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Bagels, the ring-shaped hard bread-like doughnuts we often have for simple breakfast, have begun their fancy transformation. There are infinite possibilities of not just the kind of bagels but also the kind of cream cheese for them. All kinds of ingredients have become part of bagels and the toppings for bagel sandwiches. There’s no limit to the variety of ways to bake bagels, from the styles of New York to Montreal, etc. Furthermore, the ingredients that go into baking bagels, including chives, salty butter, figs, and spinach, go beyond our imagination. Koreans love to take something and make it into something new and modify it according to their own taste, and this characteristic is manifested through bagels this time.

It is indeed the heyday for bagels in Seoul these days. Even famous stars and celebrities wait in line before the bagel places open, and these places are introduced on TV and various media outlets. We’d like to introduce these “hot” must-visit K-bagel places. Let’s save a map of Seoul’s unique and distinctive bagel places in our heads!

GFFG, the company that established the trendiest restaurant brands, including Café Knotted and Downtowner, has opened a bakery café called AnyOccasionCafe in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. As if to prove its popularity, AnyOccasionCafe garnered a lot of attention as soon as it opened. There have been many photos taken at the place and reviews by many celebrities and influencers, including singer and actress Yoon-ji Kim (NS Yoon-G), actress Seung-ah Yoon, and choreographer Yoon-jung Bae who participated in the shows Street Man Fighter and Produce 101 as a mentor and trainer. Everything that you can see in this place, including its steel building, the green lettering sign attached to it, green plants, including short palm trees, and the photo wall with a giant logo, are quite extraordinary. Once you step inside, where you are met with a wood-toned interior and warm ambiance, the scent of the bagels that are piled up in baskets and the aroma of great coffee will stimulate your sense of smell.

When it comes to bagels, AnyOccasionCafe’s signature bagels, Plain Bagel, Salt Butter Bagel, and Everything Bagel, are always available, and new kinds of bagels are added to the menu seasonally. Among just the bagels, the most popular kind is the salty and chewy salt butter bagel. Aside from bagels, there are also other options, such as bagel sandwiches, croissants, and muffins. Of course, caramel walnuts, blueberries, and cream cheese that you can’t go without when having bagels are also available. AnyOccasionCafe’s signature menu is Mushroom & Egg, which is comprised of plain bagels and savory cream cheese, completed with sliced mushrooms and soft poached eggs. It’s fun and tasty to split the poached egg, and you can freely change the type of bagel.

What’s special about AnyOccasionCafe is that there’s a terrace outside that is open throughout all four seasons. From 9 AM when it opens until 9 PM when it closes, the terrace is open all day. It has an awning and heating system to help you avoid the rainfall and feeling cold, so you can enjoy outdoor romance anytime.

AnyOccasionCafe is expanding its influence in many ways, including through collaboration with a global clothing brand COS and free performances by musicians. In the basement of the same building, there’s the second space of AnyOccasionCafe called AnyOccasion Basement, which is a wine bar. It’s a place to enjoy seafood dishes and wine with a casual vibe, so we recommend you visit this space for casual wine sipping. At AnyOccasionCafe, a place armed with a hip and sensible atmosphere, you’ll be able to have a fun time filled with great flavor and enjoyment regardless of what day it is.

In Gwanghwamun, the most well-known square of Seoul, there is the Gwanghwamun D-Tower, where many of the best eateries are located. On the first floor of that very place lies the FOURB Bagel, which can be said to be where the Korean bagels came to be. The very popular FOURB Bagel has 7 branches in Seoul alone and is becoming even more famous, as it is known that the musical actor Xia Junsu, a former member of the group DBSK (TVXQ), likes to visit this place.

FOURB Bagel, which Bs come from the words Basic, Best, Bright, and Brilliant, has pride in its long history and tastes. In an effort to capture the value of Korean bagels, FOURB Bagel uses good ingredients such as natural fermentation species, roasted bay salt, and organic sugar to create a soft texture and deep flavor. Seeking the best quality for healthy yet delicious bagels, FOURB Bagels are soft and moist.

The bagel selection at FOURB Bagel includes Plain, Honey Milk, Sweet Potato, Orange & Lemon Peel, and the Volcano. The biggest difference between FOURB Bagels and other bagels is the spread. The FOURB Spread is made with the best seasonal ingredients without preservatives, which brings out the natural flavor of fresh ingredients, boasting a deep and rich taste. The cream cheese spreads, such as Plain, Fig, Cranberry, and Black Olive, are popular because they go well with bagels and other various recipes, such as crackers and wine.

