Sanbon, Gunpo pizza: Deep Cheese Bacon & cheese crust, Seonmyeonghui

I love pizza so much that I've eaten at famous places like Ijaemo Pizza and Iseokmin Pizza at least three times each. This time I was craving a pizza absolutely loaded with cheese, so I headed to Jagajebbang Seonmyeonghui Pizza (자가제빵선명희피자) in Gunpo. Browsing the menu, I spotted Deep Cheese Bacon, which sounds like it'll be packed with cheese from the name alone, and I added a cheese crust on top.

I'd recommend it to anyone in Gunpo or Sanbon looking for a natural-cheese pizza, or anyone near Anyang who wants to tick off a new pizza place. Pizza eaten in the restaurant is the real truth!

Is the Seonmyeonghui Pizza Gunpo branch spacious?

The Gunpo branch was much bigger than I expected. I visited around 8 p.m. on a Sunday.

I'd mostly known Seonmyeonghui Pizza as a delivery and takeout brand, so I assumed the shop would be a small space with a few tables, like Pizza School. But!!! The inside was far bigger than I expected. There were quite a lot of tables, and even a big group wouldn't have felt cramped.

It looked good for a family meal or pizza and beer with friends, and it's worth a look if you're searching for a group gathering spot in Gunpo. There's also a big screen inside, so it looked perfect for putting on a soccer or baseball game with pizza and beer.

If you're looking for a place to watch a soccer match in Sanbon, or somewhere to eat as a group while watching a game, it's a pretty good choice. With so many delivery-focused pizza shops these days, I liked that there's a place where you can sit down and eat comfortably.

What's on the Seonmyeonghui Pizza menu?

The menu was more varied than I expected, from pepperoni types to familiar potato and bulgogi pizzas and ones using lots of different toppings. Besides pizza there are sides like spaghetti and fries, plus items that go with beer, so it seems great for pizza and beer in the evening?! I came planning to eat Deep Cheese Bacon from the start, so I didn't agonize over the menu.

Deep Cheese Bacon L price and the cheese crust add-on

The Deep Cheese Bacon in size L was ₩24,000 and the cheese crust add-on was ₩4,000, so ₩28,000 in total. The biggest reason I added the cheese crust is that I'd heard they use the same cheese crust product as Ijaemo Pizza.

As someone who has eaten Ijaemo Pizza many times, hearing that made the plain dough feel like a bit of a waste. Spoiler: the extra ₩4,000 was not a waste at all. Deep Cheese Bacon already has a huge amount of cheese, and with cheese crust right to the edge, you're eating cheese almost continuously from the start of a slice to the end, haha. If you like cheesy pizza, I highly recommend Deep Cheese Bacon with the cheese crust!

How long is the wait when you dine in?

At the Gunpo branch, a freshly baked pizza came out in under 15 minutes after ordering. I didn't time it exactly, but the wait wasn't long. The cheese was still fully melted when the pizza hit the table, so every time I lifted a slice, the cheese stretched up long with it.

Moments like this remind me that temperature really matters for pizza. With delivery, however fast it arrives, the cheese firms up a little in transit, but eating it right away in the restaurant, the soft texture of the cheese is clearly different 🤤🤤 The dough was warm too, so everything tasted much more alive. If you can visit the Gunpo branch in person, I'd personally recommend eating there rather than takeout.

What does Deep Cheese Bacon taste like?

Deep Cheese Bacon tastes just like its name: cheese, boom!!! It's not just a pizza with a bit too much cheese; the share of cheese in your mouth with each bite is huge. Eaten fresh, the cheese stretches soft and chewy with a rich, nutty flavor. If you like your mouth packed with cheese, you'll definitely be satisfied.

The bacon in between adds saltiness… The bacon itself doesn't stand out more than the cheese; it's more like it adds salty, savory depth between the continuous nutty cheese flavor. So to me it felt less like a bacon pizza and more like a cheese pizza with bacon on the side.

The sauce didn't have much presence either. It's not a pizza where tomato sauce acidity pops; the nuttiness of the cheese and the saltiness of the bacon are the center of the flavor. It suits people who like the taste of cheese itself more than a complex mix of ingredients. So I feel it would taste good with even more tomato sauce, haha.

Is the house-made dough crispy or chewy?

The dough at Jagajebbang Seonmyeonghui Pizza leans chewy rather than crispy. As the name suggests, they make the dough themselves. With this much cheese on top, thin dough could sag, but it had a decent thickness and held up the toppings well.

This was a small letdown for me, though T_T I like pizza where the bottom or part of the crust is baked a bit thinner and crispier, like at Ijaemo Pizza. Seonmyeonghui's dough is chewy and soft rather than crunchy. Since the cheese is so soft, I thought a crispier bottom would have created a texture contrast and tasted even better. Still, perhaps because it's handmade dough, it never felt dry or tough.

What are the downsides of Deep Cheese Bacon?

Deep Cheese Bacon is delicious, but it gets a bit heavy toward the end. Its biggest strength is also its weakness. There's almost nothing like onion or bell pepper to refresh the palate in between, and with cheese and bacon flavors continuing nonstop, the first few slices are really good but later it starts to feel a bit much. Especially since I added the cheese crust, the nuttiness of the cheese and the saltiness of the bacon kept stacking up.

So personally, garlic dipping sauce was almost a must. But Seonmyeonghui's garlic dip tasted a little different from the store-bought garlic dips I usually eat. It had more of a tangy, fresh taste than ordinary garlic sauce, and I personally liked the usual store-bought garlic dip better. For something rich and nutty like Deep Cheese Bacon, I think the familiar garlic sauce would suit it more.

Is the cheese crust worth adding?

I recommend adding the cheese crust to Seonmyeonghui's Deep Cheese Bacon!! I was happier with the crust thanks to the cheese crust, and it was truly a pizza where cheese continued from start to finish.

You might wonder whether you really need a cheese crust when Deep Cheese Bacon already has so much cheese, but I felt it suited this menu even more. If you like cheese, the extra ₩4,000 is worth it. And they reportedly use the same cheese crust product as Ijaemo Pizza, haha.

Who is Deep Cheese Bacon for?

Seonmyeonghui's Deep Cheese Bacon is a menu item with clear tastes, recommended for pizza lovers who love cheese. If you like pizzas where vegetables and various toppings blend together, it may feel a bit monotonous, but if you like cheese and bacon, it's highly satisfying. Especially with the cheese crust added to the Deep Cheese Bacon L, cheese continues from the center to the edge, and you'll feel like you've had a truly cheese-packed pizza T_T

Even as a pizza lover who has eaten famous pizzas like Ijaemo and Iseokmin many times, the amount of cheese here is definitely memorable!!! I wished the bottom were a bit crispier and it got slightly heavy in the second half, but being able to eat a freshly baked pizza right in the restaurant was great. If you're looking for a cheesy pizza near Sanbon or Anyang, check out Seonmyeonghui's Deep Cheese Bacon.

Next time I'd like to order a half-and-half of Deep Cheese Bacon and a pizza with lighter, fresher toppings. If you have a favorite Seonmyeonghui Pizza menu item, let me know in the comments. I'll use it to pick what to try next :)