Hongdae escape room: level 4 Towering disaster at Cube Escape

We'd been doing the same old movie-and-café dates over and over, so we wanted something different — Cube Escape, an escape room café in Hongdae! We visited once before and had so much fun that we came back this time 😙

Last time we did the Pyramid theme, which they recommend for beginners, but this time we challenged ourselves with the slightly harder Towering (disaster) theme! Spoiler: as beginners... Pyramid definitely suited us better 🤣 Still, we had a blast this time too.

Where is Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, and what are the hours?

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch is on the 4th floor of Mugwang Building, 15 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's about a 6-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station.

• Mon–Thu 11:00 - 23:45
• Fri, Sat 10:00 - 00:05
• Sun 10:00 - 23:45
• Reservation required
• No parking (Gyeongnam Public Parking Lot recommended)

Where to park near Cube Escape Hongdae Branch

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch itself has no parking, so we parked at the nearby Gyeongnam Public Parking Lot. Since it's close to Hongik University Station, it's convenient to visit by public transit too, but we drove this time.

It's about a 4-minute walk from Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, so it's pretty close. Since it's a public lot tucked inside an alley, there aren't many spaces, but compared to other lots nearby, the parking fee is on the cheaper side.

We parked for about an hour and the fee came out to ₩2,300! Other lots charge around ₩3,000 for an hour, so if you're parking in Hongdae, I'd recommend Gyeongnam Public Parking Lot 👍🏻 That said, since spaces are limited, you'll want to check availability first! We got lucky and grabbed a spot~

How to book Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, and what it costs

Reservations are required at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch. You can book through Naver Reservation, or through their website, which also allows same-day booking.

What Cube Escape Hongdae Branch looks like inside

Just like last time, the store interior is on the cozy side, but it has everything you need — a waiting area, chargers, indoor slippers, and even a restroom.

I liked that they have a variety of themes ready, so you can pick a different one each time you visit! That's actually why we came back 😆

Is the level 4 Towering (disaster) theme too hard for beginners?

This time we picked the Towering (disaster) theme, at level 4 difficulty! Last time's Pyramid was level 3, so this time we went up a notch 💪🏻 Honestly, since we're escape room beginners, we were a bit worried, but having done one before gave us a little more confidence lol.

But level 4 really was different 🤣 It was definitely hard for us. Of course, since they give up to 4 hints, we weren't so stuck that we couldn't do anything at all! We could work through puzzles one by one using the hints, so it wasn't impossible, but the puzzles themselves were a bit tough for us 😂 Some of them left us going, 'Wait... what does this even mean?' even after seeing the hint, lol.

In the end... we sadly failed to escape 🥹 Hehe... last time with Pyramid we barely made it out, but this time we failed, which was a bit disappointing lol. But failing didn't mean it wasn't fun — the process of racking our brains to the very end was genuinely enjoyable! Still, as beginners, Pyramid suited us way better. If you haven't done many escape rooms, I'd definitely recommend Pyramid! 👍🏻

The theme the staff recommended next: Hansel and Gretel

So we asked the staff for another theme recommendation. We asked about the Hansel and Gretel theme since we were thinking of trying it next, and they said it's also level 4 but a bit more intuitive than Towering (disaster). Since we tend to prefer puzzles that are more intuitive to understand and solve rather than overly convoluted ones, we're planning to try Hansel and Gretel next 😆 We failed this time, but we'll make sure to escape successfully next time lol.

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch: the verdict

We failed to escape this time, but Cube Escape, the Hongdae escape room café, was fun enough that we came back for a second visit! I especially liked that they have multiple themes so you can choose based on difficulty or preference. But if you're an escape room beginner like us, level 4 might be a bit tough! If it's your first visit, I highly recommend Pyramid 👍🏻

If you're like me — not much escape room experience, and you prefer working through puzzles step by step rather than overly complex ones — Pyramid will probably be more fun for you. On the other hand, if you've done a fair number of escape rooms or want something more challenging, Towering (disaster) is worth trying too! Since hints are provided, it's not impossible to finish, but beginners like us might struggle a bit 🤣

Who this escape room is best for

• Anyone tired of the same movie-and-café dates and wanting something new
• Anyone looking for a unique date spot in Hongdae
• Friends who want to try a different kind of experience together
• Anyone looking for an indoor date spot
• Anyone who wants to enjoy varying difficulty levels, from escape room beginners to enthusiasts
• Anyone looking for a good-value escape room café in Hongdae
• Anyone who wants to visit multiple times and try different themes

And if it's your first time doing an escape room, Pyramid comes highly recommended! If you're a beginner like us, I'd especially suggest starting with Pyramid 😆 We're planning to give Hansel and Gretel a shot next. Will we finally escape successfully next time... lol