Early morning brunch after late night out: Famous Benny, Gwangalli

Ate late-night snacks last night and slept on it, so this morning my face was all puffy but somehow I was still hungry — such a weird state to be in 🥲

Instead of something greasy, I wanted lots of vegetables and a light brunch, so I headed to Famous Benny, a brunch café in Gwangalli.

Famous Benny is a brunch café built around Australian-style brunch, and best of all, it opens at 8am, so it was great even on a day when I was up and about early.

It's a little inland from Gwangalli in Millak-dong, and the building itself is clean and modern so it wasn't hard to find.

Famous Benny Gwangalli hours and parking

• Mon–Sun 8:00 – 18:00
• Dogs welcome!
• Use nearby lots such as Millak Sea Land Market public parking or Taeyang Officetel parking

A relaxed wood-toned space, seating on floors 1 and 2

The exterior is exposed concrete, which looks pretty modern, but the mood changes completely once you step inside.

With wood-toned interiors and sunlight pouring in through the large windows, the whole space feels warm and calm.

The 1st floor has a small seating area along with the coffee machine and kitchen.

Heading up to the 2nd floor, the tables are spaced out more generously and there's a good variety of seating. Some seats have outlets too, so it looked like a good spot to sit alone for brunch or work on a laptop.

The window seats especially were pretty.

There's a table under a big pendant light with a view of the Millak-dong alleys outside, so it was also great for photographing your brunch.

The Famous Benny menu and what we ordered

The menu was more varied than I expected. There's eggs Benedict, toast, salads, açaí bowls, and beyond coffee there are drinks like juice and lemonade — a nice lineup for a light breakfast or lunch.

What we ordered was

• The Famous Benny
• Bacon scramble toast
• Apple carrot juice
• Lemonade

This! A fairly conscientious menu choice for people who'd had late-night snacks the night before. It arrived at our table just 10 minutes after ordering.

The Famous Benny: salmon and poached egg drizzled with lemon

Just looking at it, this was exactly the brunch I'd imagined 🥹 On top of the croissant sits salmon, avocado, and a poached egg, plus vegetables and macadamia nuts scattered around — a pretty generous plate.

When you pop the poached egg, the yolk runs out, and eating it together with the salmon and avocado made everything soft and rich. The key move here is drizzling lemon on top yourself! The lemon's freshness cut through the salmon and made it feel much lighter, and the crisp croissant added a nice contrast in texture.

I also liked catching the occasional crunch of macadamia nut. There were plenty of vegetables too, which fit perfectly with my goal that day of 'still eating somewhat healthy' 👏👏👏

Bacon scramble toast, with basil cream cheese

The bacon scramble toast was genuinely delicious. First off, the scrambled eggs weren't dry at all — very moist and soft. The sourdough was great too; not just plain dry toast, but browned and nutty on the surface, almost like it had been pan-fried in butter. Spreading the basil cream cheese that came with it on top made it even better.

The combo of moist scramble, crisply toasted sourdough, and basil cream cheese is especially my thing.

The bacon was salty enough to enjoy on its own, but with a little squeeze of the lemon that came alongside, it turned fragrant and bright — a whole different flavor.

Apple carrot juice & lemonade, a bit of detox

In keeping with the guilt of last night's late-night snack, we ordered apple carrot juice and lemonade instead of coffee. The apple carrot juice looked healthy just from the color alone. It wasn't overly vegetal or too sweet either — the sweetness was milder than expected and clean, making it easy to drink alongside brunch.

The lemonade was refreshing, good for sipping between salty bites of salmon or bacon.

Looking for morning brunch in Gwangalli

I went here puffy-faced from a late-night snack the night before, but in the end I really liked everything about Famous Benny, starting with the menu choices.

What I liked especially was that the brunch dishes packed in a variety of ingredients like vegetables, avocado, and salmon without sacrificing flavor.

Opening at 8am is also a big plus, so it seems like a solid choice if you're looking for breakfast during a trip to Gwangalli, or want a slightly earlier brunch in Millak-dong.

The space is spacious with great natural light, so it works well for a date as well as for a relaxed solo brunch. Photos also come out really pretty here. If you're looking for a good brunch spot in Gwangalli, I'd love to come back and try the other toast menu items!