# Hongdae board game café for beginners: Hero Board Game Cafe - By Jiyun K. (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-weekends/) - Written Aug 17, 2026 - Updated Sep 13, 2026 - Local places › Things to do › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-weekends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-weekends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/index.md) ## In short Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 is a board game café near Hongik Culture Park in Mapo, Seoul. I played Spot the Difference, Splendor, and Lost Cities with a friend new to board games; Lost Cities was our favorite, though the escape-room-style games seemed too difficult for a beginner. ## Good to know - **Address**: 서울 마포구 와우산로21길 31-10 2층 히어로보드게임카페 - **Location and access**: Near Hongik Culture Park; take the elevator to the second floor. - **Weekday unlimited rate**: ₩6,000 at the time of my visit. - **Space**: Curtain-divided seating, a raised room-style space at the back, and an in-store restroom. - **Things to do**: Board games, pool, Spot the Difference and other arcade games, MAME, and PS5. - **Game guidance**: Board game explanation videos were available. - **Food and drinks**: I had mango cheese bingsu, and there was also a cocktail menu. *as written by the visitor on Aug 17, 2026* I went to Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 with a friend who had never really played board games before. Besides board games, it also had arcade machines and pool, so I thought there would be plenty for us to do together. My friend enjoyed it so much that afterward, they said they wanted to come back and play all night. ![Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 visited with a friend](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-01-1d1oy-1200.webp) ## Where is Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1? It is near Hongik Culture Park on Hongdae's main street. It used to be called the Hongdae Playground, so I was a little sorry that the name had changed. The café is on the second floor of the building, and I took the elevator up. ![Route to a board game café near Hongik Culture Park](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-02-zcz6i-900.webp) ![Around the building entrance for Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-03-1tawu-900.webp) ![Board game café entrance reached by elevator](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-04-19v68-900.webp) ## What are the seating and interior like? There was a restroom inside the café. The seating was divided by curtains, and the back had a raised, room-style space. ![Interior space at Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-05-gd0pn-900.webp) ![Board game café interior with curtain-divided seating](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-06-hryp6-900.webp) ## Is there more to do than play board games? There were many kinds of board games, including a variety of escape-room-style board games. The new escape-room games looked quite popular. ![Board game café space with various games](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-07-zw3lr-900.webp) ![Board game area with escape-room-style games](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-08-29m3e-900.webp) There was also a pool table, and customers used it throughout our stay. There were arcade machines for games such as Spot the Difference, along with MAME and a PS5; the game consoles and arcade machines were free to use. ![Pool area to enjoy alongside board games](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-09-19rft-900.webp) ![Arcade game area at Hero Board Game Cafe](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-10-ja6mj-900.webp) ## What were the weekday rates and food like? At the time of my visit, the weekday unlimited rate was ₩6,000. We decided to use the unlimited plan too. After 3 p.m., groups of students started coming in. There was a wide range of food, including cocktails. We ate mango cheese bingsu while playing games. ![Food and usage information at the board game café](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-11-11wh3-900.webp) ![Menu and usage information for Hero Board Game Cafe](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-12-7tndi-575.webp) ## Which games did I play with a board-game beginner? We started with Spot the Difference, which my friend likes. It was my first time playing it in around 20 years, and the old-fashioned photos brought back memories as we played. ![Spot the Difference game started with a friend](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-13-8y6q6-900.webp) We also picked up an escape-room board game, but put it back because it seemed too difficult for my beginner friend. ![Escape-room board game examined with a beginner friend](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-14-dpdht-900.webp) Next, we tried Splendor. It is an introductory game for two to four players, where you strategically collect resources and build up your position. ![Beginner board game Splendor played with a friend](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-15-1vom3-900.webp) ### Which game was the most fun for the two of us? Lost Cities was the game we enjoyed most. It is an introductory game specifically for two players, and the psychological battle of deciding whether to take risks was fun. I lost after setting out on expeditions without much thought. ![Lost Cities board game table for two](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-16-160il-900.webp) ![Lost Cities game with psychological play between friends](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-17-qiz6e-900.webp) We spent time in the cool indoor space while eating mango cheese bingsu. We could learn unfamiliar board games by watching explanation videos, and take turns using the game consoles, so it was fun even with a friend unfamiliar with board games. It is a place I might think of when looking for an indoor date activity or something to do with a friend in Hongdae. ![Mango cheese bingsu eaten while playing board games](https://img.superchart.com/images/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends-18-j71za-900.webp) ## Where it is - Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 (히어로보드게임카페 홍대1호점) - 31-10 Wausan-ro 21-gil, 2nd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 와우산로21길 31-10 2층 히어로보드게임카페 - 37.5521024, 126.9218484 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%9E%88%EC%96%B4%EB%A1%9C%EB%B3%B4%EB%93%9C%EA%B2%8C%EC%9E%84%EC%B9%B4%ED%8E%98%20%ED%99%8D%EB%8C%801%ED%98%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.5521024,126.9218484,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-weekends/hero-hongdae-board-game-friends/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt