Hongdae restaurant in Seoul: summer-only ade and cheese katsu at Omil

These days a wait is basically standard in Hongdae, Seoul! I heard there's a Hongdae brunch spot so good even foreign tourists know about it, so I went to check it out. The stylish yet cozy vibe was great, and the visuals and taste of the brunch menu were excellent too, so I'm happily recommending 'Omil Hongdae' as a spot for a Hongdae date or blind date.

Where is Omil Hongdae, and what are its hours and parking?

It's located on the 2nd floor of 178-8 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Walk out of Exit 8 of Hongik University Station and you'll spot a Starbucks — turn right there and it's on the 2nd floor of the building. Since it's upstairs it can be easy to miss, but there's a cute 'Oh! MeaL' sign on the stairwell wall. Hours are Mon–Fri 11:30–21:15 and Sat–Sun 11:00–21:15, and for parking, the paid underground lot at AK Plaza is conveniently close.

How long is the weekday lunch wait at Omil Hongdae?

This Hongdae brunch favorite, 'Omil Hongdae,' has a wait at lunchtime pretty much every day, weekday or weekend, so reserving ahead on CatchTable is a good idea. We went without a reservation and checked in on the kiosk by the entrance to wait. Even on a weekday, the wait was huge with young couples, foreign tourists, and solo diners alike!

Since it's also known as a spot for Hongdae dates and blind dates, I really did see a lot of couples. It'd been a while since I'd gone on a Seoul date with my husband, so I agonized over what to eat before picking this place — and the atmosphere, food visuals, and taste were all satisfying :D

What does the inside of Omil Hongdae look like?

It's a cozy, moderately sized space on the 2nd floor — as you walk in, there are first 3 tables of 4, and further inside about 9 tables of 2. The overall look is a sleek white tone, and the floor-to-ceiling windows on the outer wall let in natural light and give a nice sense of openness.

We were seated at a table for two toward the back, and there were also cute little decor pieces, so we got to fully enjoy the date-night vibe in a place with great atmosphere.

It's an overall calm space, so it seemed perfect for chatting over brunch with friends, and just as fitting for a date or blind date.

Omil Hongdae menu, the set for two, and the free review drink

As a well-known Hongdae brunch spot, 'Omil Hongdae' had a wide variety of Western dishes — steak, cheese katsu on a hot plate, pasta, omurice, gnocchi, risotto — plus ades, highballs, and beer, so it was easy to pair the delicious food with a light drink.

There's also a nicely put-together set for two, with 2 mains, a side, and 2 drinks, so if you're visiting as a couple, the set could be a great choice. Note that you need to prepay when ordering here, and at that point you get a receipt — write a review with it and you get one free drink per person, so be sure to take part :)

What we ordered at Omil Hongdae and what it cost

• Summer Vacation! Rubber Duck Omurice — 16,900 won
• Sizzling Hot Plate Cheese Katsu — 19,900 won
• Summer Vacation! Ade — 7,900 won
• Oh! Pineapple Ade — 6,900 won

First, a full spread shot! Our order came out one by one, and honestly the visuals were so cute and looked so delicious!! I think the visual appeal of these dishes is one of the reasons this place is a famous Hongdae brunch spot. If you visit on a date, or with a blind date match, these visuals will pump up the mood and make for an even happier time :D

Summer-only Summer Vacation Ade and pineapple ade

Summer Vacation! Ade, and Oh! Pineapple Ade. For drinks, we ordered both as ades — the Summer Vacation one was a summer-only drink, and the signature pineapple one came in a pineapple-shaped glass, which was a fun surprise.

The summer-only Summer Vacation drink is a lemonade in a refreshing blue, sweet and tart and cool — perfect for the hot summer. It's really hot outside these days, but one sip of this and the heat completely melted away. It felt like the kind of ade you should be sipping while looking out at a beach on vacation.

The pineapple ade was adorable starting with the glass. A pineapple ade served inside a pineapple! The ade had sweet pineapple syrup in it, so it had a lovely sweet, tangy scent, and the cool, clean taste went nicely with the food too.

Sizzling hot plate cheese katsu, 19,900 won: how was it?

I really love cheese, so I ordered the hot plate cheese katsu. Grilled onions, the cheese katsu, and vegetables sit on the hot plate, and then they pour cheese generously over the top!

The poured cheese was runny like a cream sauce, so you could dip the katsu and veggies in it like fondue, and since the plate stayed hot, you could enjoy the warm cheese all the way to the end.

Cutting it in half, the katsu itself was packed with cheese inside too!! Just looking at the cheese oozing out made me happy :D

The katsu was crispy outside, juicy and tender inside, and wrapped in the smooth flavor of the cheese — honestly one of the best things I've eaten this year. If you love cheese or cream-based dishes, you seriously have to go here. If your girlfriend or crush shares your taste, that date or blind date is going to be a huge success!

The combo of savory, moist meat and cheese was so good, and when it started to feel a bit rich, pairing it with the onions and broccoli made for a perfect balance! I'm planning to go back and eat this again soon :)

Summer Vacation Rubber Duck Omurice, 16,900 won, and the duck you take home

Honestly, the biggest reason I picked 'Omil Hongdae' that day was this omurice's visual.

A yellow swirl of omurice as a desert island, with quail-egg ducks huddled together on top! True to the name 'Summer Vacation,' the whole look really gave off a summer resort vibe.

And this adorable rubber duck!! They even said you could take it home. A cutie rubber duck and tube enjoying summer vacation! The owner really seems to know the way to a woman's heart, hehe.

If you come here for a Hongdae date or blind date and order this Rubber Duck Omurice, your happiness meter will spike instantly! You'll get to fully enjoy that lovey-dovey mood ;D Whenever my husband and I go on a date, we always bring home some small souvenir of the day, and this rubber duck was our keepsake that day.

The black sesame eyes and corn kernel mouths on the quail eggs were drawn so carefully and it was so cute. Blank faces, angry faces, sad faces, haha — the variety of expressions was so lovable.

Looks matter, but the most important thing is taste! Inside is salmon fried rice, with a flavor a bit like nasi goreng, and it was so tasty — the moist egg and the sweet-tangy sauce paired beautifully with it. The sauce wasn't too strong, more mellow, so it suited the salmon fried rice well. The cute duck quail eggs were delicious too :)

Is Omil Hongdae worth a visit?

Among all the countless restaurants in Hongdae, I was curious about a place that gets a wait even on weekday lunches and draws so many foreign tourists — and the atmosphere, food visuals, and taste were all perfect, so I really got to enjoy a happy meal. The omurice that comes with a rubber duck gift, and the sizzling cheese katsu that was so delicious — if you're looking for a great Hongdae brunch spot, go have a good time at 'Omil Hongdae.'