Jongno bakery for moist garlic bread to take home: Munhwa Bakery

I brought delicious bread I had enjoyed in Seoul all the way to Busan this time. Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵), the popular Jongno 3-ga bakery with a wait that I discovered while visiting Ikseon-dong last year. I remembered it because it was even better than I expected when I tried it then, so when I had another reason to go to Seoul, I stopped by again. And this time, instead of buying bread just for myself, I packed a few to try with my mom in Busan.

So this post starts right from the first photo with my mom and me eating bread. Sharing bread bought in Seoul with my mom in Busan somehow made it taste even better than usual.

Munhwa Bakery, a great stop while exploring Ikseon-dong

Munhwa Bakery is near Jongno 3-ga Station, making it an easy bakery stop while exploring Ikseon-dong. When I first visited last year, I was amazed, thinking, “There was a bakery like this in Jongno?” But after trying it once, I naturally found myself coming back this time.

The same goes for great restaurants, but bakeries where the bread was delicious the first time have a way of quietly staying in your memory. This time too, the moment I saw the exterior, I thought, “Ah, this is the place!” and felt happy to be back. Munhwa Bakery’s exterior still looks so cute, with that Ikseon-dong sort of feel.

• Munhwa Bakery hours: Daily 11:00–20:00

A brief wait even on a weekday opening run

Even though I did an opening run on a weekday, I still ended up waiting. I hope my mom knows this fact (just saying, haha).

Only two groups can enter at a time, so I think I waited outside for about five minutes. Still, I liked that it is a takeaway-focused bakery, so you do not have to wait long.

Personally, this is another thing I like about Munhwa Bakery. It is not a huge bakery with an overwhelming number of options, but that makes it feel more focused on the things it does well.

When there are too many breads, I agonize over what to choose and end up buying a ton of things. Here, I already know the best items so well that I could buy them in no time.

Packing an onion bagel and signature garlic bread

The onion bagel is one of Munhwa Bakery’s best items, and it costs 6,000 won. I remembered that when I gave Munhwa Bakery bread as a gift to an acquaintance last time, they said this was the most delicious one, so I picked it first.

Other breads that seemed different from last year also caught my eye, but...

I decided to get Munhwa Bakery’s unwavering signature item, the garlic bread. It costs 6,800 won.

The baguette here is not super crackly-crisp; with lots of cream inside, it is more soft and fluffy, I would say.

When you buy it, they slice it into easy-to-eat pieces and package it neatly like this. (They also slice and pack the onion bagel.)

Now let’s go to Busan, my bread friends... This time I was not going to eat them right after packing them, but had to carry them all the way to Busan, so I packed them very carefully to keep them from getting squashed. You might wonder whether it is really necessary to bring bread from Seoul to Busan, but since it is such a well-known bakery, I wanted my mom to try it too. Isn’t it only natural to want your family to taste delicious things as well...?

Trying moist garlic bread with my mom in Busan

At last, I arrived in Busan and tried it with my mom. Even if you visit a famous place, it is a little disappointing if you cannot share thoughts like, “This one is better,” or “That one is better,” with someone. This bread-tasting time was more fun and meaningful because I could compare it with my mom’s taste too.

Honestly, it would feel a little incomplete to talk about Munhwa Bakery without mentioning the garlic bread. The other items are delicious too, but I think so many people think of garlic bread when they think of Munhwa Bakery. After coming back and trying it again this time, I could definitely see why it is considered the signature item.

Unlike the crunchy garlic-baguette style we commonly imagine, it has a generous amount of garlic spread all the way inside, making it moist with a deep garlic flavor. Personally, I am someone whose palate gets scraped up when garlic bread is too hard to eat... so I prefer this moist style, haha. The garlic aroma is plenty noticeable without being too intense or heavy, and the sweetness and nuttiness make it bread you keep reaching for. Famous menu items really are famous for a reason.

The onion bagel, with its gentle onion aroma that pairs nicely with the bagel’s mild flavor, is also one of Munhwa Bakery’s signature items. But personally, I highly recommend the moist, richly flavored garlic bread. If you are heading to Jongno or Ikseon-dong, Munhwa Bakery would be worth visiting at least once. Pack a few delicious breads and share them with someone precious to you. The next time I go to Seoul too... I will probably bring bread back to Busan again. Munhwa Bakery’s garlic bread is definitely an instant repurchase for me.