Cheonan walnut pastry shop: eat warm, freeze the rest, Cheonandang

Living in Cheonan, I've realized this is a city that takes its baked goods seriously~ Cheonan means walnut pastries (hodu-gwaja), and if you want a shop with great value and great taste, Cheonandang Dandae Branch (천안당 단대점) is a must! So here's my review of zooming over to buy some, and also of eating more than 10 walnut pastries in a single day... hahaha. Sharing it with you~~

Where is Cheonandang Dandae Branch, and is there parking?

Cheonandang Dandae Branch is a walnut pastry shop on Manghyang-ro, near Dankook University's Cheonan campus and Cheonho Lake. It's right on the roadside, so I worried about finding a parking spot~ but there were plenty of spaces and lots of room. No parking worries at all.

Cheonandang bills itself as a traditional walnut pastry shop of Cheonan. I don't know how long it has been open, but the atmosphere made me think it has held its spot for quite a long time.

What are Cheonandang's walnut pastries made with?

Cheonandang's walnut pastries are made with 100% Korean wheat flour, not imported flour. They told me the red bean used to be Korean too, but with prices rising so much lately, the red bean is now imported. Personally, I think they could go back to Korean red bean and raise the price a bit. I'd love to taste it with Korean red bean, haha

The shop opens at 7 a.m., so when I went in the afternoon it seemed they had already finished baking for the day. The space was very clean and tidy.

How much are walnut pastries at Cheonandang Dandae Branch?

Walnut pastries at Cheonandang Dandae Branch are ₩5,000 for a box of 15, ₩10,000 for 30, and ₩20,000 for 60. They're lined up on the display shelf, so you can just grab one and go. With the 60-piece box, that's about ₩330 per piece~ amazing value!! Even if you ate 10 a day, it's a much better snack than packaged cookies~ They'd make a great gift too! Like, "Look, I brought you Cheonan walnut pastries~~" Perfect for showing off a little!!

Red bean butter and Lotus walnut pastries besides plain

Besides the simple plain flavor, there's a red bean butter (angbeoteo) walnut pastry with butter inside,

and a new Lotus walnut pastry with a coffee flavor. There's no half-and-half option, which was a little disappointing, but after trying them I'd say just buy a box of each flavor. They were so good I ate a ton, haha

What else does Cheonandang Dandae Branch sell?

Besides walnut pastries, Cheonandang Dandae Branch sells walnut oil. I'd never heard of walnut oil, but apparently it's rich in plant-based unsaturated fats and antioxidants, and is said to be good for blood vessel health, the brain, bronchial conditions and preventing aging! It's said to have lots of unsaturated fats like omega-3, so I definitely want to buy and try it next time!

Besides walnut pastries and walnut oil, they also sell nurungji (scorched rice). The nurungji chips are ₩6,000 per bag. They apparently sell yeot (Korean taffy) too~~

On the left side there were handmade items. Cute little pouches in different colors and sizes.

A 30-piece box of Cheonandang walnut pastries: how many in one day?

I took home one box of 30 Cheonandang walnut pastries~ The bag is also just the right size to show off the pastries, so it looks great for gifting~

Cheonandang walnut pastries I rummaged out and munched in the car on the way home.

How to store leftover walnut pastries

It's convenient: you can store Cheonandang walnut pastries in the freezer, box and all. The storage method is printed on the box too. Just leave the amount you want to eat at room temperature for a few minutes and the taste is the same~ Eat them before they fully thaw and they're like ice cream.

Cheonandang walnut pastries, made with 100% Korean wheat. They can be sent by parcel delivery too.

You're supposed to leave them at room temperature for a few minutes, but if you can't wait like me, it's fine to eat them right away~ Crunching them fresh from the freezer is delicious, and letting them thaw a little is delicious too!!

This photo was taken at the shop, so all 30 are still there haha

How do Cheonandang's walnut pastries taste?

Cheonandang walnut pastries aren't overly sweet, just sweet enough that you keep reaching for another. When I reopened the box at home, I realized I'd eaten 5 in the car haha And that day I ate almost half of the box..... wow....haha Did I really love walnut pastries this much??? I ate a crazy amount;;;

Each one is carefully wrapped individually,

and the shape is pretty too

Before they went into the freezer, I split one in half~ The bread is fluffy and nicely warm,

and a whole walnut is wedged into the sweet red bean, so the texture is great too

The few that were left went into the freezer. If you're sharing among several people, they'd probably be gone the same day haha

Frozen Cheonandang walnut pastries: like ice cream the next day

This is a Cheonandang walnut pastry fresh from the freezer! Crunching them one by one like red bean ice cream is delicious! Bread on the first day, ice cream on the second: Cheonan's famous walnut pastries!! Cheonandang Dandae Branch was so good I'd happily go back!! If you like walnut pastries, definitely stop by :)

Final verdict on Cheonandang Dandae Branch

• A great walnut pastry spot in Cheonan
• I'd go back!
• Good for gifts!