Ikseon-dong bakery 8-bread family haul eaten by Cheonggyecheon: Munhwa

The wind's changing a bit, but it's still summer, still hot these days 😂 A diligent mom's daily record, Rim's.

Last weekend we went out with family to Cheonggyecheon, a Seoul outing all around — plus good food, hahaha. It was such a fun time, the sunlight strong but a breeze drifting in, thinking 'Seoul air really is different' lol. A happy time, and I can't leave out the bakery I have to introduce.

Where is Munhwa Bakery? Location and hours, 199m from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 7

• 🎈Location: 65 Donhwamun-ro, 1F, Jongno-gu, Seoul / 199m from Jongno 3-ga Exit 7
• ⏰Hours: Daily 11am–8pm
• 🚘No parking
• 🎁Takeout only

Munhwa Bakery is a popular bakery located in Ikseon-dong near Jongno 3-ga Station. Apparently it's on the bakery pilgrimage course of Jongno 3-ga. Can't believe I actually made it onto a bakery pilgrimage course 👍

Fitting for Jongno and Ikseon-dong, it's a hanok-style (traditional Korean house) shop, simple but feels like a bakery with real fundamentals. I visited around 3pm on a Sunday, and there was no line, could pick up right away. Lots of foreign visitors too. The hanok-style interior somehow gave me a proud feeling of showing off our culture.

Munhwa Bakery's bread lineup: which 8 breads went in the bag

Let's look at the bread lineup 😆

Garlic bread, coffee bread, onion bagel — the top three that are supposedly most popular, I picked those of course, and I also solidly loaded up on black sesame bread, peanut bread, rice cheese bread, sweet potato bread, and injeolmi (sweet rice cake) bread 😆

Ugh, that day we'd already had a solid salad-pasta-pizza course at a pasta place in Samcheong-dong, but apparently there's always room for bread, so I didn't hold back haha.

No seating at Munhwa Bakery, so we ate by Cheonggyecheon stream

Munhwa Bakery has no indoor seating, so we kept the good weather and good mood going and walked to Cheonggyecheon stream to enjoy the breads lol.

That free, easygoing feeling under the Cheonggyecheon bridge is so nice 😁

Injeolmi bread has cream and red bean paste mixed inside — a combination that can't help but taste good 👍 Ironically I don't even like cream lol (which just means it's built to win me over lol). This was my son's favorite. Sweet, nutty, moist 👍👍

Sweet potato bread and onion bagel were just immeasurably good lol. Even now I wonder when I even ate it, and yeah, garlic baguette, onion bagel, coffee bread really are the top three >.<

Munhwa Bakery's motto: only bread baked that same day

There's an impressive motto at this bakery too — they only sell bread baked that day, and any unsold bread is given to those in need: children who go without meals, seniors living alone, people with disabilities living at home, free meal centers, homeless shelters, and social welfare facilities.

That's clearly why the owner's heart, not just the bread, has made this a beloved spot known throughout Jongno 3-ga 👍 If you're out around Jongno like I was, definitely stop by!!! The bread disappears in no time, seriously. Once real fall comes with cool breezes and higher skies, buying bread at Munhwa Bakery and taking a walk by Cheonggyecheon 👍👍 is a combination I really want to do again.

Family favourites and how each Munhwa Bakery bread tasted

• My pick: onion bagel, garlic bread
• Husband's pick: garlic bread, coffee bread, black sesame
• Son's pick: injeolmi bread, rice cheese bread

• Garlic bread: moist and crispy, the sauce is so good, full of flavor, a must-eat
• Onion bagel: loaded with cheese cream, bits of nuts throughout, dense bagel — filling enough to be a meal
• Coffee bread: cream isn't greasy, soft, not overly sweet, pairs perfectly with iced americano
• Injeolmi bread: red bean paste and cream combo topped with signature injeolmi powder — a flavor everyone, young or old, would love
• Rice cheese bread: made with rice but loaded with layers of cheese, wonderfully chewy