Antique Seochon café for a book club: cookie salt bread at Respire

Today I finally took a trip to quiet, charming Seochon. Every alley has its own warm feeling, and I think it's a neighborhood that puts me in a good mood whenever I visit.

This time I went to a Seochon spot that's hot on social media and well known among bread lovers: Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon. It's so famous that I arrived with high expectations, and I fell for both the space and the desserts even more than I expected, so here's my full, fresh review.

How do you get to Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon from Gyeongbokgung Station?

Respire is near the Cheongwadae Sarangchae, a short trip from Gyeongbokgung Station on subway Line 3, so it's very easy to reach by public transport. Get off at Gyeongbokgung Station and walk along Seochon's pretty alleys, and you'll spot the shop before long.

It's not far from Gyeongbokgung Station, so it's a perfect meeting spot for a Seochon date or a get-together with friends. The atmosphere radiating from the entrance had me excited before I even went in.

What is the interior of Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon like?

Respire is an antique-style bakery café decorated with warm wood tones and charming accessories. I gasped as soon as I walked in. It felt like an old bakery in a little European village.

Even the vintage books casually placed by the window looked like works of art, and you can really feel that every light was chosen with care.

Does Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon have a brunch menu?

Yes, Respire has brunch dishes, including an omelette sandwich. We only came for bread and drinks, but the other guests were all enjoying delicious-looking brunches!

A quick look at the menu showed everything from an omelette sandwich made with fresh ingredients to lots of gorgeous brunch plates. The plates on every table looked so good that I decided to come back early on a weekend morning for a proper Seochon brunch. The brunch looks so impressive that I think it would be a no-regrets meal replacement too.

The bakery counter at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon

Among bakery hotspots, Respire is especially famous as the place in Seochon that does salt bread well. Just looking at the counter packed with bread made me happy.

Out of all those options, we ordered the one we were most curious about, the cookie salt bread (salt bread topped with a cookie crust), plus a lemonade to refresh our mouths.

How does the cookie salt bread at Respire taste?

The cookie salt bread has a sweet, crisp cookie wrapped around a salty, chewy salt bread, a perfect sweet-salty-sweet-salty combo. It was so cute and round to look at, and the taste was even better.

Isn't the atmosphere at Respire great? We met through a book swap club, and having tasty desserts together lifted the mood even more!

Respire is a top Seochon salt bread spot, and I understood right away why everyone calls it the best salt bread of their life. Even the way it came out on an antique plate matched the café's mood perfectly, so I think I took dozens of photos before eating.

Cookie salt bread with lemonade

Pairing the cookie salt bread with a fizzy, refreshing lemonade was wonderful. One bite of sweet, nutty bread and one sip of cool, zesty lemonade left my mouth feeling clean and my mood refreshed.

Who would we recommend Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon to?

I'd recommend Respire to anyone looking for a spacious café that's good for conversation, or who wants to tour proper bakeries. Enjoying a pretty dessert in a lovely space on a weekend morning, with the cozy atmosphere and tasty food, I couldn't imagine a more perfect weekend recharge.

I spent a happy time with delicious salt bread and drinks in an antique, cozy space at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon! I plan to come back soon for brunch. Go and soak up the charm of the Seochon alleys for yourself!