Weekday-evening bakery run until 9pm: Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam

Did you know Mandong Jegwa, the bakery that's massively famous in Gangneung, also has a branch in Yeonnam?!!

I hadn't had a thick, saucy garlic baguette in a while, so I headed to Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch.

Location and hours of Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch 📍32 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea ⏰Hours | Daily 11:00–21:00 🅿️ No parking

There's a big "bread" sign right next to the door, so you can't just walk past it.

I went on a weekday evening and people kept streaming in. A lot of bakeries close early, so I really appreciated that Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam stays open until 9pm. Some breads might be sold out later at night, so it might be worth reserving ahead if you can!

I was worried breads would be sold out since it was evening, but thankfully only a few kinds were gone and plenty of others were still well stocked.

Garlic baguette and cappuccino are ordered at the counter

You put bread on a tray yourself, but garlic baguette, onion bagel, basil tomato bread, cucumber baguette, and cappuccino all have yellow tags — don't put these on your tray, order them from staff when you pay.

They're set up so you can't take them out yourself — just tell staff how many you want when paying! I'd come specifically for the garlic baguette but since that's a counter item too, I browsed the other breads first.

Breads on display and sampling

Salt soboro, sweet potato, red bean cream, chili sausage, pretzel, mugwort rice cake bread.

Bacon ciabatta, yakbap bread, walnut, jalapeño ciabatta, emmental, and "bottom" bread (a rounded shape bread).

The Mandong Jegwa staff are genuinely so kind — they always cut samples and hand them to you personally.

On the day I went, they gave me two samples — the bottom bread and bacon ciabatta — and both were moist and delicious 😀

Since it was evening, they'd even sliced up breads that were already sold out for the day so you could still taste them. The cucumber baguette was refreshing too — I'll have to buy it next time!!

Onion bagel, basil tomato bread, squid ink bread, cappuccino, chestnut loaf — even on a weekday evening the variety was great, and the popular counter items like garlic baguette and cappuccino looked well stocked when staff brought them out.

The 4 breads I bought and the cold-pack wrapping

I wanted to buy more, but each loaf is pretty heavy, so I settled on just 4: garlic baguette, cappuccino, chestnut loaf, and mugwort rice cake bread.

Since the cappuccino needs refrigeration, they even cold-packed it for me. When I got home I noticed a small ice pack tucked inside 👍

Garlic baguette taste

The garlic baguette is creamy and thick — almost like the bread is soaked in sauce?! There really aren't that many garlic bread bakeries like this, so if you want a garlic baguette with a ton of sauce, I recommend Mandong Jegwa! The garlic sauce also had a hint of what tasted like onion seasoning!

Chestnut loaf cross-section

I cut the chestnut loaf in half, and it really was packed with a ton of chestnuts inside.

Is it fine to visit after work?

In Gangneung I had to wait in line to buy this bread, but at the Yeonnam branch I could buy it quickly without lining up, and since staff kept bringing out more garlic baguettes, I think it's totally fine to stop by after work! If you've been curious, I recommend visiting the Yeonnam branch and trying it for yourself.

Whenever I go to Mandong Jegwa, I always buy the garlic baguette and cappuccino for sure, and pick other breads based on what I feel like eating that day. If you go to Mandong Jegwa, definitely get the garlic baguette and cappuccino!!

But since the cappuccino needs refrigeration, it gets a bit firmer if you eat it the next day. It's tastiest on the day you buy it, so eat it that same day!!