# Rainy-day basil tomato ciabatta near Gyeongbokgung Palace: Respire - By Sohye (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-brass-kettle/) - Written Sep 6, 2026 - Local places › Cafés › Jongno, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written as a store-visit sponsorship. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-brass-kettle/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-brass-kettle/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/index.md) ## In short Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a salt bread and ciabatta bakery café on Hyoja-ro 13-gil near Gyeongbokgung Station in Jongno, Seoul. On a rainy afternoon, breads were 30% off, so a warmed basil tomato ciabatta and a decaf latte were enjoyed at the 2nd-floor bar seats with a view of Bukaksan and Gyeongbokgung Palace. Ordering one drink per person came with a free Americano refill, making it a great spot to linger. ## Good to know - **Location**: 40-7 Hyoja-ro 13-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Gyeongbokgung Station) - **Parking**: No store parking lot, and parking in front of the store is not allowed - **Drink perk**: One free Americano refill per person with a drink order (show receipt, iced available) - **Afternoon discount**: All bread items 30% off during the afternoon visit - **Order notification**: KakaoTalk alert instead of a buzzer - **Bread reheating**: Air fryer at 180°C – 3 minutes for salt bread, 5 minutes for ciabatta - **Seating**: Outdoor terrace, 1st floor seats, 2nd floor group tables and bar seats *as written by the visitor on Sep 6, 2026* ![Exterior of Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon on a rainy day](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-01-1c71m-1200.webp) It's a day of pouring rain. I stopped by Papier Frost Seochon to buy a diary as a gift. ## Since I was in Seochon, I dropped by Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon I thought it was a parking lot because it looked so huge, haha, but it wasn't. Just so you know, parking in front of the store isn't allowed, and there's no store parking lot. ![Outdoor terrace space famous as a photo spot](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-02-1xin2-900.webp) This terrace seat is a famous photo spot, and with the nice weather it was packed with people. It gave me Portuguese tourist-town vibes — warm, harmonious, just lovely. I couldn't sit outside because of the rain, but the outdoor terrace is really wonderful too. ![View of the terrace on a rainy day](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-03-1st7l-900.webp) ### 1st and 2nd floor seating There are seats on the 1st floor too. ![1st floor seating at Respire Bakery](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-04-nuo87-900.webp) ![1st floor interior tables and window seats](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-05-1839g-900.webp) This is the 2nd floor. You can sit like a group table, and the bar seats here are so pretty. No one was around today, so I got to sit at the bar. ![2nd floor group tables and window bar seats](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-06-lrz03-900.webp) ## Respire's menu board, bread types and prices ![Respire Bakery's menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-07-j7cer-900.webp) Basil tomato ciabatta, chocolate salt bread, potato cheese ciabatta, mentaiko (spicy pollock roe) potato salt bread, chocolate cream cheese ciabatta, and more. ![Remaining salt bread and ciabatta on display](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-08-fqdj3-900.webp) Maybe because it was afternoon, all the bread was 30% off. But a lot had already sold out, so there wasn't much left ㅠ_ㅠ so disappointing. ![Pet policy notice inside the store](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-09-239ni-900.webp) Please check the pet policy notice. ![Menu board listing signature drinks and decaf options](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-10-v51ww-900.webp) ### Signature drinks and choosing decaf The signature menu includes the Salt Summer Latte, Caramel Cream, and Respire Latte. Since I went in the afternoon, I ordered a decaf latte. The Salt Summer Latte comes topped with ice cream, which seems perfect for midsummer — when it's hot, ice cream is exactly what you crave. Decaf options include Rich Chamomile Tea, Baby Latte, and Rooibos Provence. The Baby Latte is so cute, haha. What I liked best was that ordering one drink per person gets you a free Americano refill. If you show your receipt they give you an Americano — I thought it would only be hot, but they made it iced for me, which was such a nice surprise. ![Breads chosen during the discount](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-11-2q6bq-900.webp) This is what I picked for bread. The brunch menu was sold out this time so I couldn't try it. Instead, since all the bread was 30% off, I got it at a great price haha. ![Notice for takeout and receipt review events](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-12-1oh07-900.webp) There's a takeout event too. There's also a receipt review event where you can get a free salt bread — make sure to join in. ![KakaoTalk order-complete notification](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-13-195vv-900.webp) After ordering, instead of a buzzer, a KakaoTalk notification comes through. I decided to eat the basil tomato ciabatta right away. Please warm it up. ![View of Bukaksan and Gyeongbokgung Palace from the 2nd-floor bar seats](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-14-1qddz-900.webp) ## The Bukaksan and Gyeongbokgung Palace view from the 2nd-floor bar seats The view of Bukaksan and Gyeongbokgung Palace was so beautiful. Bread with a gorgeous view like this... pure happiness. ![Bread, coffee, and a diary by the window](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-15-bjr2k-900.webp) It was raining a lot that day so I felt a bit gloomy, but delicious bread and a cup of coffee turned my mood right around. Doodling in my Analog Keeper diary made me feel like I was living my best life. ![Cross-section of the warmed basil tomato ciabatta](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-16-1fqr5-900.webp) ### How the basil tomato ciabatta tastes The basil and tomato combination inside works so well together, and you get a nice whiff of basil aroma. It didn't taste like pizza bread — probably because it's a ciabatta, it was soft and fluffy. ![A cup of decaf latte](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-17-1221f-900.webp) The decaf latte was also nutty and delicious. I loved that you could switch to decaf. The regular latte isn't too sweet, so it has just the right amount of sweetness to pair with a sandwich — recommended. After finishing everything, I got a free refill as an iced Americano and slowly wrote in my diary while enjoying the view. It had been so long since I had this kind of leisure time. ![Reheating instructions attached to the bread packaging](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-18-rvut1-900.webp) ### How to reheat the bread you take home After freezing the bread, the reheating recipe says to use an air fryer at 180°C — 3 minutes for salt bread, 5 minutes for ciabatta. I really like places that attach reheating instructions and precautions right on the packaging like this. Even after hearing the instructions, once I get home I always forget how I was told to do it and have to look it up twice, so having this info sheet was so convenient. ![Palace view seen from the 2nd-floor bar seats](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta-19-13m95-900.webp) Sitting at the 2nd-floor bar seats and seeing the palace view of Gyeongbokgung made me so happy. If I have a reason to come to Seochon again, I'd love to stop by once more. I officially declare this a must-visit for Seochon brunch and café lovers, haha. ## Where it is - Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon (레스피레베이커리카페 서촌) - 40-7 Hyoja-ro 13-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 종로구 효자로13길 40-7 레스피레 - 37.5827651, 126.9721449 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%A0%88%EC%8A%A4%ED%94%BC%EB%A0%88%EB%B2%A0%EC%9D%B4%EC%BB%A4%EB%A6%AC%EC%B9%B4%ED%8E%98%20%EC%84%9C%EC%B4%8C/@37.5827651,126.9721449,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-brass-kettle/seochon-bakery-cafe-rainy-day-ciabatta/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt