Sogang University brunch spot for mashed chicken steak: HEOD Gongdeok

I went looking for a relaxed brunch near Daeheung Station and ended up at HEOD Gongdeok (해옫 마포). On weekends I always end up hunting for a place where I can eat leisurely somewhere between late morning and lunch, and this spot had a great range — from light French toast to a hearty steak.

Where is HEOD Gongdeok? In front of Sogang University, next to the Gyeongui Line Forest Park

HEOD Gongdeok sits on Gwangseong-ro 6-gil in Mapo-gu, right in front of Sogang University with the Gyeongui Line Forest Park just outside the door. It's an easy walk from either Sogang University Station or Daeheung Station, so it's a great stop to fold into a stroll. Apparently the brand first got famous for French toast in Jumunjin, Gangneung back in 2022, and has since opened several branches around Mapo, Seoul. HEOD Gongdeok is a lovely place to eat slowly while taking in the Gyeongui Line scenery on a nice day.

HEOD Gongdeok hours, parking and corkage

• Address: 24 Gwangseong-ro 6-gil, 1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time 15:30–17:00, last order 19:50, open year-round
• Paid parking available: Sinsu public parking lot (₩2,400 per 30 min) or via the Modoo Parking app
• Pet-friendly
• Corkage ₩20,000 per bottle: all alcohol allowed except soju and beer

Inside HEOD Gongdeok: terrace seats and a diamond-shaped bar table

The interior at HEOD Gongdeok is decorated in a cute, cozy style. The terrace seats facing the Gyeongui Line Forest Park filled up fast with the opening rush. The bar table, great for solo dining, is diamond-shaped, which keeps things from feeling monotonous and makes moving around easy. It's an open kitchen, so you can watch the food being made, and the floor-to-ceiling windows give the whole place an open, airy feel — a real Daeheung Station gem.

Beyond meals, you can also order coffee, and wine is available too, so it's a good spot for brunch, lunch, or dinner alike.

HEOD Gongdeok menu, from French toast to steak

HEOD Gongdeok's menu spans French toast, gnocchi, pasta, salad, and steak, and you can also order set menus depending on party size. It's a Korean-based Western fusion kitchen with a lot of newer, inventive dishes.

After ordering via the QR code on the table, the cabbage and radish pickles came out first.

A light brunch of French toast and coffee sounded nice, but that day I wanted a proper full meal, so I ordered the mashed chicken steak and added sausage and bread on top. It came out across several plates, looking generous, and honestly felt more like a real lunch than a brunch.

How does the mashed chicken steak taste?

The main dish, mashed chicken steak, arrived first. It's soft mashed potato on the bottom topped with chicken steak — a flavor that sounds familiar but actually tasted new.

The mashed potato is made with olive oil and topped with cheese, and the melted cheese gave it a savory, well-seasoned, richer flavor. Just a few added ingredients gave it such a nice depth that it could stand on its own as a main — genuinely delicious.

The chicken, grilled in a soy sauce-based sauce, had that perfect salty-sweet balance.

There was a decent amount of food, with two large pieces of chicken. It wasn't fried but grilled plain, with nothing coating the outside, so it never felt heavy. I'd never tried mashed potato with chicken before and wondered if it would work, but eating them together made both taste even better.

Adding sausage and rye bread: are they worth it?

The two extra sausages I added~

The sausages had a nice salty punch, which worked well with the mashed potato, and alternating bites between them and the mild chicken was great. Eating the sausage throughout the meal, it stopped feeling like a side and started feeling like a main dish in its own right!

The rye bread had a slight tang, came grilled on the outside, and was drizzled with olive oil, so it was tasty even eaten plain. Dipping it in the mashed potato and topping it with a bit of sausage and chicken gave it yet another appeal.

Is HEOD Gongdeok a good stop on a Gyeongui Line Forest Park walk?

From the seats at HEOD Gongdeok, you can see straight out onto the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, which makes for a relaxed meal. After eating your fill, you can head out for a leisurely walk — it's a perfect fit for a Gyeongui Line Forest Park route. It's also a solid pick for meeting a friend near Daeheung Station for a slow, chatty meal, or just for grabbing a good meal on a weekend with no particular plans.