Spacious Hongdae brunch café: 4 dishes to share with apple ade, MELA

What kind of restaurant is MELA Hongdae?

MELA Hongdae (멜라 홍대점) is a place near Hongdae where you can enjoy a nice atmosphere along with tasty brunch and proper meals. It's a good spot when you have plans in the Hongdae area or want to spend a relaxed afternoon with friends. Above all, the restaurant is really big and the interior is stylish, so I liked it the moment I walked in.

There are so many pretty cafés in Hongdae these days, but MELA Hongdae isn't just a place for coffee. What appealed to me was that you can enjoy a wide range of full meals here too.

Inside MELA Hongdae: a spacious dining room

The first thing you notice when you step inside MELA Hongdae is the wide-open space. The tables are spaced generously, so nothing felt cramped, and the whole place felt comfortable yet stylish.

I thought it would work well for a date or a get-together with friends around Hongdae. The vibe is great for photos too, so I'd recommend it to anyone hunting for a pretty café.

This time we ordered salmon eggs Benedict, sweet pumpkin gorgonzola pizza, ragu tteokbokki (rice cakes in sauce) and apple ade!

What does MELA's salmon eggs Benedict taste like?

The first dish we tried at MELA Hongdae was the salmon eggs Benedict. Eggs Benedict is a brunch must! Soft eggs paired with salmon, so I was looking forward to it.

It had a mild, nutty richness, and the whole plate worked well as brunch. It's not heavy either, so it was easy to share with the other dishes. It's a good choice for a day when you want a leisurely brunch.

Sweet pumpkin gorgonzola pizza: sweet and salty

Next up was the sweet pumpkin gorgonzola pizza. It takes the rich, salty cheese flavor typical of gorgonzola pizza and adds the sweetness of pumpkin. The pumpkin gives it a different charm from a regular gorgonzola.

It's sweet but you still get that deep cheese flavor, so I think anyone who likes a sweet-and-salty combo will enjoy it. Alternating bites with the other dishes worked really well too!

Ragu tteokbokki at a Hongdae brunch café

The third dish was the ragu tteokbokki! I thought it was fun that MELA Hongdae serves tteokbokki alongside its brunch menu.

The deep flavor of the ragu sauce went well with the chewy texture of the rice cakes. It felt a bit different from ordinary tteokbokki, so it was a fresh take. Ordering it with the pizza meant we got a variety of flavors in one sitting, which I loved.

Apple ade to go with the meal

When you're eating a lot of food, you start craving a drink to cleanse your palate, right? The apple ade at MELA Hongdae was fresh and sweet, so it paired nicely with the meal dishes. It's a refreshing drink, so it went well for sipping between bites.

So that was the four dishes we ordered. With everything from brunch to pizza to tteokbokki, the menu is varied enough that a group can each pick what they feel like eating.

What I liked most about MELA Hongdae

Personally, what I liked most about MELA Hongdae was the atmosphere and the spacious interior. When you look for a place to eat around Hongdae, a lot of restaurants are small or have tables squeezed right next to each other, but here the space is big, so I could spend my time far more comfortably. It was great for enjoying the food and chatting in a pretty space.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Hongdae date spot, or who wants brunch and a proper meal in one place at a café with a good atmosphere. MELA Hongdae works as a meeting place with friends and also when you just want a relaxed time around Hongdae! If you want a nice space and a varied menu in Hongdae, it's worth a visit :)