Mapo brunch restaurant for butter French toast: HEOD Gongdeok

The weather has been so lovely lately that it feels like such a waste if I don't go out for even one day. Today, I strolled along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, then had a leisurely time with a friend at this great brunch spot in Gongdeok. HEOD, already hot in Yeonnam-dong! The view is looking good already, right~

HEOD Gongdeok location and hours

1F, 24 Gwangseong-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea Open daily, 11:00–21:00 (Break time 15:30–18:00) Naver Place currently lists it as HEOD Gongdeok, but it is expected to be updated to HEOD Mapo soon!

HEOD Mapo, a popular Gongdeok brunch restaurant, is only a 3–4 minute walk from Daheung Station. The Gyeongui Line Forest Park continues all the way from Yeonnam, so it's a lovely place to come even after deliberately taking a long walk.

This place is quite popular for pasta in Gongdeok, so even on a weekday, we visited with a 1 p.m. reservation. The restaurant was full of guests, and I was so glad we had booked ahead~ I highly recommend reserving through Naver! The whole front was open, a cool breeze drifted through, there was forest in front of us, and the atmosphere was just so nice.

A comfortable all-day brunch space

HEOD Mapo serves all-day brunch, with fairly affordable prices and truly excellent service. The notices posted outside convey such warmth—dogs are welcome, there is a military discount, and they have clearly put thought into waiting guests. There wasn't the slightest hint of unfriendliness. The staff were so kind! I heard there are lots of regulars here, and I left with such a good impression that I genuinely wanted to come every day.

There were always guests around, so I snapped these tables in little gaps! The restaurant isn't huge, but everything is arranged snugly and nicely, and there is a bar table by the counter. The interior isn't overly flashy—comfortable, with just a spoonful of mood—so apparently lots of people come here for blind dates too~

Request a Gyeongui Line Forest Park view when reserving

The nice thing about making a Naver reservation is this! You can request a refreshing Gyeongui Line Forest Park view. But since it is so popular, you need to do that well in advance!

We were shown to this forest-view spot where we could sit side by side, and I loved it!

You order by QR code, but I love that they also have this large, easy-to-read menu board!

Butter French toast and iced lattes

HEOD is known as a great pasta and brunch spot in Gongdeok, but I think French toast may be what made it famous. Swipe over and you'll find the toast menu! There are also all kinds of all-day brunch dishes, including pasta, gnocchi, salads, steak, and pilaf. My friend and I had eaten at an awkward time before meeting, so we ended up getting one toast each. And one latte each too~

• Iced latte ₩5,500 x 2
• Butter French toast ₩12,800 x 2

I stepped outside to take photos for my friend and got a shot of the lattes too! The cups with the HEOD logo were pretty, and the lattes were nutty and refreshing. You could really tell the milk they use has a different depth of flavor~

Ta-da! One toast per person has arrived. We got the most basic butter French toast: thick sliced bread, cut lengthwise in advance and toasted. You can drizzle sweet syrup to taste or add whipped cream. I especially loved that whipped cream—it was thick and bouncy, and there was plenty of it.

It is made through a long aging process, so it was soft while still moist inside. I think I would have been sad if I had shared it with my friend. Eating it all by myself made me so happy!

Honestly, I only pretended to drizzle the syrup—I got enough of a sugar boost from the whipped cream alone. If I had ordered an Americano, though, I might have poured it on boldly.

HEOD Mapo is a wonderful Gongdeok brunch restaurant that pairs a comfortable, atmospheric setting with a Gyeongui Line Forest Park view! Next time, I should have a proper meal from the brunch menu.