12 Seoul bakeries worth queuing for on your next trip to Korea

If you consider yourself a bread lover, you ought to check out Seoul bakeries if you haven’t already done so. 

Korean breads and pastries are known and loved for being unapologetically experimental — though their somewhat bastardisation of well-loved western bakes such as bagels, croissants, and baguettes have drawn the ire of many — and even lean quite sweet. 

But frankly, this outlandish and unique mix of ingredients in Korean baking is exactly what makes it so intriguing to us as bread lovers, and we’re sure the throngs of people that queue up at Seoul bakeries around the city think so, too. 

So instead of checking out the usual cafe Onion, London Bagel Museum, and Cafe Layered, how about going around the city and exploring some other Seoul bakeries that are also a hit with the locals?

We have rounded up 12 spots that you’ll want to save and check out on your next trip to Seoul. Do be warned, though, some of these bakeries require a fair bit of planning and patience to ensure you get your goods! 

1. Ugly Bakery

Why visit? If you’re on the food side of Instagram and TikTok, you might have come across Ugly Bakery’s gloriously indulgent-looking bakes. 

Ugly Bakery rose to popularity for its elevated take on Mammoth bread, a Korean bakery staple featuring two thick slabs of pastry topped with soboro (peanut streusel) with buttercream and jam sandwiched in between. It took things up a notch with exciting, new flavours such as Hwang cheese (think Ritz biscuit’s cheese filling), matcha and red bean, and black sesame, just to name a few. 

One thing you’ll notice is that there’s almost always a queue out the bakery’s door, but don’t be daunted by it as the queue moves pretty quick.

Crowd favourites: Of the Mammoth breads, the cheese Mammoth (8,000 won or S$6.75) is one of Ugly’s bestsellers, featuring thick slabs of salty Hwang cheese and pieces of Poteau biscuit (Korea’s take on Ritz crackers). 

Matcha lovers, don’t sleep on the matcha Mammoth (7,500 won), which comes with rich and decadent pieces of matcha ganache complemented by thin layers of sweet red bean. 

Apart from its Mammoth breads, the I Like Corn (4,200 won) cream bread, stuffed with sweet corn, cream cheese, and a soft cream filling, is also worth carting out

Pro tip: Always have your mammoth breads chilled or straight out the fridge — they don’t taste good when taken at room temperature!

2. Huwa Huwa

Why visit? Ever bought yourself a bread and thought the bakery was being too stingy with the amount of filling you got? Well, you’ll never have that thought with the generous Huwa Huwa bakery, which sits right next to Ugly Bakery. In fact, you’ll probably think of Huwa Huwa’s bread-to-filling ratios as being borderline diabetes-inducing instead!

The bakery made a name for itself thanks to its glorious-looking fruit-sando bagels, cream breads, and deconstructed cake bowls. If you know a bread lover in Seoul, chances are they would already have Huwa Huwa on their list. While its portions and bakes are great, we have to warn you that Huwa Huwa’s wait times are notoriously long — be prepared to wait at least two hours to enter the bakery to shop. 

Crowd favourites: Of the dessert sando bagels, the mango and tangerine  (11,300 won) — featuring two tangerine halves and long strips of fresh mango — is Huwa Huwa’s bestselling bagel. The staff also recommend the pistachio peach melba sando (13,800 won), an underrated, sweet sando bagel that’s also plenty yummy. 

If you’re a fan of the slight saltiness of Ritz crackers but not too crazy about cheese, Huwa Huwa’s cheese Mammoth (8,200 won) might just be the bake for you — its rendition is slightly less salty than Ugly’s Hwang cheese version.  

3. Milomil

Why visit? Milomil is the latest go-to salt bread hotspot for bread lovers in Seoul, eking out a name for itself in the competitive bakery hotspot of Mangwon-dong, located right by Mangwon station on Seoul subway’s line 6. 

When we say hotspot, we really mean that its bakes sell like hot cakes — it’s been so popular with bread lovers that they’ve taken to calling it an “open-run bakery”, literally meaning that you have to visit as soon as it opens because the bakes sell out that fast. 

Milomil is officially open from 11am till 2pm on paper, but it actually closes as soon as its daily bakes run out. And even if you do get to the front of the line, do note that customers are limited to six pieces of bread per purchase, so take your pick wisely!

Crowd favourites: Get the regular salt butter bread (3,000 won) if you like your salt breads on the softer side and the baguette salt butter bread (3,000 won) for a salt bread with a more crisp exterior. 

If plain salt breads are too mild for you, Milomil’s mocha butter bread (4,000 won) and olive ciabatta (3,500 won) are some other popular options. 

4. Mandong Bakery

Why visit? If you love your breads savoury, especially garlic ones, then Mandong Bakery in Yeonhui-dong should be on your list. Promising to serve up Korea’s best breads, the bakery has an extensive selection of bakes, ranging from savoury cult favourites such as its garlic baguette and basil tomato bagel to sweeter options such as the salt soboro. In fact, we daresay that Mandong’s selection is so unique, you can probably only find some of them here or within Korea. 

The bakes are amazing, but what really won our hearts was the fact that the staff will hand you bread samples while you’re deciding on what bakes to get. In the two minutes that we were there browsing, we actually got a total of four different bread samples from the eager and attentive staff — which is great if you’re the “try before you buy” type of person. 

Crowd favourites: Mandong’s bestseller is the garlic baguette (6,000 won), an indulgent sweet, cream cheese-filled garlic bread that’s very addictive. The Squishy cheese (“cheese mallang” in Korean, 1,200 won) is also another favourite — it’s a small, chewy cream cheese-filled bread that’s perfect if you’re just feeling peckish. 

For a savoury bread that’s lighter on the palate, get the cucumber baguette (6,900 won), which features thinly sliced seasoned cucumber strips with yoghurt cream cheese nestled in a multigrain baguette. 

5. Two Thumbs Up

Why visit? One of the newer bakeries in Mangwon-dong, Two Thumbs Up is proving itself to be quite a worthy rival of the OG bakery powerhouses Ugly Ugly and Huwa Huwa, with its dessert bagels and Mammoth breads. And it even one-ups them by having a dine-in cafe above the bakery where you can leisurely enjoy your bakes at. 

Here’s the catch: In order to get a seat, you’ll need to provide a Korean number to its Korean Catchtable queuing system, and wait your turn. However, if you don’t have a Korean number, you can still walk into its bakery from 3pm onwards to pick up some bakes. 

Crowd favourites: The seasonal fruits (8,200 won) sando bagel is a hot favourite here, featuring a rotation of seasonal fruits depending on the time of the year, which could include (but are not limited to) tangerines, strawberries, grapes, and blueberries. 

The fresh blueberry (7,000 won) sando bagel is also well-loved here for its bright tartness. 

6. Brick Bagel

Why visit? As its name suggests, Brick Bagel is known for its stuffed dessert bagel sandwiches that are so generously filled that they feel almost as heavy as a brick. Like the many Seoul bakeries on this list, Brick Bagel is one of the more well-known, OG dessert bagel bakeries that almost every bread lover in Seoul will know (and will probably get you a lot more street cred, too, than the other big bagel name that everyone goes to).  

BlackPink fans might remember a YouTube variety episode where one of the members Jisoo really enjoyed dessert bagels — those are from Brick Bagel itself!  

Given how ingredient-packed they are, Brick Bagel’s loaded bagels are admittedly more pricey compared to other bakeries, but we think its generous portions make it extremely value-for-money even with the heftier price tags. 

Crowd favourites: Brick Bagel’s most popular bagel sandwich is its mango pure milk (12,000 won) one, a dessert bagel stuffed with pure milk cream filling, accompanied by thick, long strips of mango. Strawberry pistachio (10,500 won) is another popular option here. 

If you like the idea of a stuffed bagel but aren’t a fan of overly sweet fillings, Brick Bagel’s scallion egg mayo (5,000 won) might just be up your alley. 

7. Kokkili Bagel — Yongsan

Why visit? Bagel lovers, this one’s for you: Kokkili Bagel’s bagels are a cult-favourite among bread lovers in Seoul thanks to its addictively soft and chewy texture. 

In terms of flavours, Kokkili’s serves up a rotation of savoury and sweet options, so there’s something for every palate any time you visit, whether you’re more into cream-stuffed dessert bagels, or just the original savoury stuff.   

Crowd favourites: The triple cheese bagel (3,500 won) is the most popular savoury bagel option, followed by the butter salt bagel (3,300 won), which features a salty crust and thin slices of butter within.  

If you’re craving for a slightly more filling bagel, go for the ham cheese sandwich (8,600 won) or the jamon sandwich (8,600 won). 

8. Abebe Bakery 

Why visit? If you love a good cream bread, you’ll want to bookmark this Seoul bakery. While it hails from Jeju, Abebe Bakery and its popular cream buns are no strangers to those who live in Seoul or those who are familiar with the bakery scene here. It is said that the cream buns are so good that whenever Seoulites visit Jeju, they would buy boxes of Abebe’s cream buns to give to friends and family back on the mainland. 

Owing to its Jeju origins, you can expect to find Jeju-inspired buns here, too, with flavours such as peanuts (hailing from Udo on Jeju) and green tea. 

While we completely get that you might want to dig right in once you get your hands on one, be warned that eating them is a very messy affair — it’s best to have some wet tissues or even gloves on hand. 

Crowd favourites: The Youngsil pasture pure milk cream bread (3,900 won) and Udo peanut cream doughnut (3,300 won) are the steady sellers here. 

If you want something more indulgent, try the Seoul Gwangjang market mentaiko cream bread (4,200 won), a savoury option that’s a Seoul-exclusive, or the Nokkome oreum mascarpone tiramisu cream bread (4,500 won).   

9. Dear Bread  

Why visit? Perhaps the most under-the-radar bakery on this list, Dear Bread at Anam, which is in the vicinity of the prestigious Korea University (KU), is a bit of a #IYKYK spot among KU students and Anam residents. 

It has been well-loved over the years for its high quality breads and confectioneries at reasonable prices. Different varieties of bread are stocked at different times throughout the day, so no matter when you go, there’ll always be something that’s fresh out the oven!

Crowd favourites: Go for the spinach focaccia (3,200 won) or the tomato focaccia (3,200 won) if you’re a fan of savoury breads, and the cranberry baguette (3,500 won) or the red bean brioche (2,500 won) if you have a sweeter tooth. 

Be sure to also snag the chocolate madeleine (1,900 won) and the green tea madeleine (1,900 won) for a sweet treat after!

10. Bakery Mui  

Why visit? If you’re looking for solid French viennoiseries and patisseries with a Korean twist on its flavours, then Bakery Mui is the spot for you. Bakery Mui is famous amongst bread connoisseurs for having great baguettes and croissants, drawing bread lovers from all over Seoul to get their hands on its bakes.

Bakery Mui’s owner is also the winner of the 2024 Le Pain Baguette & Croissant Championship, a prestigious annual baking competition in Seoul that brings bread artisans from across the country to fight it out for who makes the best baguette — so you best believe the bakes you’re getting are solid!  

Crowd favourites: The myeonran baguette (4,200 won) — a pollack roe-filled baguette — and the decadent cruffin cream (4,800 won) are some of the bestsellers here. 

The raspberry pistachio (4,200 won) pastry and melon danish (3,600 won) which offer sweet, fruity twists on classic French pastries are also worth a try. 

11. Peter Pan Bakery 1978

Why visit? Peter Pan Bakery 1978 located in the heart of Yeonhui-dong, near Yonsei University, is a longtime Seoul bakery favourite that is not only well-loved by residents, but has also appeared on many television programmes in its nearly 40-year history. 

Befitting of an older bakery, Peter Pan features a mix of both classic Korean bakery staples such as soboro (peanut struesel) buns and red bean buns, but it also keeps up with the times, serving trendier bakes such as shio pan, too. 

Crowd favourites: Strange as the name sounds, the Baby’s Butt (3,000 won) — yes, that’s what its name in Korean translates to — is Peter Pan’s bestselling pastry. It’s an egg-free bread made with tapioca flour for an extra chewy bread texture, stuffed with savoury cream cheese and generously dusted with icing sugar. Its name is probably a reference to how the bread turns out as soft as a baby’s butt and we have to agree! 

Other pastries worth checking out are the plain shio pan (2,800 won) and the red bean bun (3,000 won), a classic Korean bakery staple.

12. Autour  

Why visit? Headed by a baker YouTuber Breadin, Autour focuses on French-style breads and pastries with trendy Korean flavour twists. The small bakery has some dine-in space, though seating is quite limited — grabbing to go might be a better option. 

In case you’re wondering just how good its bakes are, at one point, Autour’s chocolate baguettes were so sought after that customers reportedly queued an hour before Autour’s opening to get their hands on one.

Crowd favourites: True to its reputation, the chocolate baguette (6,300 won) is a chocolate lover’s dream — it is essentially a chocolate baguette stuffed with gooey chocolate filling. Chocolate on chocolate? Sign us right up. 

If you’re more keen on the savoury stuff, go for the mentaiko cheese potato (5,800 won) bread, which comes with low-salt white pollack roe, mashed potatoes, and mozzarella cheese stuffed within a fluffy, soft bun.