Mugwort rice cake bread wins over a skeptic: Munhwa Bakery, Jongno

It's really starting to feel like fall these days! Feels like the leaves are about to turn any moment~~ And Ikseon-dong is such a good neighborhood to visit in autumn! I went back to Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵), my go-to bakery there~~~~ Whenever I'm around Jongno or Ikseon-dong I always think of this place and stop by like it's my neighborhood rice cake mill!!!!!

A hanok bakery near Jongno 3-ga Station

Munhwa Bakery sits around Jongno, Ikseon-dong, and Seosulla-gil, close to Jongno 3-ga Station! The hanok (traditional Korean house) interior really stands out~ The street outside is so pretty too, I love this stretch haha.

Waiting, entry, and how big is the store?

It's a small bakery, but every time I walk past, the smell is so good I can't just keep going! No wait today, straight in! Usually on weekends when it's busy there can be a wait, and since the space is so tight, they only let in 2 parties at a time inside haha. Stopping by again today like it's my regular rice cake mill~

Munhwa Bakery's bread lineup and prices

What's appealing about Munhwa Bakery is how Korean the bread lineup feels! Not just breads with some vague Korean vibe, but ones that really carry that flavor haha. Let's take a look at the menu

The onion bagel packed with onion cream cheese! You really have to see it in person to grasp the size — it's genuinely huge!!

The plain, mild breads: rice-chestnut loaf ₩5,800, rice-cheese loaf ₩5,900, maple cream cheese bread ₩4,900

Sweet potato bread ₩3,800, whose sweet sweet-potato flavor pairs so well with milk. And white bean paste bread ₩3,800, with a softly sweet paste filling

Sweet potato bread with milk

I often buy this walnut bread and the sweet potato bread at Munhwa Bakery — since I love pairing bread with milk, this combo is my usual go-to haha. Eating the sweet potato bread with milk, wow, that soft texture is just top-notch

Walnut bread that's great with coffee

And the walnut bread I love for its crunchy, crumbly texture. Shaped like a coffee bun on top, the crispy outer part is so good, and it's packed with so many walnuts it's got that deep nutty flavor! I recommend having this one with coffee — the sweetness paired with bitter coffee makes it even better!

The signature coffee bread I still haven't tried

Another signature item at Munhwa Bakery is the coffee bread! It has a chewy, rice-cake-like texture, but it's so huge I still haven't managed to take it on yet lol. Something I want to try next time I stop by!

Plump, glossy, and looks delicious just sitting there — Munhwa Bakery, the go-to bakery near Jongno 3-ga

Rice cake or bread? Injeolmi bread and mugwort rice cake bread

And this corner has breads with a texture that makes you wonder — is it rice cake or is it bread? The injeolmi bread (인절미빵) is generously coated in real injeolmi (soybean powder-coated rice cake) bean powder, with such a great toasty aroma — ₩3,800. Recommended if you like a soft, fluffy texture!

And the mugwort rice cake bread (쑥떡빵) that even won my husband over! I love breads and rice cakes with that mugwort scent, so this one is exactly my taste — and even my husband, who dislikes mugwort's smell, admitted this one is delicious. ₩5,700. It's drizzled with something like sweet condensed milk, and the combination with nuts and the subtle mugwort scent is just so good — I buy it every time I come! Highly recommend!!

Garlic bread loaded with garlic butter

Garlic bread — well, what can I say~~ garlic bread fanatics are all in no matter what haha. I tend to like plainer breads, so garlic bread is always something I just think about wanting~~ but this one is genuinely moist and packed with garlic butter, and just looking at it you can tell it'll be really garlicky. These people know bread..

A recommended bakery-hopping stop in Ikseon-dong and Seosulla-gil

Everything about the bread at Munhwa Bakery, the go-to bakery near Jongno 3-ga, just makes you feel good looking at it! Each one is made with care, and there are types of bread you can't easily find at other bakeries, so if you're in the area, I definitely recommend stopping by for a bakery-hopping visit haha.

Hunting for bread diligently again today, wandering around Jongno, Ikseon-dong, and the Changgyeonggung area to enjoy the fall — feels so good~~ If you're looking for a bakery near Jongno 3-ga, Ikseon-dong, or Seosulla-gil, Munhwa Bakery is the one I recommend without a doubt~~