Lilion Bakery Review: Hannam-Dong
Tucked away in Hannam-dong lies Lilion Bakery. A cozy bakery with European influence that draws you in with the aroma of its freshly baked bread. Come too late and finding a seat might be more difficult than you’d expected though.
For today’s visit, I tried their signature Lilion Baguette, chocolate chip cookie and blueberry matcha latte for a reasonable 18,000 Won.
Quick Info
Address: 15 Hannam-daero 27ga-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul / 서울 용산구 한남대로27가길 15 1층
Hours: 09:00 - 19:00 / Closed Mondays
English Menu Availability: Yes
Bread Freshness: Made daily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilion.bakery
Indoor Seats: Yes, somewhat limited
Contax G1 45mm | Reflx Lab 640t | Yeonnam Film
Lilion Baguette (Signature)
This signature item is a toasted baguette stuffed with butter and apple jam, made freshly here. First bite: wonderful and super promising. The bread is crunchy but not overly so, with a nice taste that I'm still not sure how to describe. Warm, a little airy, not overly chewy. Delicious but still allows for the insides to be the star of the show. The butter is good and pairs very well with the apple jam. The second bite was even better.
It comes pre-sliced. The filling melts in your mouth like a sweet treat, though it may be too close to dessert for some. I'm not sure how the jam or butter are sourced, but they don't have the cheap, processed taste of low quality pastries back in the States or here in South Korea from my experience.
The jam has very fine apple pieces in it. If you don't know they're there, you may not notice them. The slices don't all have equal filling, but that isn't a problem as they all had enough, and the ones with more of it felt like a dessert treat while the ones with less felt like a breakfast.
9/10. I really liked this and it felt distinct and unique. A sweet and lightly savory delight, but maybe not ideal if you lack a sweet tooth.
Chocolate Cookie
Not too soft that it turns mushy, nor too stiff that it explodes when you break it. Right away I noticed that, while it's a chocolate chocolate chip cookie, it isn't sweet or chocolatey to the point of being overwhelming. It's chewy without being so chewy that it's a chore to eat. This feels like an ideal chocolate cookie.
The salt sprinkled on top is a nice pairing. It isn't too much and instead enhances the cookie. It's not dry by any means, but it doesn't approach wetness either, and it isn't greasy.
8/10. It's just a great chocolate cookie. Nothing earth-shattering, but they do it right.
Blueberry Matcha Latte (+ Oat Milk ₩500)
The blueberry syrup sank to the bottom and was hard to mix. This may be my fault as I saved it for last but as far as I can tell wasn’t exactly any different visually when I received it.
The matcha tastes faint but not overly bitter, perhaps the ratio of matcha to milk was off or oat milk isn’t the best pairing for it. The blueberry syrup was pretty sweet, and I felt the need to drink it together with the matcha. Sips that were mostly syrup were overwhelmingly sweet. Despite loving matcha, this was the weakest part of the order.
4/10
Final Price: ₩18,000
Final Thoughts
It’s close to a few locations I visit for errands and is close to Itaewon so I’ll likely be back at some point as I’d love to try more of their breads. For those who enjoy European style bakeries, freshly baked treats or want something a bit autumn-coded through the warm baguette and apple jam offering, I’d recommend it.
The matcha was the only miss… but I guess I wouldn’t really associate matcha with a European bakery to begin with. Ultimately, while I’ve only tried two of their pastries, they were good enough to make me believe the rest of their offerings would be worth trying.