# Hongdae brunch restaurant for chuck flap steak and salad: MELA - By Haejin (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-supper-postcard/) - Written Sep 13, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written following a sponsored store visit. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-supper-postcard/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-supper-postcard/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/index.md) ## In short MELA Hongdae is an Italian home-style brunch café on the first floor of the Local Stitch building, in a quiet alley between Hongdae, Hapjeong and Mangwon in Mapo, Seoul. On a weekend visit the chuck flap steak at 39,000 won came out tender with no chewiness, and the mushroom poached egg avocado salad at 19,900 won was packed with mushrooms and genuinely filling. Whole grain mustard was the only sauce on offer, but the clean, light cooking at MELA Hongdae made for an easy, comfortable meal. ## Good to know - **Address**: 41 World Cup buk-ro 5-gil, 1st floor, Unit 105, Mapo-gu, Seoul (first floor of Local Stitch) - **Hours**: 09:00 - 18:30 - **Chuck flap steak**: 39,000 won - **Mushroom poached egg avocado salad**: 19,900 won - **Amenities**: Group dining, takeout, delivery, reservations, wifi, corkage allowed, high chairs, waiting area, parking *as written by the visitor on Sep 13, 2026* ![Square cover image of MELA Hongdae's brunch menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-01-14589-900.webp) ![Close-up of food at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-02-1m28v-1200.webp) Hongdae brunch café, Hongdae pasta spot, Hongdae steak spot MELA Hongdae ## What kind of place is MELA Hongdae? I visited MELA Hongdae, an Italian home-style brunch café tucked into a quiet alley between Hongdae, Hapjeong and Mangwon. A friend had recommended it a while back and I'd bookmarked it, then finally made it over on a weekend. The vibe was great for enjoying brunch, and I get why it's called one of the best brunch cafés in Hongdae. ![Exterior of MELA Hongdae on the first floor of the Local Stitch building in a Hongdae alley](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-03-1ptuv-900.webp) MELA Hongdae is on the first floor of a building called Local Stitch. Western restaurants with parking are rare in Hongdae, so I was happy to see they offer parking support! ![MELA Hongdae's entrance and sign](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-04-xhnu8-900.webp) ![View around MELA Hongdae's entrance](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-05-cirxl-900.webp) > MELA Hongdae > 41 World Cup buk-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul > 09:00 - 18:30 > Group seating, takeout, delivery, reservations, wifi > Corkage available, high chair, waiting area, parking ![MELA Hongdae's comfortable, understated interior](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-06-1o4av-900.webp) ## Inside MELA Hongdae: atmosphere and group seating Stepping inside, the interior wasn't overdone at all, comfortable enough for a date or for a relaxed chat with friends. Sitting down, I understood why everyone calls this one of the best brunch cafés in Hongdae. ![Group seating at MELA Hongdae good for gatherings](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-07-r1gr8-900.webp) There's group seating too, so it works well for gatherings. ## MELA Hongdae menu and prices ![MELA Hongdae's pasta and brunch menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-08-1ymmq-900.webp) I heard the recipes were developed by a food researcher trained at ICIF, an Italian culinary school, which raised my expectations. It's supposedly a place that serves proper Western-style brunch with good ingredients and nothing over-seasoned. Looking at the menu, I saw unusual pasta options like minari (water dropwort) vongole and gnocchi ragu tteokbokki getting good reviews too, so next time I'm coming back on a mission to work through the Hongdae pasta menu! ### Bakery and coffee at MELA Hongdae ![MELA Hongdae's bakery display case](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-09-igzqc-900.webp) ![Bakery corner with croissants and cakes](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-10-1pm8j-900.webp) Beyond the Western menu, they also have croissants, cakes, pies, cookies, patbingsu (shaved fruit ice) and coffee drinks, so think of it as both a café and a brunch restaurant! ## What we ordered at MELA Hongdae - Chuck flap steak ₩39,000 - Mushroom poached egg avocado salad ₩19,900 ![Table set with the ordered chuck flap steak and salad](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-11-yu2t3-900.webp) ![Full spread of the brunch table at MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-12-u21ii-900.webp) ### Mushroom poached egg avocado salad, 19,900 won ![A plate of mushroom poached egg avocado salad](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-13-1v9kd-900.webp) A fresh, tasty salad with nuts, cherry tomatoes and avocado. It's healthy and delicious enough to work as a diet meal too. ![A moist poached egg on top of the salad](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-14-t8odm-900.webp) Visually it looked like burrata cheese, but it was actually a moist poached egg. ![Close-up of the salad topped with nuts and cherry tomatoes](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-15-gvsqa-900.webp) ![A spoonful of the mushroom-loaded salad](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-16-fpt46-900.webp) ![Salad with avocado and poached egg combined](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-17-1v2ya-900.webp) Overall the ingredients were super fresh. Even though it's a salad, it was loaded with mushrooms inside, so it had good texture to chew and was surprisingly filling. The avocado and poached egg wrapped everything in softness, so it wasn't heavy at all, and it paired wonderfully with the steak 👍 ![Table with both the salad and steak plated together](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-18-1v1ul-900.webp) ![Two brunch plates from MELA Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-19-1s2rz-m-900.webp) ### Chuck flap steak, 39,000 won ![Vertical shot of the chuck flap steak plate](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-20-1wcss-900.webp) ![Plating of MELA Hongdae's chuck flap steak](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-21-55n7p-900.webp) Honestly, when a brunch café has steak on the menu I don't expect much, but this one genuinely surprised me 🥹 ![Cross-section of the sliced chuck flap steak](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-22-g1dv7-900.webp) ![A piece of steak served with whole grain mustard](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-23-16m8s-900.webp) Maybe because it's chuck flap, the texture was really tender with no chewiness at all, soft in the mouth, and the more I chewed, the more the meat's flavor came through gently. It was a signature dish that was easy to cut into for a light brunch. My one gripe was that the only sauce was whole grain mustard, I wish they'd had a separate steak sauce too. ![Potatoes served alongside the steak](https://img.superchart.com/images/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch-24-1q0gb-900.webp) *Soft and delicious potatoes* ## When MELA Hongdae is worth a visit Overall, the food wasn't artificial-tasting and was light, so I felt comfortable and not bloated afterward. If you're near Hongdae or Hapjeong and want a proper meal without too much hustle and bustle, or you're looking for a date spot, MELA should satisfy you plenty. I'm planning to go back and try other menu items too! - A Hongdae restaurant and brunch spot good for a chat - A Hongdae pasta spot with unusual pasta options - A charming European-style atmosphere good for dates - A Hongdae brunch café good for a light meal ## Where it is - MELA Hongdae (멜라 홍대점) - 41 World Cup buk-ro 5-gil, 1st floor, unit 105, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 월드컵북로5길 41 1층 105호 - 37.5561238, 126.9167212 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%A9%9C%EB%9D%BC%20%ED%99%8D%EB%8C%80%EC%A0%90/@37.5561238,126.9167212,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-supper-postcard/mela-hongdae-chuck-flap-steak-brunch/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt