Bucheon bakery Saturday open-run timed by sold-out chat: Chamsae Bori

I went to Chamsae Bori Sikppang (참새보리식빵), a Bucheon sikppang (Korean-style sandwich loaf) bakery in Simgokbon-dong where an open-run is a must.

How do you find out when Chamsae Bori Sikppang sells out?

The surest way is to check the average sold-out times by day of the week in a KakaoTalk open chat room that shares sold-out times. Chamsae Bori in Simgokbon-dong has always sold out fast, so I kept searching for a way to know the timing, found a chat room that posts sold-out times, joined, worked out the average times, and planned my visit down to the minute.

If you want to go, I recommend joining the open chat room first and checking the average sold-out times for each day. I was so curious how a bread this famous and hot would taste that I brought home every kind to try and write this review~:)

Chamsae Bori closes once ingredients run out, so please read the notes here, check the KakaoTalk open chat room, and then go! There is no dedicated parking lot.

A Bucheon bread bakery where older locals line up before opening

Even before opening, elderly customers were already lined up in front of Chamsae Bori.

If even the grandparents queue like that, it's proof this is a pretty famous loaf around Bucheon, right?

Chamsae Bori Sikppang's five promises

The text was written up like a formula, so I took a closer look. Chamsae Bori makes the following five promises.

• No. 1 loaf on the TV show Master of Living (생활의 달인)
• 10 times more dietary fiber than rice
• 70 hours of silent fermentation
• 0% margarine
• 30–40% more fullness

As I'd heard, they're very strict about their ingredients, and you can feel they make the bread in a healthy way.

Saturday open-run: in line at 9:40am, inside at 10am

I started queuing around 9:40am on Saturday and went into the shop in order at the 10am opening.

I went in right at opening and the shelves were full of loaves. There were 3 kinds. When I searched before going, I thought there were many varieties, but as of now (October 2026) they apparently sell only three kinds of loaf.

Besides the loaves, I saw financiers (small almond butter cakes). They're a bit pricey, so I debated how many to get, then bought 4 to share two each~:)

Since I'd waited so long to come, I bought one of every bread... haha. The loaves at Chamsae Bori come in three kinds: Daesang Chalbori, Grain Chalbori and Rye Chalbori.

Mascarpone cream sample at the counter, ₩3,700 each

At the register you can taste a slice of bread spread with mascarpone cream. Wow, this cream was seriously good.

The mascarpone cream is ₩3,700 each, so I hesitated a little, but it went so well with the bread that I grabbed one too!

The baker of Chamsae Bori reportedly won the grand prize in the loaf category on the "War of Bread" episode of Master of Living. I'm so grateful and happy to have such a great person in my neighborhood.

One coupon per bread, exchangeable for merchandise

At Chamsae Bori, you get one coupon for each bread you buy, and you can exchange the coupons for the goods displayed in the shop. I wonder if little perks like this are why customers keep coming.

The staff never stopped moving. Bread kept coming out nonstop, and they looked incredibly busy.

If you buy 4 financiers, they put them in this box. Isn't it so cute?! haha

Chamsae Bori's 3 barley loaves compared: Daesang, Grain and Rye Chalbori

Daesang Chalbori: the nutty classic loaf

Daesang Chalbori is Chamsae Bori's basic loaf.

Here's the cross-section. Can you see the softness? With no margarine it isn't massively fluffy, but the crumb had nicely defined layers. The Daesang Chalbori had a distinctly nutty flavor, and my stomach felt comfortable after eating it.

Grain Chalbori: studded with grains and even nuttier

Grain Chalbori is a loaf studded with grains.

Grain Chalbori looked healthy the moment I saw it. The grains made it nuttier than the Daesang Chalbori, and it was soft too. The crumb and air pockets were well formed, so the texture was excellent, with a slight chew.

I topped it with the mascarpone cream I bought. The mascarpone cream was smoother than whipped cream but less heavy, so it was easy to eat without feeling too much, and it paired well with the bread.

Rye Chalbori: a whole loaf with raisins and nuts, filling enough for a meal

Finally, the Rye Chalbori came as a whole loaf that you tear apart by hand. It has raisins, rye and nuts inside, so it works well as a meal replacement.

I ate the Rye Chalbori as my meal that day too, and the fullness lasted quite a while. The raisins and nuts you bite into here and there made it nutty and a little tangy, which I loved.

Which Chamsae Bori Sikppang loaf should you pick?

Chamsae Bori is so popular that people queue before opening! Having tried all three myself, each has its own character, so it's fun to pick by taste.

• Daesang Chalbori if you want a plain, nutty basic loaf
• Grain Chalbori if you want grain flavor and chew
• Rye Chalbori if you want a hearty loaf with raisins and nuts

However, Chamsae Bori may close early once ingredients run out, so I recommend checking the sold-out status in the KakaoTalk open chat room before you go. If you're looking for unusual healthy bread and sikppang in Bucheon, it's worth a visit.