Mapo brunch for fig French toast and cream pasta: HEOD Gongdeok

Hi everyone~ it's Nyamnyam Kirby. I'd been craving brunch lately, and I found this pretty brunch spot along the Gyeongui Line park trail... and it was so good 🥹 Best French toast and pasta I've had in a while, no joke. Sharing it right away.

Where HEOD Gongdeok is and when it opens

HEOD Gongdeok is at 24 Gwangseong-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, right in front of the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail. It's open daily 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:30–17:00.

It's near Daeheung Station, and Sogang University is literally right in front??

The path is so pretty 💚💚 I bet Sogang students come here to unwind... jealous. The trail stretches on and on, so it's perfect for a walk haha.

Turns out HEOD is a chain? I thought it was a Korean word but the sign is in English — heod!!! The weather was nice so they had the windows open, which looked amazing... a pretty park out front and open-air seating, come on.

Fully booked, so we took the bar table: inside HEOD Gongdeok

HEOD Gongdeok has window seats, a bar table, and group tables, so it's also easy for solo diners. I went in when it was almost full, so I sat at the bar table (a bit of a shame 🥹🥹).

Isn't the vibe just great? The greenery out front is pretty, and with the cool weather, the window seats looked like they'd be amazing??

The interior was really pretty too. Clean but stylish decor everywhere~~ Bright atmosphere, plus group seating. There's a bar table too, so solo dining is easy ><

You can watch the drinks and French toast being made from the bar table. It's fun to watch, haha. The French toast looks so pretty that watching it get made is entertaining in itself lol.

There are quite a lot of seats, and a lot of people just have a quick brunch and leave, so table turnover seems fast~ Lots of couples come, but also quite a few families.

What is on the HEOD Gongdeok menu and in the sets?

If you post a review on Naver or Catch Table, you get a free orange juice or americano ✨✨ And I've only seen this at Western-style restaurants before, but they also do a mini cake for anniversaries at this brunch place!! So sweet 🥹 Seems like you need to mention it when booking.

There's a lunch set menu that's discounted only on weekdays between 11am and 1pm, and a steak set menu that's worth checking if you're ordering steak (doneness is medium only). There's also a gnocchi set — nice to have so many set options haha.

There's also a dinner set, all of which come with a salad. The French toast comes in 4 varieties — HEOD is known for French toast, so I recommend ordering at least one haha. Lots of coffee options too, and takeout gets you ₩1,000 off ><

So many tempting items on the à la carte menu, it was a shame we could only get two 😂😂 Next time I want to try the bisque lobster pizza and the aged kimchi pilaf.

How the napa cabbage cream pasta and fig French toast taste

There were two of us at HEOD Gongdeok, and we ordered 2 mains and 1 coffee. We picked the fig French toast since figs are in season, and the napa cabbage cream pasta because I had good memories of it from a Western restaurant.

So the two of us ordered 2 mains and 1 coffee! Figs are in season so I gave that a shot haha. I had such a good memory of napa cabbage from another Western restaurant that I ordered it here too~

Isn't the napa cabbage so cute lol. I love cream pasta, and this one was genuinely thick and rich, good enough to eat the sauce with a spoon 🥹 Wait, is this place actually a pasta place too?? The noodles were on the thicker side with a nice chew, and it was loaded with bacon ♥️

By the time we'd nearly finished the pasta, the toast arrived and it looked so pretty. Drizzle the syrup, cut it, top it with fruit and ice cream, and one bite and it just melts. The bread here really soaks up the milk and egg well, so the inside is super moist 🔥 We ate every last bite haha.

This isn't just a good-vibes brunch place — the food is genuinely delicious too! The Gyeongui Line Forest Trail out front is beautiful as well 💚