Featuring a concept of a refined image with a clean interior, FOURB Gwanghwamun offers various classes such as coffee class, flower class, and baking class. It would be nice to participate if you have a chance. Enjoy a healthy bagel with spread amongst the building forest of central Seoul, and your morning will be filled with delightful energy.

Between the sliced chewy bagels, there are scoops of creamy cream cheese. Just looking at the menu makes our mouths water. The whipped latte cream that is floating on top of a cup of latte, just like dalgona, stimulates our visual sense once more and makes us want to take a sip of it right away. Kkokkili Bagel is already introduced as a must-visit place in the neighborhood, as Min-kyung Kang from the pop duo Davichi and actress Seung-ah Yoon have already proved that they truly love this place in their vlogs. Kkokkili Bagel provides genuinely delicious bagels that are good enough to be even featured on Blue Ribbon Survey.

Unlike ordinary bagels, the Kokkili Bagels are smaller and denser Montreal-style bagels. Thanks to the wood-fired oven in the kitchen, in which bagels are baked on oak firewood, visitors can enjoy even more browned bagels with a chewier texture.

Kokkili Bagel uses premium ingredients, such as Korean flour, French butter, Spanish olives, and Gapyeong pine nuts. Its various ingredients to enjoy with bagels, such as whipped cream, sweetened red bean paste, and butter, are also the highlights as well. Aside from its signature menu, Butter Salt Bagel, there are other various kinds of bagels available, including the cream cheese bagel that looks overwhelmingly amazing, as well as spinach, dates & pine nuts, cinnamon, strawberry whipped cream, figs, and sundried tomatoes.

Kokkili Bagel is also famous for its latte as well. Actress Seung-ah Yoon is deeply in love with the savory and creamy latte here, and she visits the place 5 times a week. Each kind of bagel comes out at a different time, and the hot, fresh bagels that you can enjoy if you visit when the place opens are basically the essence of Kokkili Bagel.

Kokkili Bagel first opened in a factory district in Yangpyeong-dong, and it opened its 2nd and 3rd branches in Hannam-dong and Seongsu-dong, respectively, making it possible for more people to enjoy their delicious bagels. In particular, the Kokkili Bagel in Hannam-dong is located in a nice spot where you can enjoy the view of the Han River. The walls, painted in deep blue, and the lettering sign of the Hannam Branch are impressive as well. Out of the total of 3 floors, the 2nd and 3rd floors are great for enjoying bagels and a cup of latte while relaxing by looking at the Han River. If you’re curious about how fantastically well the bagels and latte go together, visit Kokkili Bagel in Hannam-dong. You’ll be first amazed by the bagels and then the latte.

We’d like to introduce the hottest bagel place of Songridan-gil, a street where popular eateries are gathered alongside the beautiful scenery of Seokchon Lake. This very place is the Knickerbocker Bagel, which has the same meaning as New Yorkers. Knickerbocker Bagel, also introduced by the Youtuber Haetnim the Short Mouth in a popular TV show called Lined Up Restaurants, is an authentic New York bagel specialty place with its original bakery in Brooklyn, New York.

Following the first bakery in New York, the authentic New York bagel store Knickerbocker Bagel opened its second store in the world in Seoul. The bagels here are made and presented to customers by local employees who have been handed down the secrets of the artisans that kneaded bagels for over 40 years. Knickerbocker Bagel adheres to the traditional New York style called “kettle boiled,” blanching the bagels in boiling water before baking them in the oven to filter out harmful substances. For this reason, not only are Knickerbocker bagels crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, but they are also low in calories and healthy because they do not contain additives.

The Luxury Bagel Sandwich, the popular signature menu with smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, and capers, was highly praised by Haetnim, and she praised that “It is definitely worth the wait.” Another signature menu is a vegan menu called the Cardoon Bomber, featuring a delicious harmony of artichoke, red roast pepper, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and basil pesto. Knickerbocker Bagels also offers a variety of bagels that bring out the flavor of the ingredients, such as plain bagel, garlic and onion, egg, whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, jalapeno, Florentine, blueberry, sundried tomatoes, and figs. You can also find 11 different kinds of cream cheese including plain, blueberry, scallion, olive, bacon sriracha, and honey basil.

Let’s take a bite of the delicious authentic New York bagel, looking at the sparkling Seokchon Lake on a lovely autumn day. Happiness is not that far away. It’s right beside you, looking at the tasty food and wonderful scenery.