Hongdae brunch café for truffle eggs Benedict and open sandwich: MELA

Hongdae brunch café MELA Hongdae

I went to grab brunch with a friend after a while at MELA Hongdae, a brunch café in Hongdae! The vibe was so good and the brunch menu was delicious, so I was really satisfied haha

Where is MELA Hongdae, and what is the café like inside?

MELA Hongdae is a walk from Hongdae Station Exit 1, so it was easy to get to. Since it's a brunch café, brunch menu items like pasta and sandwiches caught my eye from the front of the store. While waiting for my friend, I thought about what to order.

The front of the store had full glass windows so you could see right inside, and it already looked like a great atmosphere before I even walked in, haha, so I was excited.

True to being an Italian home-style brunch café, the interior felt warm and cozy. It's great for a Hongdae date and also great for a relaxed brunch with a friend, haha. I really loved the vibe!!

The tableware was also neatly arranged, haha.

What we ordered at MELA Hongdae and what it cost

Here's what my friend and I ordered!

• Iced Americano x2, ₩5,000 each
• Avocado ricotta open sandwich, ₩19,500
• Truffle mushroom eggs Benedict, ₩20,000

We ordered according to our own tastes.

The iced Americanos came out first. Since one drink per person is required, we each ordered one. The iced Americano wasn't the strongly acidic style, more on the nutty side, so it was easy to drink alongside the brunch dishes.

Truffle mushroom eggs Benedict, 20,000 won

The truffle mushroom eggs Benedict came out first! It looked so delicious the moment it arrived, haha. The bread was piled high with mushrooms, and there were even two eggs Benedict on top.

The sauce was drizzled generously and there was even a salad on the side, making it a perfect single-plate brunch!

When I cut into the eggs Benedict, the yolk oozed right out! There were tons of mushrooms too, so my mushroom-loving friend loved it — she's a total mushroom lover!!

Mixing the mushrooms, sauce, and yolk together and eating it with the bread made it even softer and nuttier. The eggs Benedict in particular was so soft it just melted!! You know menus like this taste better in one big bite, haha.

Eating it alongside the salad on the side kept it from feeling too rich, and they went well together! The dressing on the salad was a yuzu sauce, so it was sweet and tangy and delicious, haha.

Avocado ricotta open sandwich, 19,500 won

Next up was the avocado ricotta open sandwich I'd been looking forward to at MELA Hongdae! I heard it's a popular menu item. The bread was piled generously with avocado, topped with ricotta cheese and thin slices of ham.

There was salad and carrot on the side too, so the overall colors were pretty and it looked so appetizing!

The avocado was perfectly ripe, so it was really soft and nutty! I get why it's the popular menu item!! With the ricotta cheese piled on generously it felt even creamier and cleaner, and the jamón added a salty note that made the combination great, haha.

Eating it with the carrot rapée added a refreshing touch, making each bite so much brighter. Since the avocado and ricotta are on the soft, nutty side, the carrot rapée kept catching your palate in between bites. For me, piling on plenty of ricotta cheese was the tastiest combination :)

Is MELA Hongdae worth a brunch visit?

MELA Hongdae had a great atmosphere and delicious food, so overall I was very satisfied. Especially the avocado ricotta open sandwich — that's totally my style, I think I'll be craving it again! Next time I want to try other menu items too, like the pizza and pasta :)