# Hongdae café in Seoul for peach bingsu with gelato: MELA Hongdae - By Dohee (https://superchart.com/en/@incheon-napkin-book/) - Written Sep 16, 2026 - Local places › Cafés › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@incheon-napkin-book/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@incheon-napkin-book/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/index.md) ## In short MELA Hongdae is a brunch café near Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul that also serves seasonal bingsu (shaved ice) and desserts. On a visit with a friend, the order was gelato-topped peach bingsu and Marlenka cocoa cake with coffee, and the peach bingsu came loaded with fruit — cool and tangy. MELA Hongdae said persimmon bingsu takes over once peach season ends, so time your visit for the seasonal dessert you want. ## Good to know - **Ordered**: Peach bingsu (topped with gelato), Marlenka cocoa cake, coffee - **Bingsu season**: Persimmon bingsu due to start the following week, once peach season ended (as announced at the time of the visit) - **The café**: Spacious interior with photo zones throughout; every seat was taken at the time of the visit - **Other desserts**: Croissants, apple pie and cookies to pair with coffee *as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026* ![Signature photo of MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-01-16rcd-1200.webp) A go-to Hongdae brunch café Today I went to MELA Hongdae, a Hongdae brunch café, with a friend. I got to spend a relaxing time with my favorite peach bingsu (shaved ice dessert) and a cup of coffee, and it was so nice 💕 Also, funny little episode — a foreign visitor struck up small talk with us and it was actually really fun, haha,,ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ ![Photo from a visit to MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-02-1gr64-900.webp) ## MELA Hongdae: the storefront and the room inside Here's the exterior of MELA Hongdae ![Exterior of MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-03-17cix-900.webp) Lots of gorgeous-looking brunch dishes in sight ![Brunch menu sign at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-04-1quys-900.webp) Peach bingsu 🍑 topped with gelato — the moment I saw it I knew this was the one, haha. Apparently next week peach season ends and persimmon bingsu comes out instead. Persimmon season is coming,, ![Sign for gelato-topped peach bingsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-05-10cz3-900.webp) ![Seasonal bingsu sign at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-06-lnca5-900.webp) The interior was spacious ![Spacious interior of MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-07-3h3bd-900.webp) Every corner was pretty, so the photo zones were well set up too 📷🎥🤳 ![Photo zone space at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-08-e8cof-900.webp) ![Interior decor at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-09-pta6o-900.webp) ![Seating inside MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-10-1thq4-900.webp) ![Café space at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-11-l97rz-900.webp) ## What we ordered at MELA Hongdae and where we sat > Our order There were also croissants, apple pie and cookies to order alongside coffee ![Display of croissants, apple pie, cookies and more](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-12-9df8q-900.webp) Since it was fully seated, I ended up at a big table ![Seated at a large table](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-13-10ee3-900.webp) The dessert came out first, along with our coffee ![Coffee and dessert served first](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-14-19vdg-900.webp) The peach bingsu came with syrup too — the visuals were just so good 🍪🥠🍪🥠🍪🥠🍪 ![Peach bingsu served with syrup](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-15-b2y5o-900.webp) ## What does MELA Hongdae's peach bingsu taste like? Gelato sits on top of the peach, and there was no holding back on the peach either — loaded generously 🍑 Scoop up a big spoonful of gelato ![A spoonful of gelato on the peach bingsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-16-11q0h-900.webp) Eat it together with the peach and it's basically honey 🍯🍯🍯 total flavor bomb ![Bingsu piled generously with peach flesh](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-17-jtyke-900.webp) It's peach season these days, so I kept craving peach desserts, and this bingsu hit the spot 🍑 Great for eating something cool too! Just looking at it makes you hungry, with peaches piled on generously — super satisfying 💕 The sweet, well-ripened, juicy peach and the soft shaved ice melted together beautifully in the mouth. The peach wasn't too sour or bland — just sweet enough, and it paired really well with the bingsu 🍑 You'd bite into peach chunks here and there, good texture, and it was cool and refreshing — perfect dessert for a hot day haha Sometimes bingsu that's too sweet gets tiring after a few spoonfuls, but thanks to the peach's tanginess, I kept reaching for more than I expected haha. Couldn't put the spoon down ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Sweet peach + soft shaved ice really is a combo that never fails 🤍 It went well with coffee too, and wasn't too much to share between two people! If you like peaches, this is a menu item worth trying before the season ends 🍑 — if you're looking for a cool summer dessert, go for the peach bingsu ❄️💕 ![Marlenka cocoa cake with its many thin layers](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake-18-x2m42-900.webp) ## Marlenka cocoa cake with coffee at MELA Hongdae Unlike a typical fluffy cake, Marlenka cocoa cake has cream layered between several thin sheets, so one bite is moist yet chewy! You could really taste the rich cocoa flavor, which chocolate dessert lovers would enjoy 🍫 It wasn't too dry — the cream and sheets blended well so it went down smoothly, and it was subtly sweet with a slight bitterness from the cocoa, so it never got tiring. Eating it with coffee, the sweet cake and bitter coffee combo was just right ☕️💕 Even just one slice felt pretty satisfying, and you get to enjoy a texture that's a bit different from regular chocolate cake, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different. That's my review of MELA Hongdae, a go-to Hongdae brunch spot! ## Where it is - MELA Hongdae (멜라 홍대점) - 41 World Cup buk-ro 5-gil, 1st Floor, Unit 105, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 월드컵북로5길 41 1층 105호 - 37.5561238, 126.9167212 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%A9%9C%EB%9D%BC%20%ED%99%8D%EB%8C%80%EC%A0%90/@37.5561238,126.9167212,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@incheon-napkin-book/mela-hongdae-peach-bingsu-malenka-cake/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt