Delicious Gluten Free Cakes at Another Ssong in Seoul

Another Ssong (어나더쏭) is a completely gluten-free café with a cozy, vintage-chic charm.
It’s conveniently located just a 7-minute walk from Gunja Station (군자역) on Line 5, situated in the Gwangjin District in the east of Seoul. If you’re looking to spend an afternoon in the area, you can enjoy a coffee and a piece of cake at Another Ssong, take a stroll to Seoul Children’s Grand Park, and then wrap up the day with dinner and drinks in the neighborhood near Konkuk University.

Note: The cafe emphasizes on Instagram and their Kakao page that they use only rice flour and are gluten free.

Gluten-free cafe 어나더쏭 Another Ssong might seem like a regular cafe at first glance. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice the sign “made of rice” in the window. Here, you can enjoy coffee, desserts, and order lettering cakes upon request.

Despite the calm atmosphere in the cafe, it was quite busy on the Saturday we visited, and it seemed especially popular among Korean guests (because it is probably not easy to find for foreigners, but I am trying to change that 😁). Nevertheless, there were enough available seats, including several tables inside and outside, and a cozy corner bench in the back.

On Saturday afternoon, with some desserts already sold out, the cake selection wasn’t as extensive, but there was still plenty of variety.
They offered also different cookies like Yakwa cookies, sweet potato cookies, protein chocolate cookies to white chocolate matcha cookies, and more.

In addition, there were ‘Bottle Cakes’ in square plastic packaging with corn and sweet pumpkin, as well as chestnut cake and corn cake.
Black sesame cake, cheddar cheese cake, fig cake, and vanilla pudding were already sold out that they but seem to be usually available and I read in a Korean blog that they also have really delicious strawberry cake. A slice of cake cost approximately 8,000 won.
(Unfortunately I only noticed the note that says “Earl Grey chiffon cake, available only on weekends”, only when I uploaded the pictures to the blog. (How could I overlook a cake like that 🙁 ?!)

Note: If you eat cake with chocolate dough, ask if they put Oreos in it and tell them about your allergy! When I ordered a lettering cake online, I came across a note that said that ordered cakes with chocolate sheets contain cookies (oreos) but they can make them without oreos as well. I am not sure how it is with the cakes they sell directly in the cafe though.

I didn’t see an English menu, but the note at the counter assured in Korean: ‘Everything is made from rice flour. Wheat flour is not used!’ The riceflour Another Ssong cafe uses for their desserts is also 100% from Korea.

On the right side next to the picture with the note, you can see other sweets, like Earl Grey crumbles for 4,500 won, Madeleines for 2,500 won, and birthday decorations.

On the first sight, Another Ssong’s interior appears vintage-cozy with its wooden facade and old-fashioned counter. However, taking a closer look inside shows that there is more to that, like plants like palms, rattan lamps and detailed decoration (see two pictures further below).

The benches in the back where cozy but it was a bit dark and since the weather was nice that day we decided to take a table outside.

Note at the wall saying “Couples, please keep your hands off each other! … We walk around a lot and can see you. How embarrassing (*ﾉωﾉ)” (😂)

(I’m not sure exactly what it is, but the cafe’s decor had a vibe I’ve only seen in Korean cafes so far, something I haven’t come across in European. I’m still figuring out how I could maybe bring something like that into my living room without dismantling everything and putting up new wallpapers.👀)

We ordered our usual drinks and a slice of Chestnut Cake! While I’ve seen corn, fruit, and sweet potato cakes in several gluten-free cafes, Chestnut flavor was a rarity. The taste reminded me of Clement Faugier’s Marron Cream (sounds fancy but it is actually available in a lot of supermarkets!), which I loved as a child. Even Mr. Sogumbbang, who didn’t even like chestnuts before that cake, found it delicious and still talks about the cake weeks later. The only thing I regret is overlooking the Earl Grey Chiffon Cake on the note at the counter! When I have time, I’ll visit Another Ssong again to order it and write about it again.

Final thoughts

The gluten-free cafe 어나더쏭 Another Ssong! Where do I begin? The cake tastes great, the decor is chic, and there are outdoor seating options! (Which is not every cafe has.) It’s a bit of a shame that the cake selection was already limited on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t really a problem. Another Ssong is not centrally located, but it can still be easily accessed and combined with enough activities in the area. After visiting it became one of my favorite cafes. (I know, I’ve said that about some other places too a few times, but I really mean it 👀).
Additionally, the lettering cakes they offer on order look good, and prices are reasonable, especially considering that the cakes are gluten-free. Maybe I’ll order one for an upcoming birthday.

Total: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)
Taste: ★★★★★
Variety: ★★★★☆ (4)
Interior: ★★★★☆ (3.5)
Access: ★★★★☆ (4)
Price: ₩₩₩ (normal prices for cake in Seoul)

어나더쏭 Another Ssong
Monday 12:00~17:00 / Tuesday~Friday, Sunday 9:30~21:00 / Saturday 9:30~22:00
Instagram
Kakaotalk custom order (in Korean)
Google Maps: 265 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul (pictures and information on Naver Map have been more recently updated)
Naver Map