# Seochon salt bread café with no Sunday wait: fresh lemonade at Respire - By Island Breeze Diner (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-breakroom-cup/) - Written Jul 6, 2026 - Local places › Cafés › Jongno, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-breakroom-cup/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-breakroom-cup/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/index.md) · [日本語](https://superchart.com/ja/@seoul-breakroom-cup/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/index.md) ## In short Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a bakery café in its own standalone building on Hyoja-ro 13-gil in Jongno, Seoul, selling mainly salt bread and ciabatta. On a return visit around 5pm on a Sunday, the writer walked into Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon with no wait and had 2 salt breads (₩5,000), a fresh lemon lemonade and a Dammann Frères rooibos (₩7,000). Brunch had already closed, but the crisp salt bread and quality tea alone were reason enough to go back. ## Good to know - **Opening hours**: Weekdays 8:30am–6pm, weekends 8:30am–7pm - **Parking**: Cheongwadae Sarangchae parking lot (₩3,000 for the first 60 minutes) - **Amenities**: Takeout discount, group visits, takeout and reservations available - **Salt bread**: ₩3,000 for 1 / ₩5,000 for 2 - **Rooibos (iced)**: ₩7,000, served with a stainless steel pitcher - **Refills**: Americano refills reportedly available when each person orders a drink - **Seating**: Standalone building with seating on the 1st and 2nd floors; self-serve water and paper cups on the 1st floor - **When visited**: Around 5pm on a Sunday: no wait, brunch already closed - **Price reference**: ₩5,000 ≈ $3.8 · ₩7,000 ≈ $5.3 · ₩3,000 ≈ $2.3 (2026-10-12) *as written by the visitor on Jul 6, 2026* ## Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon: hours, parking and basics Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is open 08:30-18:00 on weekdays and 08:30-19:00 on weekends. There is a takeout discount, and groups, takeout and reservations are all possible. For parking, use the Cheongwadae Sarangchae parking lot (₩3,000 for the first 60 minutes). ![Inside Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-01-faau5-m-966.webp) ![Exterior view of Respire bakery café in Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-02-6jgcd-966.webp) ![Atmosphere inside Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-03-zpuuy-966.webp) I'd been here once before and loved it so much that I came back on the day I went to Seochon. Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon gives off total cozy café-in-the-European-countryside vibes. ![Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon with a European countryside café feel](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-04-1f1cx-966.webp) ## Is there a wait at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon on a Sunday? When I got to Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon around 5pm on a Sunday, there was no wait and seats were available. It's a standalone building, so there are seats on the 2nd floor as well as the 1st. It's a standalone building, and there are seats on the 2nd floor, ![2nd-floor seating in the standalone Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon building](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-05-1mnl3-966.webp) ![2nd-floor seating area at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-06-1g3ee-966.webp) and seats on the 1st floor too. Last time I came around lunchtime, it was packed with people and I barely found a spot on the 2nd floor. This time, around 5pm on a Sunday, there was no wait and I got to sit somewhere comfortable. The place is rumored to have great brunch, so I guess that's why it gets so crowded at lunch. ![1st-floor seating at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-07-2uq34-m-966.webp) ## How to order and which breads Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon sells Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon has a separate bread section on the 1st floor. Take the bread you want to the counter and order your drinks at the same time. ![1st-floor bread section at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-08-1f3cj-966.webp) ![Breads on display at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-09-5hkih-966.webp) ![Salt bread and ciabatta display at Respire](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-10-1q91y-966.webp) ![Breads in the bread section at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-11-ei38g-966.webp) They sell a range of breads, mainly salt bread (soteumppang, a buttery rolled bread with a salty crust) and ciabatta: salt bread, garlic salt bread, chocolate salt bread, chocolate cream cheese ciabatta, cheese olive ciabatta and more. Last time I had the ciabatta, and it was delicious! ![Salt bread display at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-12-c0sf5-966.webp) ### How much is the salt bread? ₩3,000 for 1, ₩5,000 for 2 Salt bread at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is ₩3,000 for one or ₩5,000 for two. I'd read reviews calling it a salt bread hotspot, and they honestly looked delicious to the naked eye, so I picked two, one each. Lots of places charge a ton for salt bread these days, so this is great value. ![Counter and menu at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-13-260b4-966.webp) ### Brunch closed, so iced lemonade and rooibos instead They have brunch items too, but we were told everything was sold out. Last time lots of people were having brunch, so next time I'm definitely trying it. We ordered both the lemonade and the rooibos iced! Apparently if you order one drink per person, you can get an Americano refill too. Crazy! ![Interior of Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-14-1tjb9-966.webp) On the 1st floor there's a self-serve bar with water, paper cups and so on, so take what you need. ![1st-floor self-serve bar at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-15-wvw63-966.webp) Our drinks and bread came out. They even serve it on pretty dishes! ![Two salt breads and drinks on the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-16-1j4t2-966.webp) ## How does the fresh lemon lemonade at Respire taste? The lemonade at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon has three fresh lemons in it, so it isn't too sour and is full of lemon aroma. I'd had a coffee earlier in the day, so I ordered caffeine-free lemonade for the evening. They also have lots of caffeine-free teas, though, so ordering tea would be a good idea too. ![Iced lemonade made with fresh lemons](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-17-t2w2b-m-966.webp) ![Lemonade at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-18-6palk-966.webp) Not too sour, just pleasantly tangy and full of lemon aroma~ Cold and delicious. They really put three whole fresh lemons in, so you get the natural lemon scent, and it looks so pretty and tastes great! ## Is Dammann Frères rooibos worth ₩7,000? My friend's rooibos was ₩7,000 and came in a big cold stainless steel pitcher. A glass was already poured too, so for ₩7,000 the amount is very generous. ![Iced rooibos served with a stainless steel pitcher](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-19-893vc-966.webp) And wait, it's rooibos but it had a slight vanilla scent and was so good that I checked the label, and it was Dammann Frères. I'd never heard of it, but the tea bags are pricey and it's a high-end French tea. Seriously seriously good........!!!! Other places often use cheap tea bags and still charge several thousand won, but here you get really high-end, delicious tea, so ₩7,000 actually feels cheap! I really recommend the tea here. I want to try the other teas too. ![Salt bread and drinks at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-20-1435f-1200.webp) ![Respire salt bread served on a dish](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-21-oqjuh-966.webp) ## Is the salt bread at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon really that good? The salt bread at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon has a crisp bottom and plenty of butter aroma, so it earns the salt bread hotspot label. One salt bread per person. Salt bread is everywhere now and every bakery sells it, but good salt bread places are rare. The bottom should be baked super crisp so the butter aroma fills the air, but so many places serve soggy ones. Here it looks crisp, and just from the look of it you can tell it's delicious. ![Respire salt bread with a crisp bottom](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-22-1q31v-966.webp) When you slice it with a knife, the crust cracks open and you can see the butter inside, and the butter aroma comes pouring out. ![Cross-section of salt bread cut with a knife](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-23-1q21d-966.webp) The salt bread is so good....!!!! This place is insane, T_T everyone, eat this! Salty, buttery, crunchy on the outside. Crazy. So delicious!! ![Table with salt bread and drinks at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon](https://img.superchart.com/images/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait-24-1acw8-966.webp) ## Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon revisit: final verdict Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a pretty café with a lovely atmosphere and tasty drinks, and especially the tea... the high-end tea bags are so good. And the salt bread, what can I say, it's really so delicious. Next time I definitely want to try the brunch! ## 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-breakroom-cup/seochon-salt-bread-sunday-no-wait/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt