Seogyo-dong brunch café for morning French toast with a kid: MELA

I woke to the stirring of my child just starting to wake up. I drank a glass of warm water and opened the window, and the fall breeze slipped in and out of my pajamas like it was playing hide and seek, teasing me. That push and pull with a breeze that's pleasant but never quite within reach. Maybe because I lean more toward fall than spring, but every morning this season it feels like we're whispering to each other like lovers — pretty sweet.

Seogyo-dong is somewhere I end up visiting especially often in fall. If I don't want to miss the plane trees turning color along the street, I can't leave too long a gap between visits. Once the leaves start falling one by one and get crunched underfoot, coloring the street, I feel a kind of relief — 'ah, I made it through the year okay' — and start my early wrap-up-the-year prep.

Wanting to feel that morning mood in Seogyo-dong that so resembles the colors of fall, I left home early. Today's date is my second child, Bamtol, and we're headed to MELA, well known as a Hongdae brunch café.

Where is MELA Hongdae, and its hours and parking

MELA Hongdae is open every day, no closed days, from 9am to 6:30pm. Last order is 6pm. There's no break time either, so you can take it easy over an all-day brunch. Parking is free for 1 hour, then ₩800 per 10 minutes after that.

It's a well-known brunch café on that Seogyo-dong street lined with plane trees I love, between Hongik University Station and Mangwon Station. It's on the 1st floor of the Nudit Hongdae building, easy to spot thanks to a yellow sculpture out front, so it's easy to find whether you're coming by transit or car. It's also very close to the Amanti Hotel, so if you're traveling, it's a nice spot for a healing brunch break.

If you see MELA's mascot — a red apple standee sign — you've found the right place.

All-day brunch, café menu, and simple desserts too. A place where you can enjoy all kinds of time throughout the day.

Along with the brunch menu, there are also main dishes like pasta, pizza, and steak.

Seating and atmosphere inside MELA Hongdae

All-day brunch. MELA has been thriving as a brunch café since 2019. The seating is arranged so different group sizes can sit comfortably, including large tables for bigger parties.

With an open kitchen, you can watch the cooking happen, so the wait never feels boring.

High ceilings and windows open on every side let in sunlight that gives the space an open, airy feel.

There's a bar table too, for guests coming alone. Of course, solo guests can also use the regular table seats.

That day there happened to be a lot of foreign guests.

The yellow tulips were so pretty I kept looking at them for a while. With the fall sunlight, the cozy interior and the yellow flowers send their fragrance out toward every corner of the space with just a glance. It's the kind of calm, tidy atmosphere I like — good for a wedding invitation gathering or any day you want to mark simply.

MELA's cute red apple logo.

Wine and champagne are kept in a dedicated wine fridge. A brunch paired with a glass of wine in the late afternoon sounds nice too.

Cold water is self-serve.

The 9–11am morning special and what we ordered

There's a morning special menu only orderable from 9 to 11am — Morning French Toast and the M Platter. The platter looked so good I almost ordered it, but there were too many things I wanted to eat, so I paused to think.

My child picked the Classic French Toast without hesitation. I went with the Salmon Eggs Benedict. Honestly, I chose it thinking of my husband, who loves eggs Benedict — if it tastes good, I figured I'd take him on a brunch date next time, so I tried it first.

They're running an event where you get truffle fries with a Naver photo review. There's also a peach bingsu (shaved ice) topped with gelato for sale — good as dessert after brunch, too.

Cinnamon Apple French Toast, which reminded me of my first child, who loves anything cinnamon. I wonder if once she's old enough to drink coffee, she'll end up loving cappuccino.

There's also a simple bakery line to enjoy alongside the café menu — croissants, pain au chocolat, cookies.

Marlenka cake.

I heard MELA means apple in Italian. The intro line — that it was launched with the feeling of giving to family — landed warmly. A good place to bring a partner, family, a child, or anyone dear to you.

Bamtol reading the book she brought while waiting for brunch. My precious person.

Classic French Toast: my child ate all four pieces

MELA Hongdae's Classic French Toast comes with French toast, bacon, baby potatoes, omelette, blueberry compote, and maple syrup. Beautifully browned bacon, blueberry compote, an omelette soft as a cozy blanket, and roasted baby potatoes with crispy skin and fluffy insides.

The blueberry compote was sweetly stewed with no artificial sweetness.

French toast made from bread cut in the perfect thickness, toasted fluffy — a generous two slices.

The sourdough we added on. The bread was so good we ordered extra sourdough too.

Bamtol claimed all four pieces. She ate so well that I only got a single bite, haha.

Added a sausage too.

Drizzled with maple syrup, the French toast had a quiet, harmonious sweetness — soft enough to cut with a fork.

Salmon Eggs Benedict with caper hollandaise sauce

The Salmon Eggs Benedict comes with caper hollandaise sauce, salad, carrot rapee, and salmon. I liked that the sauce wasn't sharp like store-bought versions. A generous two poached eggs, too.

Fresh salad and—

—carrot rapee. The caper hollandaise sauce and salmon worked beautifully together.

I was so hungry I dug in without cutting anything neatly, haha.

Poking the poached egg so the yolk runs, then a bite with bread, salmon, and vegetables all together.

Why MELA Hongdae works for a brunch with kids

MELA's recipes come from a chef trained at ICIF, the Italian culinary school, so there are special dishes here you won't find at other brunch spots. The care of a menu designed to be served to family came through in the taste — it made for a time that felt genuinely thoughtful.

I kept thinking of my husband and first child, who couldn't make it this time, all through the meal — which tells me the sentiment behind the café's founding really does come through. Next time I'll come out to Seogyo-dong when the leaves are a little deeper in color. I'll be counting on another cozy brunch like today's :)