All-day brunch restaurant in Hongdae, Seoul with free parking: MELA

There are so many great restaurants and cafés in Hongdae. When picking a brunch spot, you end up checking the taste, the vibe, and the menu lineup, right? Today I visited MELA Hongdae to enjoy an all-day brunch menu at a relaxed pace, along with some good coffee.

Where is MELA Hongdae, and is there parking?

MELA Hongdae is about a 10-minute walk from both Hongik Univ. Station and Mangwon Station.

MELA Hongdae in particular gets a lot of foreign visitors — the building also houses Creator Town Seogyo, a lodging facility, so plenty of foreign tourists visiting Hongdae stop by. There's also 1 hour of free parking in the building, so it's convenient to visit by car too.

Inside MELA Hongdae: seating for solo diners and groups

MELA Hongdae is a space to take a breather from Hongdae's lively energy and enjoy a relaxed brunch.

There are seats ready for group use, and tables that work well whether you're dining alone or just having a cup of tea.

MELA Hongdae is also a brunch spot I'd recommend for a date — good for a leisurely chat over brunch.

Eat, Joy and Love with MELA

The restroom is outside the store — please check the password before using the women's restroom.

MELA Hongdae menu and bakery counter

There's a menu on every table, so it wasn't hard to pick something haha.

Mains and all-day brunch at MELA Hongdae

• MELA's Sirloin Cap Steak ₩39,900, Fragrant Minari Vongole ₩23,000, Baby Potato Basil Cream Gnocchi ₩22,000, Eggplant Gratin ₩22,000
• Ragu Tteokbokki (can be swapped for noodles) ₩22,000, Classic Carbonara Pasta ₩22,000, MELA's Kimchi Fried Rice ₩21,000
• Pistachio Jalapeño Pizza ₩24,000, Sweet Pumpkin Gorgonzola Pizza ₩24,000
• Victoria French Toast ₩21,000, Classic French Toast ₩22,000, Signature Brunch Plate ₩22,000
• Grilled Napa Cabbage Salad ₩19,000, Mushroom Poached Egg Avocado Salad ₩19,000, Salmon Eggs Benedict ₩22,000
• Truffle Mushroom Eggs Benedict ₩20,000, Avocado Ricotta Open Sandwich ₩19,500, Shakshuka ₩21,000

Sides and drinks at MELA Hongdae

• Truffle Fries ₩8,500, Sourdough Bread Add-on (4pcs) ₩2,500, Mini Salad ₩4,000, Smoked Salmon 3pc ₩6,000
• Choice of one — sausage, scrambled egg, avocado, or egg mayo — ₩3,000
• Malenka Cake (Lemon / Choco) ₩8,000, Fresh Mango Bingsu ₩24,000
• Bottle Beer (Peroni) ₩8,000, House Wine (Red / White) ₩10,000, Bottle Wine from ₩42,000
• Espresso ₩4,000, Americano ₩5,000, Café Latte / Cappuccino ₩6,000, Vanilla Cream Latte ₩7,500, Vanilla Bean Latte ₩6,800
• Oat milk or decaf swap +₩800, extra shot +₩1,000
• Ginger Latte / Strawberry Latte / Mango Latte ₩6,800, Jeju Matcha Latte ₩7,000
• Handmade Lemon / Grapefruit / Apple / Strawberry Ade ₩7,500, Plum Tomato Ade ₩8,000
• Lemon Chamomile / Yuzu Apple Tea ₩7,500, Grandma's Ginger Tea / Yuzu Tea ₩6,000, Tea ₩5,000

The Morning Special set, available even on weekends, runs from 9am to 11am.

Besides the brunch menu, there's also a bakery lineup.

Croissant, apple custard pie.

There's also pain au chocolat, chocolate chip cookies, and honey cocoa malenka.

Signature Brunch Plate and Victoria French Toast: how they tasted

• Signature Brunch Plate
• Victoria French Toast
• Americano / Vanilla Bean Latte

French toast is all about the texture — soft on the outside, moist inside, right? The sweet, gentle flavor that hits on the first bite was lovely, and it paired even better with coffee.

When I go for brunch I always end up debating whether to order just one dish or try a few, and since I wanted to enjoy a variety of brunch items together, I went with the Signature Brunch Plate. Having a solid meal plus the Victoria French Toast on the side meant the flavors and textures contrasted nicely, making the whole meal feel more abundant. The avocado in particular was so soft and delicious.

When you're on a date in Hongdae, you often end up eating at one place then moving on to find a café — so being able to enjoy brunch and coffee in one space makes for a more relaxed time, I think.

Naver review perk: free truffle fries

They said writing a Naver review gets you truffle fries, so if you think your photos turned out well, it might be worth leaving a review and grabbing some tasty fries too.