Yeongdeungpo Station café for a friends' gathering: carbonara at Mela

This place is such a comfortable space and it's perfect for European-style food near Yeongdeungpo Station. You can stop by after shopping at Shinsegae Department Store or Times Square, and there are so many menu items that are perfect for brunch too.

I stop by Times Square a lot. This is my review of Mela Times Square, a Yeongdeungpo Station favorite — a European home-style brunch café run on recipes developed by a culinary researcher who trained at ICIF, an Italian cooking school.

Where is Mela Times Square, and what are its hours?

Address: 15 Yeongjung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor, 103-9. Hours: daily 10:30–22:00. You can use the Times Square parking lot.

It's great to swing by when you're planning a friend get-together at a Yeongdeungpo brunch café, or when you want to enjoy a meal and a chat at Times Square.

What is the atmosphere like inside Mela Times Square?

It's a bright, open space with high ceilings, big windows and mirrors. The sightlines feel spacious, not cramped, and the white and green tones blend together for an overall bright, fresh look.

The bright atmosphere makes it a good spot for chatting about all kinds of things. Since it's such a nice-feeling place, your mood lifts while you're there, and with all the varied decor pieces, photos come out looking really nice too.

It's packed with stylish little decor items, so it's great for taking photos. I go there to eat when I get hungry while shopping at Times Square or Shinsegae Department Store.

Mela Times Square menu and what we ordered

There's a huge variety of delicious menu items prepared.

Pasta, pizza, salads — there's a lot of fun in picking what to eat.

What we ordered was classic carbonara ₩22,000, pumpkin gorgonzola pastry pizza ₩24,000, and lemonade ₩7,500 — I picked out some European-style dishes at this Yeongdeungpo Station favorite.

There are also event drinks, and a variety of desserts to try.

The grilled cabbage and Mela's sirloin steak looked delicious too. The dishes at this Yeongdeungpo brunch café favorite come out beautifully plated.

Lemonade, 7,500 won

The lemonade came with fresh lemon slices. It's a refreshing glass that's just perfect to drink alongside the food.

Pumpkin gorgonzola pastry pizza, 24,000 won

The pumpkin gorgonzola pizza and classic carbonara came out right away, and the pizza was baked to a nice golden brown — it was seriously delicious.

It's a hearty, appetizing pizza. There are so many toppings and the flavor is amazing — I'm not sure how it's this good. Since it's a pumpkin gorgonzola pastry pizza, the pastry dough has this crispy yet chewy texture.

I went ahead and scooped one slice onto my own plate first.

The cheese pull looks so tasty.

It was just the right amount for two people to eat, so we felt full and satisfied. It looks great and it's a wholesome pizza to enjoy.

Coming out fresh and warm, the texture gets a thumbs up, and it was delicious enough to make your mouth dance.

Thanks to the freshness and softness of the pumpkin and all the cheese packed in, one bite gave a light, clean gorgonzola pizza flavor.

It's also loaded with nuts, so you get that crunchy, enjoyable texture as you eat.

Classic carbonara, 22,000 won

The classic carbonara had noodles cooked just right, with great texture. It tastes good and keeps you wanting more, so ordering it is a win. Nice atmosphere, well-seasoned European dishes that come out just right — it's also a Times Square favorite café, so you can eat here and have coffee too.

The mild, not-too-heavy flavor was excellent. It's a great-looking European pasta dish, and the naturally savory taste, along with the richness and clean finish of the cream-filled carbonara, made for an enjoyable meal.

Which gatherings suit Mela Times Square best?

As a Yeongdeungpo Station Times Square favorite, Mela Times Square is great for Yeongdeungpo friend meetups, wedding-invite gatherings, or a date course. It's a tasty spot with a good atmosphere that's fun to enjoy with a group.