[Seoul] If Bagel is your favourite breakfast food, then you have to rise extra early to get a piece of it at London Bagel Museum 런던베이글뮤지엄.

The popular (probably the hottest right now) Seoul café has one thing only: the ring of dough in a number of different flavours.

Either the Anguk store (Bukchon Hanok Village at Jongno-gu) or the Dosan store (Gangnam-gu) will do, depending on which is more convenient.

There is another less-known (to tourists) outlet at Lotte World Tower Mall (Jamsil) at Level 1 next to Gate 14.

Both locations open their doors at 8am, but queues will start forming even before it.

How long did I wait to get in? About 2 hours.

A shortcut is to get it takeaway, for which you will get to enter the cafe much faster. Still, I heard friends waiting for more than 2 hours (that’s even if they allow you) at the Anguk store.

A Korean phone number is required for reservation at the entrance. If you do not have, inform the staff and keep track of your queue number.

The rustic interior reminded me of a little of a British pub, mainly due to the faux-stone walls and scratched floors.

Little portraits of replica oil paintings are hung all around to give the seating are an extra atmosphere.

Yup, you spot portraits of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana and the royal family here and there.

Freshly baked bagels are lined up neatly in wooden display crates at the counter.

With so many to choose from, you can take a cue from a list beside the crates, which ranks the best cream cheese bagels at the café.

Top of the list goes to the Maple Pecan (3,800 Won), followed by Garlic Spring Onion (3,800 Won), and Lemon Curd (3,800 Won).

The rest of the list changes depending on the seasonal supply and what is hot in the moment.

The amount of cream cheese filling is as generous as it gets, to pair well with the chewy and fluffy dough.

For fans of munching on the bagel itself, go for the Original Bagel (4,700 Won), Pretzel Plain Bagel (4,700 Won), Sesame Bagel (4,700 Won), Blueberry Bagel (4,700 Won), Black Olive Bagel (4,700 Won), and Dark Chocolate Bagel (4,900 Won), among others.

A favourite is the Potato Cheese Bagel (5,500 Won), whose mashed potato filling and American cheese top excites enough people to cause it to sell out fast.

I found the bagel texture softer and chewier than the typical ones, and the mashed potatoes within helped provide more softness and a varied savoury taste.

Not bad, I can imagine why people would like it.

As for the Garlic Spring Onion (3,800 Won) Cream Cheese Bagel, I found it a little heavy after a few bites.

While the cream cheese fillings added a smooth and creamy texture to the center, it became ‘boring’ and filling after a while. But I could see many customers ordering this, possibly due to the slightly garlicky and oniony France.

Heftier options exist to make for a full meal. Look for the Jambon Butter Bagel (8,500 Won) served on a plate, stuffed with jambon ham and butter.

I had the Bacon and Potato Bagelwich (8,500 Won) which was rather hearty and satisfying.

The bacon adds a slight crunch and saltiness to the flavour, while the mashed potatoes help to create a tender texture.

There are some soups and coffee on sale to go with the bagel.

Do yourself a favour (if you are already here) and order one of the soups – which are highly raved on online reviews.

The Mushroom Truffle Soup had a delightful creamy and velvety texture and created a smooth mouthfeel, with strong flavours of the mushrooms with a faint aroma of truffle oil.

If I had space, I would have ordered the Tomato Rosee Soup.

Is this worth the 2-hour queue?

For the taste of the Bagels alone, maybe not. You could be better off taking this away and have a picnic elsewhere. For the experience, maybe.

London Bagel Museum calls itself a museum for a reason – you do get the variety of bagels nowhere else.

London Bagel Museum 런던베이글뮤지엄 – Anguk 안국점
20 Bukchon-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 북촌로4길 20
Opening Hours: 8am – 6pm (Mon – Sun)

London Bagel Museum – Dosan
33 Eonju-ro 168-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 강남구 언주로168길 33 1-2F
Opening Hours: 8am – 6pm (Mon – Sun)

Other Related Entries
Seoul Angmusae 서울앵무새 (Seongsu, Seoul)
Center Coffee (Seongsu, Seoul)
Cafe Rosso 카페로쏘 (Seoul)
Cheong Su Dang 청수당 (Ikseon-dong, Seoul)
Nudake Haus Dosan 누데이크 (Gangnam-gu, Seoul)

* Written by Daniel Ang and Dean Ang. Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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