread. The bread is wrapped with care too.

How did Munhwa Bakery's garlic bread and onion bagel taste at home?

When I opened the garlic bread at home, it was perfectly fine. I'd worried it might get squashed on public transport, but I took out garlic bread sitting neatly with no damage at all.

The inside is moist, so the moistness and the garlic bread flavor blended nicely in my mouth. The good garlic bread is seasoned just right, too.

The outer part is slightly better. The texture is great. The round onion bagel was cut up nicely too, into bite-size pieces that were easy to eat. Both taste and looks are wonderful. No wonder Munhwa Bakery's bread is famous.

The crisp outside and the inside go so well together, and with the cream it makes me want that delicious onion bagel again. There's plenty to see around Jongno 3-ga, and I'm glad I stopped at Munhwa Bakery for good bread. Meeting bread that truly shows off Korea's flavor and style was lovely.