Hongdae Guide: Cafés, Street Performances and Nightlife
Seoul's student district: busking on the streets, themed cafés, bingsu, makgeolli, noraebang and PC bangs, vintage shops and the Gyeongui Line Forest Park.
Hongdae, the neighbourhood around Hongik University, is Seoul's youngest, loudest and most creative district. Art students, indie musicians, dancers and K-pop fans fill its streets, the cafés are endlessly inventive, and on weekend evenings every corner seems to have a band or dance crew performing.
We came back to Hongdae again and again while living in Seoul: for shaved-ice desserts, cafés, makgeolli with friends and to try every kind of Korean bang (room).
Quick answer: Get off at Hongik University Station (Line 2, Airport Railroad, Gyeongui Line). Watch busking on the main streets in the evening, relax in a themed café, try bingsu (shaved ice), walk the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, sing in a noraebang (karaoke room) and drink makgeolli (rice wine) in a pub. Weekends from late afternoon are best.
Street performances (busking)
Hongdae's streets, especially around the "Busking Zone" on Eoulmadang-ro, are a stage for singers, bands and dance crews covering K-pop routines. Some of them have big fan bases. It's free, so drop a tip if you enjoy it.
Cafés
Hongdae has some of Seoul's most creative cafés: themed cafés, character cafés, design-led cafés in old houses and dessert cafés. Many cafés have touchscreens to order and pagers that buzz when your order is ready.
A word on animal cafés: cat and dog cafés are common in Hongdae. If you visit one, choose a place where the animals have space and rest, or skip them altogether.
Bingsu: Korean shaved ice
Korea's favourite summer dessert is bingsu: a mountain of fluffy shaved milk ice topped with sweet red beans (patbingsu), fruit, green tea, injeolmi rice-cake powder or mango. One bowl is big enough to share.
Try a Korean "bang"
Bang means room, and Koreans have one for everything:
- Noraebang: private karaoke rooms, rented by the hour, with tambourines and a huge song list (including English songs).
- PC bang: gaming cafés with powerful computers, open around the clock, where you can order noodles to your seat.
- Coin noraebang: tiny karaoke booths where you pay per song.
Makgeolli and nightlife
Makgeolli is a milky, slightly sparkling, fermented rice wine, traditionally drunk from bowls with savoury pancakes (pajeon). Hongdae's pubs serve it in many flavours. After that, Hongdae has live-music clubs, dance clubs and bars that stay open until morning.
Gyeongui Line Forest Park
A former railway line turned into a long, green park running through Yeonnam-dong next to Hongdae. Locals picnic here on summer evenings, and the side streets of Yeonnam-dong are full of small cafés, restaurants and shops.
Shopping
Hongdae is great for affordable fashion, indie designers, vintage clothing, Korean cosmetics and character goods. Street art and murals decorate many walls.
Tips
- Best time: Friday and Saturday evenings for busking and nightlife.
- Subway: Hongik University Station is also on the Airport Railroad, which makes Hongdae a convenient place to stay.
- Combine with Yeonnam-dong, Mangwon Market and the Han River parks nearby.
More Seoul: Things to do in Gangnam · Insadong guide
About the authors
Dasza — Writer and photographer behind PTraveler. Polish-born, raised in Germany, happiest renting a flat in a new city for a month.
Tomek — Project manager, fixer and tour leader. Plans the routes, finds the free days and tests every street-food stall.