Gwangjang Market choco pie shop where a couple's picks split: Ssuk's

Gwangjang Market usually brings to mind traditional food like bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) or yukhoe (beef tartare). But while wandering around the market, a green, stylish-looking space suddenly caught my eye 👀💚 A place this cute and charming, right in the middle of cozy old Gwangjang Market? I couldn't just walk past — that's how I found Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul (쑥스초코파이 서울).

This time we didn't just pick one — we got the 6-piece gift set and tried all six flavors 🎁 Spoiler: my fiancé's and my favorites turned out to be completely different.

A green dessert shop tucked inside Gwangjang Market

Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul is a dessert shop we ran into while soaking in the cozy old-market vibe of Gwangjang Market. It sits right in the middle of the market, and its all-green exterior catches your eye even from a distance.

The green, polished exterior looked so different from everything around it that it instantly grabbed my attention 💚 I had no idea a dessert shop with this kind of vibe was hiding inside the market — a nice little surprise. It's even cuter once you step inside.

The space is decorated mainly in green, with cute characters and packaging scattered around — great for photos, and fun for picking out gifts too 🌱 If you're looking for a slightly different snack while exploring Gwangjang Market, or a souvenir to bring back from Seoul, this makes a nice stop on your Gwangjang Market food tour.

Why we chose the 6-piece gift set at Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul

What we picked at Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul was the 6-piece gift set. Looking at each one, the flavors were all so different that it was genuinely hard to decide what to get. So we kept it simple and went with the full 6-piece set 🙌🏻

You get to try Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort, Gwangju real choco, Udo peanut, Nonsan strawberry, sea-breeze mugwort red bean, and sea-breeze mugwort injeolmi (rice cake with roasted bean powder) one by one — so if it's your first visit, comparing all these flavors is definitely worth it.

The packaging is pretty and all green, and each piece is neatly wrapped, so it's great whether you're buying them for yourself or as gifts 🎀

Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort: one half of the couple's top pick

Let me start with my favorite. No contest for me — it's Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul's Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort 💚

Through the soft whipped cream, a subtle mugwort aroma comes through — not too bitter or overpowering, so it's easy to eat without any hesitation.

It's a sweet dessert, but with the mugwort flavor it doesn't feel purely sugary, so I kept reaching for more. If you have an old-soul palate that loves mugwort rice cakes or mugwort desserts, you have to try this one 🌿

Choco pies usually seem like they'll be heavy and sugary, but the Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort one I tried had such a soft combo of cream and mugwort that it went down surprisingly easily. Living up to the shop's name, even the basic mugwort flavor is genuinely delicious.

Gwangju real choco: the other half's favorite

On the flip side, my fiancé's favorite was, without a doubt, Gwangju real choco.

It's coated in cocoa powder and packed with rich chocolate, so out of all six flavors this one has the strongest chocolate presence 🍫 He must have really loved it, because he was eating it so intently that he didn't even notice all the chocolate around his mouth 🤭

I burst out laughing when I saw it and had to point it out. That's how focused he was on his favorite. If you love chocolate, going straight for Gwangju real choco isn't a bad move at all.

Udo peanut: the nutty choco pie

If you love nutty desserts, go for the Udo peanut. Made with peanuts from Udo Island, Jeju, it combines the sweetness of the cream with a distinct peanut flavor.

Unlike the choco or strawberry flavors that hit you right away, this one grows on you the more you eat, in a nutty, savory way. It went well with a cup of coffee, and I thought it'd be a safe, easy pick to share with parents ☕️

Nonsan strawberry: sweet with a tangy edge

Nonsan strawberry looked appealing just from its appearance. It's made with a purée cooked from real Nonsan strawberries, and the tangy strawberry flavor cutting through the sweet cream really changes the whole vibe 🍓

While eating the choco pie, bursts of sweet-tart strawberry kept coming through, making this one of the more refreshing options out of the six. If you prefer a familiar, bright dessert flavor over mugwort or red bean, Nonsan strawberry will probably suit you well.

Sea-breeze mugwort with whole red bean: the classic pairing

Mugwort with red bean — you can probably already picture the flavor from the name alone. The sea-breeze mugwort red bean uses a red bean cream made with domestic red beans, so you get both the fragrant mugwort and the sweet, nutty red bean flavor together.

Even with red bean in it, it didn't feel heavy like a red bean bun — instead it blended smoothly with the soft cream for a proper dessert feel. If you love both mugwort and red bean like I do, it's fun to compare this one side by side with the Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort 🫘🌿

Sea-breeze mugwort injeolmi: the chewiest of the six

Last up: sea-breeze mugwort injeolmi.

This one has both injeolmi cream and actual injeolmi rice cake pieces inside, so out of all six it had by far the most interesting texture. Biting into the chewy rice cake in the middle of the soft choco pie and cream genuinely felt like eating actual injeolmi, with the roasted bean powder adding extra nuttiness on top 🤎

Mugwort + injeolmi + rice cake is a combo that fans of traditional Korean desserts will especially enjoy. Having tried all six, I realized it's not just the names that differ — each flavor really has its own distinct character, and cutting each piece to compare was genuinely fun.

Beyond choco pies: scones, cookies and mugwort milk tea

Since it's called Ssuk's Choco Pie, I assumed choco pies were all they made, but the display case showed quite a variety of other desserts too.

There are distinctive scones like Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort, domestic soybean tofu, and real choco, plus cookies like mugwort salt, sweet pumpkin, and choco macadamia — great for picking up other baked treats beyond the choco pies 🍪

There's even a mugwort milk tea, which as a mugwort lover myself made the lineup pretty tempting. Next time I want to skip the choco pie and try the scone, cookie, and milk tea combo instead.

A gift box worth carrying home from Gwangjang Market

Finding such a cute, polished dessert shop inside a market full of traditional food made it all the more memorable. Above all, tasting all six flavors was genuinely fun for figuring out our own preferences — so for a first visit, the 6-piece gift set is a solid choice.

My fiancé ate Gwangju real choco with chocolate all over his mouth, while I, of course, fell for Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort 🌿🍫 If you're exploring Gwangjang Market and craving a different kind of dessert, or looking for a Seoul souvenir that comes nicely packaged, slip Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul into your Gwangjang Market food tour.

It's fun finding your own favorite flavor 💚