First escape room with my daughter in Hongdae: Cube Escape

Why Cube Escape Hongdae Branch for a first escape room?

I wanted to try an unusual date in Hongdae, so I went to Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, an escape room café, with my daughter. The truth is, I had never done an escape room before. I'd been curious about horror and thriller themes, but facing my first one was a little scary, haha. So I searched for escape rooms in Hongdae, and Cube Escape Hongdae Branch is the one I picked!

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch prices and opening hours

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch is at 15 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, in the Mugwang Building, 4th floor. It is open 12:00-22:40 (Saturday 10:00-24:00, Sunday 10:00-22:40). The more people in your group, the lower the price per person.

• 2 people: ₩22,500 per person
• 3 people: ₩20,000 per person
• 4 people: ₩19,000 per person
• 5 or more: ₩18,000 per person
• Groups of 15+: varies (ask the store)

How do you get to Cube Escape Hongdae Branch?

Leave Hongik Univ. Station by Exit 9 and keep walking straight. Turn into the alley between Baekyeon Tojong Samgyetang (a ginseng chicken soup restaurant) and Mega Coffee, and you'll spot the Harmony Mart building. Cube Escape is on the 4th floor. We came by bus after work and got off at the Seogyo-dong bus stop, then walked.

Let's head in with excited hearts~!

Booking and the weekday happy hour discount

I booked on the Cube Escape website beforehand. The site lists a weekday happy hour discount from 12:00 to 5:00 and other events, so it's worth checking and joining in, right?

Once you book, you get a confirmation text, and a reminder arrives on the day so you won't forget.

What is the atmosphere like at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch?

The hallway is decorated in brick, and with the dim lighting matched to the different themes, the mood was quite unique. It felt nothing like an ordinary café! My heart was pounding before we had even started, haha. Hongdae has so many things to do and unusual date ideas, and I was extra excited to try something I never had before.

When you arrive there's a counter. A staff member gives you the instructions and explanation, then you head into the play space!

Other people were already playing when we got there, probably a horror theme... Eek~ screams and thumping! We got nervous right along with them, haha!

A beginner's theme pick: Hansel and Gretel

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch has many themes, so you can choose to suit your taste. Since it was our first time, we booked Hansel and Gretel, which seemed easier to take on than a scary theme. Its difficulty is easy-to-medium, which sounded perfect for beginners like us. The time limit is 60 minutes! Could we escape safely?

The QR challenge and dedicated hint phone before you start

Before starting, you give customer consent via a QR code, then use another QR code to complete all the steps of a practice challenge, and you're ready!! Finishing the challenge earns you one extra hint, so be sure to take part~

Before the game begins, you put your belongings, phone included, in a locker, and they give you a dedicated phone. If you get stuck on a puzzle, you can check hints on this phone.

Hansel and Gretel in 60 minutes: how it actually went

My heart was racing!! Shall we begin? At the door, a staff member leads you inside by the hand with your eyes closed... huh?? hahaha! I was excited, but not knowing where I was going was also scary, and all sorts of thoughts ran through my head. For someone who had never done an escape room, it was a different experience from the moment we walked in.

Then it was time to start solving puzzles for real!! But... gulp!! I had no idea what to do from the very beginning. The puzzle was right in front of me, yet I had no idea where to start... As beginners, we spent ages just looking at the puzzle... and in the end we used a hint on the very first one.

Luckily my daughter solved things so smoothly, and she was such a comfort~ After a few puzzles, whenever one of us got stuck, we thought it over and solved it in our own ways. On my own I would have been totally lost, but putting our heads together brought up ideas I'd never have thought of, and we each saw things the other missed. Every puzzle we solved was so much fun, haha.

Hansel and Gretel is not a horror theme, so there are no scary scenes, but being in a tight space was a little frightening in itself. A room that would feel like nothing normally feels really different once the door closes and a time limit is ticking.

Result: failed to escape with 2 of 11 puzzles left

So after trying so hard, what was our result?? Sadly, we failed to escape!! hahahaha! Time ran out with two of the 11 Hansel and Gretel puzzles unsolved... We flailed around at the start and used up a lot of time. If we had caught on a little faster, we might have made it. So close~~~

Is Cube Escape Hongdae Branch good for a first escape room?

Our visit to Cube Escape Hongdae Branch was a different kind of date with my daughter. I was very nervous as a first-timer and wandered in front of the puzzles for a long time, but figuring out answers together turned out to be more fun than I expected. If you're looking for a date or something to do in Hongdae that's different from usual, I recommend trying an escape room café.

I also liked that Cube Escape Hongdae Branch has many themes to choose from by taste. If it's your first escape room like mine, though, starting with an easy difficulty is probably a good idea. Next time I'll start from the easiest level and definitely escape~!