Yeonnam-dong bakery expanded: chestnut loaf gone overnight, Mandong

What kind of Yeonnam-dong bakery is Mandong Jegwa?

Mandong Jegwa (만동제과) is a bakery between Yeonnam-dong and Hongdae that sells a wide range of appealing breads. I sometimes have errands in Hongdae, and every time I do, I never skip a stop here. If you love bread, I'm guessing you've already heard plenty about this Hongdae bakery.

How to get to Mandong Jegwa from Hongdae Station

The Yeonnam Branch is only a 6–7 minute walk from Hongdae Station, so it's not far. If you take the main road there's a slight uphill, which can be a bit annoying. If you wander through Yeonnam-dong and come around the long way, it feels flatter and easier.

What time should you go to Mandong Jegwa for the most bread?

They say Mandong Jegwa is open every day from 11am to 9pm, and bread keeps coming out into the afternoon. But when I went late in the afternoon, almost everything was sold out. I think lunchtime, between 11am and 2pm, is the time when you can get the widest variety of breads.

Mandong Jegwa now has two units, and a bigger display

It's been a while since my last visit, and the shop is bigger than before! It now uses both storefront units, the bread display is definitely tidier, and it feels like there are a few more kinds of bread too.

Starting with the "butt bread" (eongdeongi ppang) that I pick up one of every time I come.

You can browse a really wide variety of breads at this Yeonnam-dong bakery.

Mandong Jegwa's charm: chewy bread and moist cream

What I'd point to at Mandong Jegwa is the chewiness and the cream that soaks right into the bread. A few of the breads are ones you see elsewhere too, but each has Mandong's own twist, so they taste a little different. The garlic baguette, and the kaya coconut too, have really tasty cream inside.

How do you order Mandong Jegwa's 5 signature breads?

The five most popular signature breads are below, and you'll find them easily in the middle of the shop. They're all Mandong Jegwa signatures, so I really hope you'll try each at least once, seriously 👍

• Garlic baguette
• Onion bagel
• Basil tomato
• Cucumber baguette
• Cappuccino

You don't pick these five up yourself. When you pay, you tell the staff, and they take the bread prepared at the counter out for you.

4 breads from a chestnut loaf addict

And then the chestnut loaf (bamsikppang). With that, I bought four kinds of bread at Mandong Jegwa. And I'm a total chestnut loaf killer... Not only me, my mom likes it too, and I left it at home in the evening, and by the next morning she had already eaten the whole thing instead of breakfast...

The signature breads are pre-packed at the counter, so when you order them for takeout, the staff bring them right out.

Does Mandong Jegwa have light snack breads?

Mandong Jegwa isn't only big, pricey breads. There are simple breads and snacks too: butt bread, cheese malang, rusks, tortillas and sausage bread. They're good when your mouth is bored or you're a little hungry, so dropping in while passing by for one of them is a fine choice.

On my way out after buying, a few foreign visitors walked in. Hongdae and Yeonri-dan-gil have become a must-see route for visitors from abroad, with lots of people streaming through, so I think Mandong Jegwa has become a place many foreigners come to as well. If you're in Yeonnam-dong or Hongdae and love bread, picking up a loaf here could make a nice outing.

Trying the mugwort rice cake bread, garlic baguette and kaya coconut at home

I bought a nice variety at Mandong Jegwa, but the chestnut loaf vanished overnight 🤔🙄

What was left was the mugwort rice cake bread (ssuktteok ssuktteok), the garlic baguette and the kaya coconut.

The texture is a bit heavy, but it's strongly sweet, so I think it's just right when you have no appetite but are hungry, or as a brunch-style bite in the morning.