Holmes & Lupin Board Game Café (Hongdae Branch)
Location: 5th Floor, 8, Hongik-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Hours: Weekdays 1:00 PM - 1:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Phone: 0507-1354-8708
After meeting up with friends in Hongdae, we decided to escape the heat and spend the afternoon at a board game café!
Holmes & Lupin is located in one of the alleys connected to the famous Hongdae street where all the busking happens.
Upon reaching the 5th floor, we arrived at Holmes & Lupin.
The café has a cozy and welcoming vibe.
If there’s a wait, you’ll be guided to wait before heading inside.
Once inside, you’ll see the large game selection and the counter.
There’s a 1 drink per person minimum order (snacks are optional), and the hourly rate is 3,000 KRW per person.
You’ll settle the bill when you leave, so it’s all very easy and convenient.
Discounts are available for students on weekdays!
We visited on a Sunday afternoon, and the standing tables for smaller groups were already taken.
Luckily, we had four people, so we got one of the remaining standing tables.
Usually, I prefer the floor seating for the atmosphere, but the standing tables turned out to be more comfortable!
There are even private rooms for groups of seven or more—perfect for a bigger gathering!
We reserved a room, confirmed the room number, and stepped in!
Inside, there's a menu with plenty of options to choose from, and they even have ongoing promotions.
You can place your order via the tablet provided in each room, which also includes pictures of each item for easy browsing!
Here’s what we ordered:
- Sotteok Sotteok (Rice Cake & Sausage Skewers) with Gochujang Sauce: 3,900 KRW
- Sotteok Sotteok (Ketchup & Mustard): 3,900 KRW
- Seasoned Fries (Cheddar Cheese): 6,500 KRW
- Shine Muscat Ade: 4,800 KRW
- Café Latte: 3,900 KRW
- Americano: 3,500 KRW
- Coca-Cola Zero: 2,500 KRW
You can even customize the seasoning for fries and add extra sauce!
Next, we went to pick out some board games!
Based on the number of players and the difficulty level, you can find great recommendations—both in the room’s tablet and from the café staff.
There are so many games to choose from! 😊
From puzzles to simple chance games, there’s something for everyone.
They even sell Haribo gummy bears for a sweet snack!
Need something like Clue sheets? No problem—everything is provided in the game section!
We started with The Mind, a cooperative game recommended for 3-4 players.
Since it’s pretty easy and fun, it seemed like the perfect way to kick off our session.
The tablet provided a video tutorial to help us get started.
It was super helpful, even for first-timers!
Though every game also comes with a physical rulebook, the tablet option was quick and clear.
After diving into the game, we quickly realized it was more exciting than it looked! 😄
Just as we were getting into it, our food was ready, and we got an alert on the tablet to pick it up.
We headed to the counter to grab our food, and at this point, we paid for the snacks.
The seasoned fries were crispy and warm, with the cheddar cheese flavor complementing them perfectly!
The sotteok sotteok with gochujang was a bit spicy for me, but it was still delicious.
I also loved my refreshing shine muscat ade. 🍇
There are cup holders at every seat, so you don’t have to worry about spilling your drink while playing—super convenient!
After finishing our food, we jumped back into The Mind and managed to beat all the levels by working together.
Feeling accomplished, we decided to try another classic game: Rummikub.
We grabbed the box, and everything was neatly stored inside.
Since one of our friends couldn’t quite remember the rules, we played a tutorial video on the tablet while setting up the game.
It was so convenient!
The game started, and we played two rounds—one where I came first and one where I came second.
Not bad, right? 😄
After Rummikub, we took some time to browse the games available on the tablet and decided to go with Dalmuti.
Even though we were a group of four, it still worked out great.
The cards and instructions were all included, just like with the other games.
For the friends unfamiliar with the game, we played the tutorial video once again.
After that, we dived in!
I started the game in second place, but by the last round, I made an amazing comeback and stole the Grand Dalmuti spot! 🥳
In total, we spent about 2 hours and 30 minutes at the café, and the total cost came to 7,500 KRW per person.
The café also has separate restrooms for men and women, which were kept very clean, and a smoking room outside.
It was such a cozy and enjoyable time at Holmes & Lupin Board Game Café in Hongdae.
Whether you’re looking for a fun way to hang out with friends or just relax indoors, this is the perfect spot! 😊
