Seochon brunch café with shrimp sandwich and free refill: Respire

Where is Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon?

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a Seochon brunch bakery café found in a small alley if you get off at Gyeongbokgung Station and walk straight toward Cheongwadae. On a day I went out exploring northern Seoul alone, I visited Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon, famous for Seochon brunch. Cheongwadae Sarangchae is right next door too, so I got to see a free exhibition, which made it even better.

I love the whole vibe of northern Seoul, but Seochon is especially my favorite. I once joined a Seoul tour program and the guide said Seochon was historically a neighborhood where slightly less wealthy people lived within the four gates, so the hanok houses here have a more charming, cute feel haha.

Walk up along the Gyeongbokgung Palace stone wall path and you'll reach today's destination, Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon, famous for Seochon brunch. I saw a lot of people running near Gwanghwamun — if you're running there, it might be nice to stop by for a delicious brunch afterward.

This place is also famous for Seochon salt bread. I went around 4pm and it was already bustling with customers.

What are the terrace and 2nd-floor seats like?

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon uses both the 1st and 2nd floors, and keeps the terrace open on cool days. Since the weather had turned cooler, the terrace was open, which made the atmosphere even better. It felt like a little cabin in the woods haha.

This is a photo of the 2nd floor — isn't the small window so cute? That spot seems like the best seat. I have to sit there next time.

The floor-to-ceiling window view to the side is nice too.

Both the 1st and 2nd floors are in use. The stairs up to the 2nd floor are pretty too, right?

Sorry the stairs are narrow, meow lol.

There's also a big table where several people can sit together...

Various seating options are available, like 4-person and 2-person tables. The space itself isn't huge, but with the terrace and high ceiling, it doesn't feel cramped.

For those coming alone like me, I recommend sitting on this terrace. It's a great atmosphere for quietly reading or writing by yourself.

Fig sandwich and bread sold out by 4pm

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is famous for Seochon brunch because they make delicious sandwiches using seasonal ingredients. Right now the fig sandwich is the seasonal menu item, but by the time I arrived it was already sold out. Really disappointing.

The bread was all sold out too? This place is famous for salt bread, so it really made me realize how popular Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is! If you want to eat the bread, I recommend coming a bit earlier.

How was the shrimp sandwich on salt bread?

I decided to try the fig sandwich next time, and this time ordered the shrimp sandwich packed with plump shrimp.

They don't make it ahead of time, only upon order, so it takes a little while. But it arrives piping hot, which surprised me.

Turns out the sandwich bread was salt bread! I was sad I couldn't get salt bread on its own, but lucky I could still have it in sandwich form.

It's loaded with shrimp and egg, so eating just one will fill you up, haha. Golden-brown, plump shrimp, well grilled.

Decaf iced americano and the one coffee refill

Since it was afternoon, I ordered a decaf iced americano — decaf, but with a good balance of acidity and nuttiness.

And even better, the coffee came with one free refill! Coffee is ₩5,000 a cup these days, and here you get a refill. Such great value.

There's also a review event, so be sure to join. Apparently you get a whole salt bread for it.

As a salt bread specialty spot, the taste needs no explanation. Crispy and really delicious.

The soft egg, plump shrimp, and chili sauce go really well together with the salt bread as a sandwich. The chili sauce seemed homemade and was less sweet than I expected, so I enjoyed it a lot.

With so much shrimp and egg packed in, it felt less like a sandwich and more like eating a whole brunch plate haha.

What to see around Seochon after the café

The weather is getting cooler now, a great time to be out and about. I recently went to Kyoto, and Kyoto is lovely, but I think our own country is just as good. Stop by Gyeongbokgung Palace, explore Seochon, and enjoy a delicious Seochon brunch at Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon.