Solbangul Bakery on Seosunla-gil — The Perfect Cafe While Waiting for Beetle's Taco

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On a sweltering summer day, my friend and I headed to the trendy Seosunla-gil in Jongno. While "Seosunla-gil" is famous, there's actually not as much to see or eat as you'd expect. Our main destination was Beetle's Taco — but with a long Catch Table wait ahead of us, we spent our time at Solbangul Bakery.

Solbangul (meaning "pinecone") Bakery is a charming hanok-style bakery on Seosunla-gil, just steps from Beetle's Taco. The interior is beautifully renovated in traditional Korean architectural style — clean lines with a coffee and ordering counter on one side and a small but neatly arranged display of artisan breads under protective covers (a nice hygienic touch, especially in a small, crowded space).

The second floor is even cooler (literally — stronger AC!) with a U-shaped seating area and glass windows overlooking the street. We grabbed one of the last small tables and ended up spending 90 minutes here. The chairs are small with no backrests, but the atmosphere made up for it.

The bread selection includes basil bacon bread, long sausage bread, mentaiko (cod roe) baguette, crooki (a cookie-bread hybrid), and their bestseller — basil onion croquant. They also o...