London Bagel Museum: A Paradise for Bagel Lovers in Seoul

Calling all bagel lovers, if you love a bagel that is crunchy, golden-brown on the outside and chewy inside; or that you simply enjoy savouring a bagel sandwich with unique fillings, then you should visit this beautiful bagel shop in Seoul.

London Bagel Museum has become an internet sensation in South Korea since its opening and has expanded from one outlet in Anguk (Bukchon) to the second one in Dosan. To be honest, I didn’t know bagel was a thing in London, as it is known as an iconic food in New York. It turns out that it was just a name for the shop — However, everything at the shop screams Britain, and you’d love the settings and atmosphere at the shop.

Like most restaurants, cafes and stores in Seoul that pay ultimate attention to their interior set-up, the shop spent efforts to up their game of elevating a visitor’s experience in-store. From the rustic exterior to the decor items in the restaurant, every corner was perfectly set up to fit the eccentric British aesthetic. With British royal portraits everywhere, you’d almost feel like being teleported to London! There are also merchandise at the counter if you wish to purchase them as souvenirs.

You’ll be spoilt for choices here at London Bagel Museum. There are different flavours to choose from. You can get common ones like a plain bagel, sesame bagel, or blueberry bagel, not forgetting the interesting flavours like spinach, fig, and dark olive flavour. The price of the bagels ranges from KRW 3,800 to 4,700.

Different dipping cream flavours go with these bagels at KRW 3,800 each: Garlic & Spring Onion Cream Cheese, Maple Pecan Cream Cheese, Lemon Curd Cream Cheese, Blue Berry Compote Cream Cheese, Earl Grey Milk Jam Cream Cheese, to name a few.

The more tempting selection would be the bagel sandwiches — Savour a kaleidoscope of flavours including the signature Brickland Bagel, Pretzel Butter Bagel, Spring Onion & Cream Cheese Bagel, Jambon Butter Bagel, and Jumbo Shrimp Bagel, etc.

You may consider dining in if you visit the store as early as 8:00 am. Once it passes 10:00, the waiting team in front of you can be more than a hundred. For dine-in, every table seemed to order a Mushroom Soup or a Tomato Rosé Soup to go with their bagel. If you do not wish to wait for a table, you may opt for take-out, for which you’ll be getting your bagel & coffee in a few minutes!

The Food

Their signature Bricklane Bagel (KRW 6,800) was a sesame bagel with cream cheese stuffed to the brim, and honey dipping as the side. While I love cream cheese, the massive amount of cream cheese was a tad overwhelming. I appreciate the generosity, but it was just too much to the point it felt cloying.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the combination of a well-made sesame bagel, with a chewy exterior and soft interior, and that classic pairing of the rich, fluffy and delicious cream cheese and honey fillings. But the amount of cream cheese was way too much. That said, the bagel sandwich tasted great after I removed half of the cream cheese fillings.

K and I enjoyed the Jambon Butter Bagel Sandwich (KRW 8,500) – The sandwich was again, lavishly stuffed to the brim with jambon ham and with an overflowing amount of butter.

The sandwich was so good I couldn’t resist stuffing my face in the most unglamorous way. Thank God I wasn’t on a date, I would have remained single if any straight single man saw how I gobble down every inch of this unhealthy carb loaded with luscious butter that any sound cardiologist would disapprove.

Perhaps because the previous one was so impressive, the Ang Butter Bagel 앙버터 베이글 (KRW 5,000) pales in comparison. It was just a plain bagel with thick butter slices. While the plain bagel itself was good, I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing this particular bagel.

Of course, we have to try out the No.1 seller, the Potato Cheese Bagel (KRW 5,500). The sandwich features a generous smashed potato filling enveloped in a chewy bagel, with a slice of cheddar cheese on top of the bagel – It was nice, chewy, fluffy and filling— I didn’t find it sinful. It would make a nice breakfast bagel if you don’t feel like taking any plain ones!

As mentioned, the shop is extremely popular. So you should come before 9 am to avoid long waiting hours, especially if you’re visiting Seoul on a holiday. The bagels are made freshly every day, so they tend to sell out post-lunch-time! Alternatively, if you do not wish to jeopardise your travel schedule, you can opt for takeout, which will save you some time.

Writer’s Note: London Bagel Museum is a must-try if you love bagels. While there are some hits and misses, the bagels are of good quality, and you’ll enjoy them as much as I do! 😍 The queue starts pretty early so if you want to dine in, please be there before the shop opens. They have recently expanded to a new outlet in Dosan (Apgujung Rodeo), which feature more seats, so if you’re in the area, remember to give it a try!

Queue Management System in Korea: Some have feedback about how painful it is to dine in at the restaurant due to its non-foreigner-friendly queue management system. Indeed, to avoid crowding outside their stores (and also due to COVID), many restaurants in Korea have adopted a digital waitlist system where they’ll register your name and Korean mobile number using a device. 

I'd highly recommend you get a Korean mobile SIMcard as it will be way more convenient to get a queue number and receiving live updates while you check out other places! Some attractions have limited tickets offline at their site (and sold out ridiculously fast) but have unlimited tickets online. And to purchase an online ticket you need a local number too! Read more about why I think Korean mobile SIMcard is essential here.

Contact Details:

London Bagel Museum (Anguk Outlet) 런던베이글뮤지엄 안국점
20 Bukchon-ro 4 gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
서울시 종로구 북촌로4길 20
Operating hours: 08:00AM-06:00PM

London Bagel Museum (Dosan Outlet) 런던베이글뮤지엄 도산점
33 Eonju-ro 168-gil,Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울 강남구 언주로 168길 33
Operating hours: 08:00AM-06:00PM

Directions: