Hongdae board game café date: QR spoiler-pledge murder mystery, Hero

This visit diary is about a board game café that makes an unusual date in Hongdae: Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 (히어로보드게임카페 홍대1호점).

I wanted something a little different from the usual dinner-and-café date in Hongdae, so we went to Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1. I thought it would only have board games, but there's pool, mini games, PS5 and arcade machines too, so there was way more to do than I expected.

We went on a weekday and used the unlimited pass, so we played board games, pool and spot-the-difference without watching the clock. The murder mystery, which we tried for the first time, was especially fresh, and I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for an unusual board game date in Hongdae.

Where is Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1?

It's at 31-10 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (2nd floor), about a 10-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik Univ. Station. It also worked well as a next stop after a meal or a date in Hongdae.

Since it's indoors, the weather doesn't matter, which makes it a good indoor date spot in Hongdae on rainy, cold or hot days.

Opening hours

• Monday – Thursday 13:00 – 24:00
• Friday 12:00 – 24:00
• Saturday 12:00 – 01:00 (next day)
• Sunday 12:00 – 24:00

It's open late, so it's also a nice place to go after dinner.

How much is the weekday unlimited pass?

The weekday unlimited pass at Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 is ₩6,000 per adult, with no time limit. We visited on a weekday and used it, and it was really great.

A single board game takes quite a while, and between playing pool and arcade games the time just flew by. If you'd rather try a bit of everything than watch the clock hour by hour, I recommend the weekday unlimited pass.

Inside the café and things to do

What I liked about Hero is that it isn't only a room full of board games. With pool, mini games, PS5 and arcade machines, it's great if you'd rather switch between things than stick with one game for long.

The seating is divided into separate spaces, so it was easy to focus on the board game we brought over, and if we wanted to try something else we could go play freely and come back to our seats. That made it more fun as a board game date in Hongdae than an ordinary board game café.

A round of pool before the board games

Before the board games, we tried the pool table at Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1. You can play pool inside a board game café, so there's no need to go to a separate billiards hall, which is nice.

It had been a while since I'd held a cue, but good or bad aside, playing as a pair got us weirdly competitive and it was fun, haha. Board games alone can get a little dull, so being able to mix in something else like this suits a date.

Spot-the-difference on the arcade machine

Among the arcade machines, we also tried spot-the-difference. It's a game I always end up playing when I see it in an arcade, and at Hero there's no worry about extra charges, so we could play as many rounds as we liked.

Looking at the screen together and racing to find the differences first made us concentrate more than expected, and it was surprisingly fun, so along with pool we lost track of time.

What was our first murder mystery game like?

The most memorable part of this visit to Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 was the murder mystery we tried for the first time. It works differently from the board games we usually play, so it felt really fresh at first.

Instead of just moving pieces or playing cards, each person gets absorbed in a role and a story while working out the case, so I think it would be especially fun if you like genres such as deduction games or crime scene games.

The QR code spoiler pledge before the murder mystery

What I found fun about starting the murder mystery was that before the game begins, you make a spoiler pledge using a QR code. This is a genre where, once you know the story, it's hard to enjoy it like the first time, so you promise not to spoil the game for anyone else before you start.

Since it was a format we'd never tried, it felt like entering a secret game even before we began. We each checked our own information and talked it over, solving the case bit by bit, and it felt completely different from ordinary board games, so it was the most memorable game of the day.

Even if you play lots of board games and are looking for something new, I'd really recommend giving a murder mystery a try.

What we ate at Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1

We ordered a tteokbokki set (spicy rice cakes) and a Sprite Zero and ate while we played. You get hungry when you game hard, so snacks are a must.

For some reason, tteokbokki at a board game café tastes even better while you play, haha. It's easy to pick up a piece between turns, and spicy tteokbokki with an ice-cold Sprite Zero was a great combo.

Dessert: mango cheese bingsu and a chocolate latte

For dessert we also ordered mango cheese bingsu (shaved ice). After the tteokbokki we craved something cold and sweet, and a bingsu topped with mango and cheese was perfect to eat while playing.

We also ordered a chocolate latte. Board games, a simple meal and dessert are all covered in one place, so once you're in, you can stay a long time without going anywhere else, which is another plus.

Why Hero Board Game Cafe makes a different Hongdae date

With the weekday unlimited pass we played properly without worrying about time. Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 isn't a place where you play a few board games and leave; with pool and spot-the-difference too, there was more variety and more fun. The murder mystery we tried for the first time was different from the QR spoiler pledge onward, and the feeling of stepping into the story and deducing the answer was another kind of fun compared with ordinary board games.

Between games we ate tteokbokki and mango cheese bingsu and had drinks, so we really got the most out of the weekday unlimited pass. If you're tired of the same dinner-and-café date, or want a different board game date spot in Hongdae for two, I recommend trying everything from murder mystery to pool and arcade games at Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1.