Hongdae board game café with younger classmates: Blue Marble, Hero

I actually went back to university this semester, haha.. Even though I'm older, I hang out with the younger students, and I've found that the easiest way to get close is to go to a board game café and play together rather than just sit in a regular café. The thing is, most places charge by the hour, so going with a group can get pricey. Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 won me over because its unlimited plan is so cheap.

Location and hours of Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1

Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 is on the main street near Exit 9 of Hongik Univ. Station. It is open Monday to Thursday 1 pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday 12 pm to 1 am, and Sunday 12 pm to midnight.

The café is on the second floor, so you don't even need the elevator. Just walk up the stairs.

What games do they have?

Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 has a really wide range of board games. Some of them made me think, wait, that game exists?

There are also a pool table and mini arcade machines, so it was a spacious, comfortable board game café with all kinds of games, a great thing to do in Hongdae.

How much is the weekday unlimited plan?

On weekdays, Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 offers an unlimited plan for ₩6,000 per person. You have to order one drink each, but drinks are also reasonably priced in the ₩4,000 range, so I really, truly loved it.

We were seated just to play board games. We came at 7 pm on a weekday and stayed until 10:30 pm, so I think it's a real bargain.

We also got a variety of snacks through the review event and the Instagram follow event.

What drinks and snacks did we order?

This is the drink menu.

This is the bingsu (shaved ice dessert) and snack menu. Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 has a lot of drinks and snacks. We ordered chamomile tea and apple mango ade, plus shrimp chips and sweet chili fries for snacks.

Before the food came out, we played a quick game of making skewers.

While we were playing, the drinks and food were ready, so I went to pick them up. I loved that the drinks come in a carrier so you can carry them safely.

And here are the shrimp chips and sweet chili fries we ordered because we needed snacks. The sweet chili fries were my pick, and the sweet chili sauce tasted a bit like the one on Ogamja (a Korean potato snack), so they were better than I expected. You could easily make a meal of it while playing.

Blue Marble, ice breaking and Rummikub with the 2007-born juniors

I got bored partway through and suggested Blue Marble (Korea's Monopoly-style game), but when the kids brought one over, it had evolved so much and become so high-tech; even the pieces got super fancy!

I mean, I was playing with 2007-born kids, and even they were asking why Blue Marble got so high-tech, so that means I haven't just gotten old, right? T_T It was really funny but also baffling. I, the senior of seniors, landed on a landmark in the end, yelled "I'm not playing, I quit!" and flipped the board in a tantrum, and those sweet little darlings put up with all of their unnie's (older sister's) hysterics,,

Then we played the ice breaking game

I'm a total Rummikub pro, so we played Rummikub. Besides that, they also had friendship Jenga and couple Jenga, and there were so many fun games. Next time I need a board game café, I'll definitely come back to Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1.