HongDae Korean Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

I finally found a place that serves authentic bossam in Melbourne CBD! After my previous go-to Korean restaurant closed down, I've been craving this dish and HongDae absolutely delivered.

The bossam here is exceptional - the pork belly was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy with just the right amount of fat. The accompanying sauce was packed with flavour and had that perfect punch that elevated the entire dish. I wrapped the pork in fresh lettuce leaves and it transported me straight back to Korea.

Their kimchi pancake (kimchijeon) was another highlight - crispy around the edges but still tender in the middle. You can tell they use well-fermented kimchi which gives it that perfect balance of spicy and tangy flavors.

What really made the experience special was the owner, Alex, who was incredibly friendly and attentive. He took the time to chat with us about the menu and even recommended some dishes based on our preferences. The service throughout our meal was impeccable.

HongDae has a great atmosphere too - the restaurant is named after a vibrant neighborhood in Seoul, and they've captured that energetic vibe perfectly. The place is spacious with a modern Korean aesthetic.

Very happy with both the food and service. I'll definitely be coming back to try more of their menu. If you're craving authentic Korean food in Melbourne CBD, HongDae is...

Dined here twice and loved it on both occasions -

Boasting a new and improved menu, their pork belly and KFC combinations are enough to get you excited, everything else is just a bonus!

Trying both the Herb & Garlic Pork Belly, it was tender and tasty and the serving size was enough to feed an army. The Boneless KFC itself was some of the best I've had in the city but some of the new flavours were hit or miss. Definite wins are the Sweet Chilli and Spring Onion varieties but the Honey Soy & Wasabi let me down with little to no wasabi kick.

What did have a great kick for being tasty no matter what the variation, were the Kimchi and Seafood Pancakes which were crispy, both tasting as good fresh off the pan as they did cooled down.

The Cheese Corn was a grate plate to share and the Steamed Egg was hard to beat 😆. Although leave it too long to take photos and it continues to cook, so be mindful to take one souffle shot before scooping it off its pot.

And the yolk's on you if you don't try the Spicy Chicken Feet -crunchy whilst at the same time squishy, it's a strange consistency that is surprisingly moorish and made all the more addictive thanks to the gochujang-rich sauce base that I couldn't get enough of.

With plenty of space and an easy ordering system, attentive staff and a chef on show - this is a great place to dine...

Another new Korean restaurant serving hearty comfort food perfect for sharing! Would say it’s a place better suited for group settings, due to the great variety of dishes available on their menu, so you can try a bit of everything! 🤩

We tried the: ▪️Spicy Pork belly bento box - $23 ▪️Hongdae seafood plate $65 ▪️Spicy soft tofu soup seafood - $21 ▪️Squid and chive pancake - $21 ▪️Fish cake skewer - $7.50 ▪️Watermelon soju - $9 ▪️Yakult soju - $9

The standouts were the drinks- they were soo tasty and sweet, they came with soju and soda, and one had a watermelon ice cream and the other had yakult- both equally amazing.

I was amazed at the variety of pancake options, on top of your typical kimchi and seafood pancake, they also had potato as well as squid and chive (which we got). This was my first time seeing it at a restaurant in Melbourne, and it tasted really good. The pancake was probably my favourite dish we tried.

The fishcake at $2.50 a skewer was also a great choice, and liked how we don’t have to commit to ordering a lot. The seafood plate had so much random stuff- including chicken nuggets, fries, garlic bread and sausage, as well as your salmon, prawn and unagi.

They’re open till 1:30am, so it’s great for some late night drinks and Korean food with a group...