Jongno bakery revisit for a first onion bagel: Munhwa Bakery

You know those breads that, once you try them, somehow keep popping into your mind? Munhwa Bakery's garlic bread was exactly that for me, haha. I remembered how incredibly moist and soft it was when I had it last time, and that memory really stuck with me. So while I was back around Jongno this time, I naturally made another visit to Munhwa Bakery! There was also one bread I'd been quietly curious about since my previous visit: the onion bagel! This time, I finally brought that home too, haha.

Back at Munhwa Bakery near Jongno 3-ga

Munhwa Bakery is a small bakery around Jongno 3-ga. Its hanok-style exterior really stands out! It is popular enough to sometimes have quite a long line. Last time, I had fun looking through more varieties of bread than I expected while choosing, and this time I looked all around the breads as soon as I stepped inside too.

Maybe because it was a return visit, it felt oddly familiar, haha. As I looked around wondering, “What should I try this time?” the first thing that caught my eye was, of course, the garlic bread. I am personally pretty picky about buying something again after trying it once, but I had such a clear memory of enjoying this that there was nothing to debate.

The moist garlic bread I had to buy again

The garlic bread was what I remembered most from my last visit! I picked one again without hesitation. I liked Munhwa Bakery's garlic bread because it has that rich, distinctive garlic-bread flavor, yet the bread itself is not too dry and has such a nice moist texture. A lot of garlic breads are crisp outside and a little firm inside, but when I had this one, the bread part was soft and moist, which I loved. It was one of the things I thought, “I have to buy this again next time I come!” and I really did buy it again, haha. Seeing myself return and purchase the same item, I guess it really does suit my taste.

The onion bagel I had been curious about

And the item I was most looking forward to on this visit: the onion bagel. I had been quietly curious about it while looking at the breads last time, but I was busy choosing other breads to try then and could not buy it. So this time I went in thinking, “Today, I have to try the onion bagel!” haha. Trying one item I missed on a previous visit each time I come back is part of the fun of returning, I think. Since it is a bagel with onion in it, it sounds like a simple combination with onion's distinctive aroma added in, so I think bagel lovers would be curious about it. I had kept my eye on it since last time, so I finally chose it on this visit.

More breads to try with every return visit

On a first visit to Munhwa Bakery, you tend to choose the famous breads, but after trying some and coming back, the other breads started catching my eye instead. On my first visit, I was debating, “This looks good, and that looks good too...” This time, it was more like, “I'll buy the garlic bread I had last time again, and try what I missed then!” haha. So I feel like each return visit gives me one more menu item I want to try. Especially with something like the garlic bread that I tried myself and loved, I find myself reaching for it again when I come back.

Garlic bread repurchase and onion bagel success

This was my second visit to Munhwa Bakery, and the garlic bread really was worth buying again. The moist, soft texture I remembered from last time stayed with me, so I naturally chose it again this time—and it is still exactly the kind of garlic bread I like, haha. And I finally succeeded in buying the onion bagel I had been curious about since my last visit!

If I focused on the well-known items on my first visit, this time I took a little more time to browse and choose some other breads too, which was fun in a different way. It is a bakery worth stopping by if you are around Jongno 3-ga, and if you find a bread you love after trying it once like I did, I recommend coming back and working through other items one at a time. For now, I am already thinking about what I should pick up next after tasting the breads I bought this time, haha. A bakery is hard to finish with just one visit... 🥖