Hongdae restaurant in Seoul for steak with a ₩3,000 avocado side: MELA

I was looking for a place to eat steak in Hongdae and ended up at MELA Hongdae, tucked in an alley in Seogyo-dong. I ordered just one thing — chuck tender steak with avocado added — so let me walk through it from the menu prices to how it actually tasted.

Where is MELA Hongdae and when is it open?

• 📍 Address: 41 World Cup buk-ro 5-gil, 1st floor unit 105, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕥 Hours: Daily 09:00–18:30
• ⏰ Last order: 18:00
• 🚶 About 7 minutes on foot from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 1, also about 7 minutes from Mangwon Station Exit 1. About 12 minutes from Hapjeong Station Exit 2.
• 🚗 Parking available. 1 hour free, then ₩800 per 10 minutes.
• 📦 Reservations taken through Naver Reservation and Catchtable.

It's one menu item per person with pre-ordering, and the whole menu is all-day brunch.

MELA Hongdae menu and prices

MELA means "apple" in Italian — it's written right there on the menu. The menu is divided into mains, all-day brunch, sides, desserts, and drinks, ranging from pasta to pizza to steak.

The steak is ₩39,900, which honestly felt pretty reasonable compared to other restaurants!! For the side add-on, you can pick one of sausage, scrambled eggs, avocado, or egg mayo for ₩3,000.

They also had a seasonal peach bingsu (shaved ice) topped with gelato. There's an event too — leave a photo review on Naver and get truffle fries.

How much is the chuck tender steak with avocado added?

What I picked was MELA's chuck tender steak, with avocado added on top. The avocado add-on is ₩3,000, so combined with the ₩39,900 steak, one plate came to ₩42,900. I love avocado and was curious what texture it would have alongside the meat.

I took a photo the second the plate arrived haha. As the menu described, it came with roasted vegetables and mashed potato — the garnish portion was just right and cooked just right, going well with the steak. With everything on the plate, it looked so much more generous. The garnish was well-seasoned too, and delicious.

The steak was cooked just right — not tough, with a nice chew to it. It wasn't overly greasy either. Cutting it piece by piece and eating slowly, one plate filled me up more than I expected.

I really think adding the avocado was the right call ><!! Putting avocado on a piece of meat and eating them together brings the chew of the steak and the soft, nutty creaminess of the avocado into one bite. When you've been eating just meat, adding it in halfway changes up the flavor.

Inside MELA Hongdae: seating and how to reserve

MELA Hongdae is the location that moved from its original Seongsu branch to Seogyo-dong in December 2023. Once I sat down, the atmosphere felt comfortable for a relaxed meal.

There was no wait, and customers kept coming in while I was eating. The mix was varied — what looked like a group of newlyweds, a table out for a meal together, and someone dining solo. Reservations are taken through both Naver Reservation and Catchtable. If you're a group with a set headcount, like newlyweds meeting up, it's safer to book ahead. With last order at 6pm, dinner gatherings would be tough here haha.

Parking at MELA Hongdae

Parking is free for the first hour. After that, it's ₩800 per 10 minutes. If you're driving, just search "MELA Hongdae" or "41 World Cup buk-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul" in your navigation.

Is the steak at MELA Hongdae worth it?

I went looking for a good steak spot in Hongdae and landed on MELA Hongdae, where I had the chuck tender steak with avocado added. Among Seogyo-dong restaurants, this is a place where you can pick anything from brunch to steak, all Western-style, in one spot, and reservations go through Naver Reservation and Catchtable. Next time I'm in Hongdae, I'll stop by again and try something else off the menu haha.