Post-baseball date manga café in Saenae: carbonara buldak, One Play

Where to go in Saenae after watching baseball?

Our second stop after baseball in Saenae was One Play Jamsil Branch, a combo of manga café, board game café and OTT room. For some reason a Jamsil date always feels like a shame to end after just one place. My boyfriend and I had watched baseball to our heart's content at a pub, and we still had energy left, too much to go home.

Walking around outside felt a bit meh, and we needed an indoor date spot where we could sit quietly and play. That's how we ended up at "One Play Jamsil Branch." Long story short, it's a complex with a manga café, board game café, OTT rooms and snacks all in one, and I wanted to stay far longer than I expected.

One Play Jamsil Branch: location and how to get there

One Play Jamsil Branch is on the 2nd and 3rd floors at 20 Baekjegobun-ro 7-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul. According to Naver Place it's about 454m from Exit 9 of Sports Complex Station, and it's also a reasonable walk from Saenae Station.

We headed over right after watching baseball at the pub, and it fits neatly into a Saenae date route. Walking-around dates are great, but since we'd already had a blast at the game, a place where we could sit back and rest while playing sounded much better.

One Play Jamsil Branch isn't just a manga café. It has thousands of manga and webtoons, hundreds of board games, console games like Nintendo and PlayStation, and OTT like Netflix and Disney+, all in one space. Indoor fun for rainy, hot or cold days, just as they say.

How to use One Play Jamsil Branch: ordering by card at a kiosk

At One Play Jamsil Branch you first pick a time plan at the counter, leave your shoe locker key, and get a card that you use to order food at the kiosk. At first I thought, "Order with a card?" but once I tried it, it was convenient, with no need to pull out a wallet at your seat.

You don't have to think about the usage fee and the food order separately, and being able to pick what you want right at the kiosk was nice.

The projector room: how is it for two?

What I liked most at One Play Jamsil Branch was how cozy each room felt. At first glance I thought the space was a little small, but once we sat down, it was actually just right for two.

A room that's too big can feel empty, but here the projector and seats fit nicely into a small room, so it felt snug. It was great for sitting side by side with my boyfriend, resting and playing, and the outside noise barely bothered us, so it was perfect for winding down in the later part of the date.

The 1-hour set plan with drinks

The set plan we chose at One Play Jamsil Branch was a 1-hour pass with iced tea and Americano included. Having had Budweiser and lemonade at the pub, coffee and iced tea were just right.

The Americano cleaned up the palate, and the iced tea was sweet and went well with snacks. With drinks included in the 1-hour pass, it felt pretty good value for a Jamsil date.

The carbonara buldak, butter garlic fries and Oreo churros combo

What we added at One Play Jamsil Branch was carbonara buldak (spicy fire noodles in a creamy carbonara style), Oreo churros and butter garlic fries. We ended up ordering food after all, and this combo worked way better than expected.

The spicy carbonara buldak woke up our appetite, the butter garlic fries were salty, and the Oreo churros finished things off on a sweet note.

What does the carbonara buldak taste like?

The carbonara buldak was spicy yet creamy, and we kept reaching for it. It wasn't just heat; it had that smooth carbonara taste too, so it paired well with the iced tea.

My boyfriend and I both like spicy food, so this was the first thing we dug into. It's great to eat while a movie or drama plays, and I'd order it again.

What you can do at One Play Jamsil Branch

One Play Jamsil Branch has really varied content. According to the Naver Place description, it has thousands of manga, the latest webtoons, hundreds of popular board games, console games like Nintendo and PlayStation, and OTT like Netflix and Disney+.

In short, it feels like all of Jamsil's indoor entertainment gathered in one place. We only stayed 1 hour that day, so we couldn't try everything, but with so many rooms and options, next time I'd like to try the board games or console games.

One Play Jamsil Branch after baseball: a good second-round stop?

The date course of watching baseball at a Saenae pub and continuing to One Play Jamsil Branch was much better than expected. We went in thinking, "Let's just play for an hour," but there were so many rooms and things to do that time flew.

• Choosing a plan at the counter, leaving the shoe locker key and getting a card to order food at the kiosk was convenient.
• I was surprised there's a ₩10,000 unlimited plan, and using the drink-included set plan casually like we did was good too.
• Every room had a projector for watching Netflix, and even though the space looked small, it was cozy and comfortable for two.
• With carbonara buldak, Oreo churros and butter garlic fries, it felt like we didn't just play but properly ate and rested.

If you're looking for an indoor date in Jamsil, a manga café, board game café, OTT room or a second-round date course, One Play Jamsil Branch seems like a pretty satisfying choice. Next time I want to come with the unlimited plan from the start, read manga, play board games and try the console games too. If you're wondering where to go after eating in Saenae, it was great to pair with a visit to One Play Jamsil Branch.