Gluten Free and Vegan Cafe La Pause in Hapjeong, Seoul
Cafe La Pause is one of the classic choices for gluten-free and vegan cafés in Seoul, and it’s well-known for a good reason! I first visited Cafe La Pause in winter 2021 during the Covid pandemic when there weren’t many tourists in Seoul. Despite the circumstances, this place was always bustling with visitors and is equally popular among Korean locals and foreigners alike. While many cafés and restaurants tend to come and go in a short time frame, this relaxing vintage café with its elegant interior is likely to remain a staple for several more years.
Note: This cafe emphasizes that their products are vegan and gluten-free. BUT: Some of their cakes continue “gluten-free” wheat. (Yes, gluten-free wheat/oats etc. exist)
Cafe La Pause is conveniently situated in Hapjeong, just a 5-minute walk from exit 5. This street, aptly nicknamed the “cafe street” by my Korean friend, is not only dotted with numerous cafés but also boasts an array of restaurants and bars. Especially at night, the area comes alive with a bustling crowd. I’ve strolled these streets between Hapjeong and Hongdae on several occasions, and each time, I stumble upon new and exciting places.
Despite the lively atmosphere of these busy streets, Cafe La Pause stands out as a peaceful oasis. Its charming ambience, complete with an awning, a terrace, and rattan chairs outside, never fails to transport me to the streets of Paris.
The interior of Cafe La Pause exudes a similar charming atmosphere. A screen placed above the counter continuously plays classic movies starring Audrey Hepburn and other old-time favourites. Gentle, soothing music fills the air, complementing the elegant yet relaxed ambiance created by the wooden counter and the Persian-patterned carpet. Still, this is a place where you never feel the need to dress up before visiting, partly because of whimsical decorations like the Dobby doll (the elf from Harry Potter) positioned near the mirror. It’s clear they have a sense of humour.
Despite its popularity, Cafe La Pause provides plenty of space indoors, making it a rarity not to find an available table. You can almost always count on securing a free table, even during peak hours.
I particularly enjoy visiting at night, especially on rainy days, due to the unique atmosphere. However, it’s worth noting that they may have a reduced cake selection compared to daytime visits. Typically, they offer a wide variety of gluten-free and vegan cakes, including options like carrot cake, pumpkin cake, black blueberry cake, matcha cake, passion fruit cake, fig cake, Earl Grey cake, and more. Half of the cakes are labelled as gluten-free, while the other half are cakes which are gluten-free but contain whole grain wheat (yes, that’s right, it’s no contradiction!) , and all of them are vegan. Descriptions for each cake are provided in both Korean and English. Additionally, there is an English note for the foreign visitors (see below):
“All of our cakes are vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, refined sugar-free and unprocessed.
We only use whole ingredients such as nuts, soy nut milk, raw cacao powder, superfoods and
the most important thing is that all our desserts are made with love to treat your body and soul.”
I ordered a slice of whole wheat fig cake along with a cafe latte, which was served on what appeared to be a cut-out book page used as a coaster. As a book lover, I maybe should feel a bit less happy about using book pages this way, but it actually warms my heart. I’m always curious which book I might encounter. This time, it was a page from “Memoirs of Mrs. Laetitia Pilkington,” and on a previous visit, I had a page from “Game of Thrones” (yes, I had to Google it).
The fig cake was a really delicious and just the right size for one person. Typically, I can’t eat gluten or any type of grains, whether they contain gluten or not. However, I’ve never had much issues with the whole wheat options at Cafe La Pause. I must admit, though, that I wasn’t actually brave enough to try a whole grain cake on purpose, but ended up ordering it more by mistake, out of excitement to read that everything was gluten-free.
The fig cake had a honey-like sweetness and contained chunks of walnuts and figs, which I really enjoyed. The last time, I tried earl grey cake, which was also a delicious. Each slice of cake costs around 8000-9000 won, but considering the quality of the ingredients, I think the price is justified.
Final thoughts
Total: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)
Taste: ★★★★★
Variety: ★★★★☆ (3.5 only gluten free options)
Price: ★★★☆☆
Interior: ★★★★☆
Access: ★★★★★
Cafe “La Pause” has great options for vegan and gluten free cakes and I love it’s classy-vintage atmosphere. There are plenty of tables both inside and on the terrace, and the atmosphere remains peaceful even on busy days with a lot of customers. The cakes aren’t exactly cheap but considering the ingredients and how good they are worth the price.
Regardless of the vintage interior, the café does offer Wi-Fi and power outlets, like many cafés in Seoul.
LaPause
Monday～ Tuesdays 12:00-22:00, Sundays 13:00-21:00
Instagram: lala_lapause
Adress: Seoul, Mapo-gu, Hapjeong-dong, 412-2번지 1층
2 Comments
bonni
You seemed to continually contradicted yourself. You write saying that ALL their cakes are gluten free and then you say half a made with whole wheat. So, what is it?
Something can’t be gluten free and contain whole wheat flour.
Also you often don’t seem to be particularly careful about promoting gluten free places. All of what I have read so far are barely gluten free. Nothing you are promoting for your lifestyle hahstags would be considered safe.
Don’t claim to be gluten free, when you are clearly NOY.
glutenfreeinseoul.com
Thank you for your comment. And I understand your concern.
Firstly, there are whole wheat flour and starch types that get processed in a way so they don’t contain gluten (Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains and YES something can contain wheat or barley etc. but still be gluten-free! There are a lot of gluten-free barley types on the market as well for breakfast cereals etc.) In my case, this often doesn’t help me, because I still react to several grains, even if they don’t contain the (gluten) protein. In other cases it works.
Also, it is very hard to find 100% gluten-free places which also promote themselves as such (Though as you can see in the pictures this Cafe La Pause does, THEY claim they are gluten-free as well). Many places promote themselves only as “using 100% rice flour” or only call some of their products “made 100% of rice flour” or “gluten-free”. Still, since I explain everything in detail in the blog I think I can use hastags like gluten-free because there are a lot of people who are not affected by traces and the others I tell to be careful in the blog, in case they have to be. I wished there WERE more places that could be considered 100% save, but since many aren’t I introduce them as possibilities and explain what they offer/are. Please try not to spread negativity and inform yourself as well. Of course, constructive criticism is always welcome for the sake of everybody! But let’s not sound too aggressive (I take hours to write an article because I also double-check places I write about and no, I don’t get paid at all).