Yeonnam-dong bakery at 7:20pm: last one of each of 4 breads, Mandong

A review of Mandong Jegwa, a bakery that's been loved in Yeonnam-dong for a long time.

Mandong Jegwa's original shop is in Gangneung, and it's famous for its moist garlic baguette. Mandong Jegwa is an 8-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3.

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch hours and how to reserve

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch is open from 11am to 9pm. The later into the evening it gets, the more breads sell out.

They don't take same-day, weekend, or holiday reservations, but weekday reservations are accepted via Instagram DM. Also, even though it's takeout-only, apparently you can eat Mandong Jegwa bread at the nearby Ediya Yeonnam-dong branch if you order one drink per person. What a great win-win relationship.

Parking near Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch is right on the street, so there's no dedicated parking. The Yeonnam 3 public parking lot marked on the map is a 5-minute walk, and Yeonnam 4 roadside public lot is also 5 minutes away.

Since it's takeout-only, you can grab your bread and leave quickly, so a lot of people seem to want to drive there. It's a shame there's no free parking, but if that bothers you, keep the public lot info in mind!

What the shop looks like at 7:20pm on a Tuesday

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch is takeout-only. It's open until 9pm, and I visited on a weekday (Tuesday) at 7:20pm — the shelves were already pretty bare, haha.

Still, all the signature menu items were left — though I basically swept them all up myself, oops. One of their famous breads, the cappuccino, was in the refrigerated showcase by the counter. As soon as I walked in, they offered me a taste of the mugwort rice cake bread. From the reviews I'd seen, they seem generous with samples. That might be one of the reasons the business does so well^,^

Bread is displayed on shelves along both walls and in the center. Since it was around evening, it looked like everything had been switched to individual packaging. It gave off a hygiene-conscious feel, which built trust right away.

Bread prices at Mandong Jegwa

• Bottom (엉덩이) ₩3,500 (yes, the bread is named 'bottom' 🤣 it's a cream bread.)
• Emmental ₩5,200
• Chili sausage ₩4,300

• Jalapeño ciabatta ₩4,800
• Maple ₩4,900
• Injeolmi (rice cake) ₩3,500
• (new) Sweet pumpkin ciabatta ₩6,200
• Red bean cream (angcream) ₩3,500
• Tortilla ₩4,300

• Walnut ₩4,300
• Chestnut bread ₩4,900

• Pretzel ₩5,000
• Bacon ciabatta ₩4,900
• Mugwort rice cake bread ₩4,900
• Corn mayo ₩4,900
• Yakbap (sweet rice) bread ₩3,800
• Rusk ₩1,500

Which breads are Mandong Jegwa's signature menu?

Mandong Jegwa's signature items are the cappuccino, basil tomato, onion bagel, and garlic baguette. When I visited, the cappuccino, basil tomato, and garlic baguette all had exactly one left, so I swept them all up. Lucky!!

For the garlic baguette, onion bagel, basil tomato, cucumber baguette, and cappuccino, they ask you not to put them on a tray yourself but to tell the counter staff. An employee packed them personally and helped with payment. This also seems to be a rule to prevent the bread from getting crushed and to sell it in the best condition.

Order (takeout)

• Cappuccino ₩5,600
• Garlic baguette ₩7,000
• Basil tomato ₩6,200
• Chestnut bread ₩4,900
• Total ₩23,700

I visited on a weekday evening but managed to sweep up all the signature menu items, so hambok^-^ (happy). I was curious about the cucumber baguette, loaded with cucumber, but I still didn't have the courage to try it... lol. Originally I only planned to buy one cappuccino since I'd come all the way to Yeonnam-dong, thinking if it was good I'd come back earlier next time — but with the bread left like this, I couldn't not buy it all.

These days a lot of places accept Naver Pay, which seems to be a payment method Naver is pushing. Walked home with my bag full and my steps light and excited.

How the four Mandong Jegwa breads tasted

Basil tomato bread, 6,200 won

🥯 Basil tomato — a crunchy bagel with savory basil cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

Basil tomato is one of Mandong Jegwa's signature items. The bread's exterior was crispy, and it had crunch sprinkled on it, so it was great to enjoy that crispiness.

Inside, the cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes were mashed together, savory yet fresh. Eating it, I thought 'there's a reason this is famous,' and finished it right on the spot. Truly delicious, right up my alley..♥️

Garlic baguette, 7,000 won

🥖 Garlic baguette — Mandong Jegwa's signature item, packed full of garlic sauce.

I learned Mandong Jegwa became famous for its garlic baguette~! The original shop is in Gangneung, and in Seoul there's only this Yeonnam-dong branch. This is a garlic baguette made by soaking it thoroughly in a garlic-based batter so the garlic flavor coats it completely.

I tried it as soon as I got home, and it's moisture itself. But it's not soggy either — you still get a bit of crispness, and the chewy, moist texture combined with the garlic flavor is really good. This is a menu item that could deservedly become nationally famous among garlic-loving folks.

Cappuccino bread, 5,600 won

🥖 Cappuccino — a soft coffee bread with vanilla cream inside, coated finely with ground coffee castella.

They took the cappuccino out of the refrigerated showcase at the counter and packed it with an ice pack for insulation, like this.

Does it really taste like a cappuccino? It has fluffy castella crumbs, and vanilla cream in the center of the bread.

How should I put it — the bread is really soft and fluffy. The vanilla cream in the middle is so good I kept wanting to eat just that part.

It seems like it would go well with an Americano, and it has a unique flavor you don't really find elsewhere, so I was satisfied. There were two long pieces, and I demolished those too!

Chestnut loaf, 4,900 won

🍞 Chestnut bread — a loaf packed full of chestnuts.

I've loved chestnuts since I was a kid, so of course I picked chestnut bread too. It's a whole-loaf type, and picking it up, it's quite heavy. The bread has high density, and the chestnuts were generously packed in without holding back.

Big chunks of chestnut were dotted throughout, and the chestnuts themselves were moist, so it kept going down easily without feeling dry or heavy. Better than most bread from franchise bakeries. Recommended if you like chestnuts.

Final verdict on Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch

• A bakery whose original shop is in Gangneung, which became famous for its garlic baguette and now has branches nationwide
• The signature items — garlic baguette, cappuccino, and bagel — are all delicious
• The garlic baguette is soaked thoroughly in a garlic-based batter, making it moist and worthy of its signature-item status
• When visiting the store, they give out generous samples so you can taste a variety of items
• They explain how to store the bread, so you can buy a lot and keep it refrigerated/frozen to eat over time
• No parking available, but as a takeout-only store, you can eat the bread at the nearby Ediya if you order one drink per person