Mapo brunch café on a day off: pickled scallion pork jowl pasta, HEOD

What is HEOD Gongdeok?

HEOD Gongdeok (해옫 공덕, also called HEOD Mapo) is a brunch café at 24 Gwangseong-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, open daily 11:00–21:00. It sits on Gyeongui Line Forest Park, a 5-minute walk from Daeheung Station Exit 4.

A relaxed weekday lunch. I finally took a day off, and staying home felt like a waste. So I headed to a brunch café near Daeheung Station whose warm mood reminded me of the sun rising as clouds drift by. With the charm of Gyeongui Line Forest Park added, it was an extra leisurely brunch. Here's my review!

This time it was HEOD Mapo. "HEOD" is short for "the sun rises," and it's a brunch café brand that became famous for French toast in Jumunjin, Gangneung in 2022 before coming to Seoul. After Hapjeong and Yeonnam, this year it opened in Daeheung too, making HEOD Mapo the fourth branch, apparently. It's a 5-minute walk from Daeheung Station Exit 4, on Gyeongui Line Forest Park.

What are the weekday lunch atmosphere and seats like?

Even on a weekday lunch, both the outdoor terrace and the indoor seats were full of customers. You'd never guess it was a weekday. And perfect for someone with no sense of direction like me!! The pastel light-green sign caught my eye from far away.

The inside of HEOD Mapo is light green too. There's a variety of seating, from window seats to a large center table and 2-person tables. It's an open kitchen with a bar table, so you can watch the staff cooking, haha.

A name-tag seat booked solo on Naver Reservation

I visited alone, and because I'd booked ahead on Naver Reservation, my seat was already set up. It might seem like nothing, but a seat with a name tag leaves a good impression on a customer. Doing that during the busy lunch rush felt really thoughtful.

What are HEOD Gongdeok's menu and prices?

The menu runs from cheaper lunch sets to steak and gnocchi sets, so it's good value. True to a brunch café, there's a wide range: French toast, salads, pasta, risotto and more. The pasta in particular isn't the usual stuff everyone does. Fusion dishes with Korean touches, like scallion pork jowl oil pasta and pork jowl miso pasta, got me excited.

• Butter French toast ₩12,800
• Vanilla French toast ₩13,800
• Scallion pork jowl oil pasta ₩19,800
• Tomato shrimp oil pasta ₩17,800
• Pork jowl miso pasta ₩19,800
• Ragu pasta ₩18,800
• Basil vongole pasta ₩18,800

Country-of-origin labels are well displayed too.

How does the scallion pork jowl oil pasta lunch set taste?

What I ordered at HEOD Mapo was the scallion pork jowl oil pasta and an iced café latte, as a lunch set that comes with coffee.

The scallion pork jowl oil pasta combines house-pickled scallions, tomato and pork jowl, giving you both the clean feel of an oil base and deep savory flavor, apparently. The scallions were really delicious, and it turns out they were pickled scallions. Even though it's oil-based, it wasn't greasy, and the savory depth was a work of art.

The cabbage pickles on the side were nicely crunchy and rinsed my mouth clean.

The noodles are fettuccine, yet they were well seasoned all the way through. With so many menu items I wanted to try several, but being alone, I couldn't. So sad :(

Can you change the lunch set coffee?

The lunch set drink at HEOD Mapo is an iced Americano by default, and you can switch to the coffee you want for an extra charge. I paid ₩1,000 more and got an iced latte. The coffee was nutty and tasty too.

Is HEOD Mapo worth recommending?

A Mapo brunch along Gyeongui Line Forest Park, HEOD Mapo felt comfortable and warm the whole time I stayed. With a range of fusion dishes based on Korean and Western food that people of all ages would like, there's plenty of choice, and the menu seems carefully developed, with items that set it apart from other places. I recommend HEOD Mapo as a great brunch spot near Daeheung Station.