Salt bread is all the craze in Korea right now, and a certain bakery cafe has taken the internet by storm. Located in Anguk, Artist Bakery is a cafe by the folks behind London Bagel Museum and offers a variety of salt bread.
Salt Bread Cafe in Seoul
Conveniently located right beside Exit 1 of Anguk Station, Artist Bakery has quite a similar aesthetic to London Bagel Museum. While London Bagel Museum has more of a cottage feel to it, Artist Bakery adopts a more European-style cafe aesthetic.
We arrived 30 minutes after opening, and the cafe was already packed with customers. We ended up having to queue using the CatchTable system and were 3rd in line. For customers opting for takeaway, there was no queue at all – you only need to wait for a while if it gets too crowded inside.
There were seats available outside, but since we visited in Winter, the seats were empty and there was no heater in sight. The cafe was quite thoughtful to offer hot drinks to those waiting in line, we would assume cold drinks being offered in the peak of summer.
Once you’re in, you’ll be assigned a table number before you get to pick your desired bakes and pay at the counter.
Artist Bakery Seoul Menu
There’s a wide variety of salt bread on display here ranging from items like Truffle Pretzel (4,900won), Cinnamon (4,800won), Basil Pesto (4,800won), Squid Ink Cheese (5,300won), Potato Cheese (5,500won), Coconut (5,900won), Jalapeno Sausage (6,800won), Tiramisu (6,800won), Spring Onion Cream Cheese (7,500won) and more.
Apart from salt bread, they also have Baguettes, including Baguette Sandwiches like the Strawberry Butter Baguette Sandwich (8,900won) and Gorgonzola Honey Baguette Sandwich (8,900won).
There’s also a homemade soup menu which includes the Tomato Rose soup (8,900won) and Truffle Mushroom soup (9,800won).
As for drinks, you have the classic coffee menu with Oat option available at an additional charge of 1,000won, alongside items like Homemade Chai Latte (8,000won), Blueberry Smoothie (9,000won), Blueberry Tea (7,000won), and more.
Artist Bakery also offers a range of spreads such as Homemade Blueberry Jam & Cream Cheese, Lemon Curd, Maple Pecan Cream Cheese, Spring Onion Garlic and more.
Artist Bakery Review
We opted for the classic Plain Salt Bread (3,800won) which comes in both hard and soft versions. Ours was the soft version, which had a nice crisp on the outside, along with a fluffy, soft interior.
The butter fragrance was light, with a pinch of saltiness from the sprinkled salt on the bread. Very enjoyable.
We paired this with their No.1 Artist Spread (4,200won/5,900won) which is their signature sauce. It’s a sour cream base with horseradish, wasabi, and black pepper! It packed a punch, but the spiciness does make you go back for more.
We couldn’t stop at just one salt bread, so we also got the Garlic Butter Salt Bread (4,900won) which we thought could have a stronger garlic flavour. However, texture-wise, it was enjoyable.
For coffee, the Flat White (6,000won) was served directly to our table and was well-balanced.
Cafes Near Anguk Station
There’s no doubt that Artist Bakery is already attracting huge crowds, but it’s still quite manageable during weekdays. If you’re paying a visit to nearby attractions such as Gyeongbukggung or Bukchon Hanok Village, this is a decent spot to check out.
For more cafes to check out near Anguk, read our listicle here.
Artist Bakery (아티스트베이커리)
서울 종로구 율곡로 45
45 Yulgok-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul
Mon-Sun, 8am-8pm
Nearest Subway: Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 1
Naver Maps
*This was an independent review by MiddleClass
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