Starting the Day Above Hongdae Station
One of the reasons many international travelers choose Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae is its convenient location directly connected to Hongdae Station. While the location is certainly a major advantage, I personally appreciated the complimentary breakfast even more.
Hongdae is full of restaurants, bars, and cafés that stay open late into the night, but surprisingly, there are not many places open early in the morning for breakfast. Being able to eat before starting the day without leaving the hotel turned out to be more convenient than I expected.
After trying the breakfast myself during my stay, I felt it was better than what I normally expect from a free hotel breakfast. It is not a luxury hotel buffet, but it offers more than enough to start the day comfortably.
Breakfast Hours and How It Works
Guests enter the restaurant by placing their breakfast ticket into a basket near the entrance.
Basic Information
- Breakfast Hours: 6:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Available to all hotel guests free of charge
- To-Go Box available
- Food can be taken back to your room
Once you enter, the staff will guide you to a table, so there is no need to look around for seating on your own.
If you have an early schedule or prefer to avoid crowds, the To-Go Box option seems like a convenient alternative.
Overall Breakfast Selection
The breakfast buffet includes Western-style breakfast items, hot dishes, a live noodle station, fruit, beverages, and a small selection of Korean side dishes.
Personally, I enjoyed the hot food section much more than the bread or cereal options. It was also the busiest area of the dining room during my visit.
Bakery and Cereal Section
Bread, cereal, and yogurt are available for guests who prefer a lighter breakfast.
During my visit, many international travelers seemed to choose this section, especially those looking for a quick and simple meal before heading out for the day.
The Most Popular Area: Hot Food Section
The hot food section was easily the most popular area when I visited.
Scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages were constantly being refilled, and I found myself going back for them more than once. This seemed to be the favorite section among international guests as well.
There were also fries, soup, fried noodles, and fried rice available.
I usually prefer rice-based meals in the morning rather than bread, so I focused more on the Korean-style options. My breakfast ended up consisting of fried rice, pho, scrambled eggs, kimchi soup, and roasted seaweed.
The combination worked surprisingly well.
The fried rice was one of the pleasant surprises. I did not expect much from it, but it was lightly seasoned and paired well with the other dishes.
Another item that stood out to me was the kimchi soup. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but it turned out to be quite good. Even while writing this review, I find myself wanting another bowl.
The hotel also changes some of the hot food items daily, which should make breakfast less repetitive for guests staying multiple nights.
Live Noodle Station
Near the windows, there is a live noodle station where guests can customize their own bowl of rice noodles.
You can choose ingredients such as bok choy, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and rice noodles.
This was one of my favorite parts of the breakfast.
Whenever I want something warm in the morning, a bowl of noodles always feels satisfying. The broth was better than I expected and made for a filling breakfast.
Many Koreans enjoy starting the day with a hot soup or broth, and this noodle station definitely provided that comfort.
If you stayed out late the night before or had a few drinks, this would probably be an even more satisfying option.
Korean Side Dishes That Were Surprisingly Popular
A small section of Korean side dishes is also available, including kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, seasoned dried fish strips, and roasted seaweed.
One thing that caught my attention was how many international guests were taking kimchi and seaweed.
Most people seemed to prefer a typical American-style breakfast with eggs, bacon, and sausages, but the roasted seaweed appeared surprisingly popular.
If you’re visiting Korea, this breakfast buffet provides an easy opportunity to try a few everyday Korean side dishes without feeling overwhelmed.
Fruit, Drinks, and Coffee
Fruit and juice were also available.
The selection was not particularly large, but it was more than enough as a light finish to the meal.
My favorite part of this section was actually the coffee machine.
Guests can easily make an Americano, latte, cappuccino, and several other coffee drinks with the touch of a button.
I would not compare it to a specialty café, but the quality felt roughly on par with a standard Starbucks coffee, which was more than acceptable considering it was included with breakfast.
After finishing breakfast and a cup of coffee, I stayed full until lunchtime. When traveling, saving the cost of an extra meal is always a nice bonus.
My Actual Experience
I arrived around 8:00 AM.
At that time, there were plenty of seats available and getting food was easy.
Around 8:30 AM, however, the dining room became noticeably busier. Even then, finding a table was not difficult, but there were short lines at the hot food section and the noodle station.
If you prefer a quieter breakfast experience, arriving before 8:00 AM would probably be the better choice.
Another thing that stood out was the number of international guests staying at the hotel.
Based on my experience, roughly 90% of the guests appeared to be international travelers. There were far more foreigners than Korean guests, and throughout breakfast I could hear a variety of languages being spoken. At times, it almost felt like I was staying at an overseas hotel rather than one in Seoul.
Pros
- Complimentary breakfast for all hotel guests
- No need to search for breakfast options around Hongdae
- Better hot food selection than expected
- Fried rice and kimchi soup stood out
- Enjoyable live noodle station
- Filling enough to stay satisfied until lunch
- Direct connection to Hongdae Station
Cons
- Guests expecting a luxury hotel breakfast may find the selection limited
- The dining room becomes busier after 8:30 AM
- Popular stations may require a short wait during peak times
Final Thoughts
I did not expect much from a complimentary hotel breakfast, but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.
The fried rice was surprisingly good, the noodle station was satisfying, and the coffee helped round out the meal. By the time I finished breakfast, I was not thinking about food again until lunchtime.
Since there are not many convenient breakfast options around Hongdae early in the morning, having breakfast available inside the hotel was a bigger advantage than I expected.
If I stay at Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae again, I would definitely come downstairs for breakfast at least once.
Previous Post in Seoul
Before trying the breakfast at Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae, I had already stayed at the hotel for a few days and shared my overall experience, including the room, location, and facilities.
If you’d like to see the full hotel review first, check out the post below.
Next Post in Seoul
After having the breakfast at Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae, I was craving a more traditional Korean meal.
In the next post, I’ll share my visit to Nokwon Ssambap, a local restaurant in Yeonnam-dong where you can enjoy unlimited fresh vegetables, doenjang stew, and the kind of Korean food many locals eat in everyday life.