Salt bread has become incredibly popular in Seoul, and Jayeondo Salt Bread (자연도소금빵) is probably one of the names you'll come across most often. They have several locations around the city, including Seongsu-dong and Ikseon-dong, and I've walked past their stores plenty of times only to see long queues outside.
I'm not really the type of person who would voluntarily spend a long time lining up for bread, so I never felt compelled to join the queue just to see what the hype was about. That finally changed one day when I was in Seongsu-dong and noticed there were only around three people waiting. Curiosity got the best of me, and three people in line were definitely manageable.
The whole process ended up being really quick. I only waited a few minutes to place my order at the machine, then less than five minutes more before getting my bread, so the turnover seemed pretty fast. Jayeondo sells its salt bread in sets of four, which cost KRW12,000 or around PHP515.
As for the bread itself, I thought it was really good. It was incredibly soft inside with a nice texture, while the saltiness was subtle enough that it didn't overpower the buttery flavor of the bread. Was it the best bread I've ever had? No, but I could understand why people like it.
I would happily get Jayeondo Salt Bread again if I happened to be nearby and there wasn't much of a queue. I still wouldn't personally wait a long time for it, but if you catch the store at a quieter time, it's definitely worth trying at least once.
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