Jongno dessert takeout: choco pies eaten 5 min from frozen, Ssuk's

I love sweet snacks way too much. So I went to Ssuk's Choco Pie, the shop that got a patent for Korea's first mugwort choco pie. It's famous as a Gwangjang Market must-visit, and I tried all six flavors — here's my honest review. :-)

Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul hours, parking and location

Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul is inside Gwangjang Market, a 2-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jongno 5-ga Station. It's open weekdays 11:00-18:30 and weekends 10:00-19:00, and there's no parking.

• Hours: Weekdays 11:00 - 18:30 / Weekends 10:00 - 19:00
• Parking: Not available
• Location: 2-minute walk from Exit 7, Jongno 5-ga Station

Visiting Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul inside Gwangjang Market

Arrived at the Gwangjang Market must-visit, Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul branch. Ssuk's first started in Gwangju in 2016 and rose to fame as a Gwangjang Market hotspot in Seoul in 2024. I'd wanted to visit for a while since it's so well known, and finally made it. As you'd expect from Gwangjang Market, there were quite a few foreign customers too.

Ssuk's Choco Pie is said to be Korea's first mugwort choco pie — and it's even patented!

The store is takeout only. You can reserve on Naver and pick up right away, and there's currently a Naver coupon available too

• Free cookie sampler
• 1 free item with purchases over ₩30,000

Definitely check the coupon before you visit 🤙🏻

Besides the signature choco pies, Ssuk's also has scones, cookies, cheesecake and more. These desserts are made special too, using local ingredients like sea-breeze mugwort and tofu 😗!! I'm especially curious about the Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort and domestic soybean tofu. (The names alone sound nutty and delicious.)

You can buy the 6-piece or 3-piece gift sets at a discounted price, and the shop even offers courier shipping! So convenient for gifting 🎁

Got myself a 6-piece set. I'll introduce the best menu items below 💚

All 6 choco pie flavors tasted, and the best one

Ssuk's is a mugwort dessert brand. Among their many desserts, what I ate today is a fresh choco pie — a moist choco pie loaded with various ingredients.

[Choco pie flavor list]

• Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort
• Udo peanut
• Sea-breeze mugwort with whole red bean
• Gwangju real chocolate
• Nonsan strawberry
• Sea-breeze mugwort injeolmi

They use local specialties from various regions, so there are unique choco pies here you wouldn't normally see elsewhere.

Do frozen choco pies taste good after just 5 minutes out?

Ssuk's Choco Pie says it's best eaten after keeping it frozen, then thawing naturally for 15 minutes. For reference, I kept mine frozen and took it out for only about 5 minutes before eating it icy-cold — and it was still so good?? It had a texture kind of like chocolate ice cream! Now I'm curious about the scones and cookies too, I want to try everything 🤤

Best flavor: sea-breeze mugwort with whole red bean

My number one best was the sea-breeze mugwort with whole red bean. First I was surprised by the nutty mugwort flavor, then surprised again by how generous the whole red beans were. Truly 'whole red bean' — you can bite into individual beans, and it's genuinely delicious.

And the second best was the Jeju Udo peanut. I love a nutty, crunchy texture, and this one hit my preferences perfectly haha. It's not just plain sweet, it's got that toasty flavor — even my mom loved it 🤤

Gwangju real chocolate, a choco pie that tastes like tiramisu

My second favorite menu item is the Gwangju real chocolate!

This tiramisu-like, chocolate-drenched real chocolate pie has cocoa powder generously dusted over the fresh choco pie, plus chocolate chips studded inside for a great texture too. 🤎

For reference, Ssuk's says its own ranking is injeolmi / Nonsan strawberry / Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort. Hahaha honestly they're all good!! Ssuk's Choco Pie, the Gwangjang Market must-visit, is also perfect as a gift 💚