A Local Bakery Only Yangjae Residents Know: It’s Bread

Wake. Smell. Bite. Repeat. at It’s Bread.

Words by Jeong-Yoon Lee

As a true introvert, I always have the urge to start filming the moment I step into a store, dreaming of making short-form videos.

But most of the time, my shyness wins.

Instead, I quietly take photos whenever I buy bread — and before I knew it, I had quite a collection.

So, I finally made a TikTok video using those photos.

I needed a caption, something simple but cool.

I asked ChatGPT to come up with a few hip English phrases about It’s Bread, and among the five suggestions, this one stood out:

Wake. Smell. Bite. Repeat. – at It’s Bread.

The moment I read it, I knew it was perfect.

It feels like the daily rhythm of It’s Bread itself — waking up, breathing in the smell of freshly baked bread, taking a bite, and wanting to do it all over again.

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It’s Bread is a place that speaks to me.

I’m often inspired by people who quietly and consistently put in the work, rather than chasing after trends.

And this bakery is exactly that kind of place.

They don’t sell trendy, Instagrammable pastries.

Instead, they offer nostalgic, old-school favorites like red bean bread, chewy rice donuts, twisted Korean donuts (kkwabaegi), mammoth bread, and croquettes.

The prices are just as heartwarming.

Smaller breads are around 1,500 won, and bigger ones like mammoth bread or loaves are about 4,000 won.

What’s even better — leftover bread from the previous day is sold the next morning for just 1,000 won.

Sometimes I wish they would follow trends just a little.

But honestly, I don’t want them to change.

I hope they stay just the way they are, for a long, long time.

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One day, I visited to try their whole wheat morning rolls — and stumbled upon their salt bread.

(Yes, salt bread!)

Naturally, I started dreaming of maybe seeing croissants next.

Their salt bread wasn’t the buttery, melty kind you find elsewhere, but it had a clean, hearty flavor.

And honestly, finding salt bread for 1,500 won? That’s nearly impossible these days.

If you have an air fryer or a small oven at home, I recommend buying a little butter, stuffing it into the bread’s hollow, and toasting it — instant upgrade.

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Sometimes, after an all-nighter followed by a morning hike, or late at night during a stroll,

I’d pass by It’s Bread and see the lights still on.

Of course, I knew baking takes a long time.

But realizing they do this every day, seven days a week, feels truly admirable.

There’s no flashy marketing here,

but regular customers always find their way back.

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In the morning, they sell leftover bread from the previous day.

Freshly baked goods start rolling out around noon.

My personal favorites — the chewy rice donuts and kkwabaegi — usually appear around 4 to 5 PM.

Sometimes, I wish they would post their operating hours or baking schedule on Instagram or Naver Maps.

But then again, if they had to hire someone for that, prices might go up — and I wouldn’t want that either.

Maybe this little bit of “inconvenience” is part of the magic that keeps people curious and coming back.

Honestly, if they ever post a hiring sign, I’d probably be the first to apply.

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It’s Bread.

Wake. Smell. Bite. Repeat.

Filling my days with the smell of fresh bread, one bite at a time.