3,600 Won an Hour for Unlimited Comics, Streaming and Switch, Board Games at 3,000 Won an Hour! Seoul’s Manhwa Cafes and Board Game Cafes — Hongdae’s 24-Hour Spot, and How to Enjoy Them Without Reading Korean [Things Worth Doing in Korea #31]

On a rainy day in Seoul, or a night too cold to walk, where are the Koreans? In a manhwa cafe. For 3,600 won an hour you get unlimited comics, films, Switch and board games — and you take your shoes off and lie down.

It looks like a Japanese manga cafe but works differently. Instead of private booths there are big floor-seating areas and ‘cave seats’ piled with cushions, where couples and friends bring a stack of books and sprawl. The two-hour-with-a-drink plan at 9,500 won is the standard order, and you can add ramyeon or toast.

The other winter staple is the board game cafe: about 3,000 won an hour plus one drink for hundreds of games. Staff explain the rules in Korean, but one chain has 100-plus video tutorials on its app.

The catch is language. The comics are almost all Korean editions, so don’t expect to read in English. Why it’s still worth going, how to play, how the pricing works, and where Hongdae’s 24-hour cafe and its ★4.8 board game cafe are — all in this guide.

3,600 Won an Hour, 600 Won per 10 Minutes! Manhwa Cafe Prices and What ‘Unlimited’ Covers

✔ 3,600 won base for an hour; the plans with a drink are the standard order
Korean manhwa cafes (만화카페) charge by the hour. Taking the chains Nolsoop (놀숲) and Beoltoon (벌툰) as examples, the base rate is 3,600 won an hour, with 600 won automatically added per extra 10 minutes. The standard orders bundle a drink (iced tea or an Americano): 6,000–6,500 won for one hour, 9,500 for two, 12,000 for three and 17,000 for five (Nolsoop Apgujeong Station’s 2025 price board).

‘Unlimited’ covers a lot. Beyond thousands of comics and webtoons, Beoltoon includes seats for seven streaming services, a Nintendo Switch corner and board games in the fee. In other words, without opening a single comic, 9,500 won buys two hours of a film and some Switch in an indoor lounge. Beoltoon has 210 branches, was founded in 2014, and made the Korea Food Service Franchise Association’s top 3% in both 2025 and 2026.

Unlike Japanese manga cafes, the seating isn’t private booths but shoes-off floor areas and two-person ‘cave seats’ (동굴석), with cushions piled high — lying down is the correct way to use them. You can order cup ramyeon, frozen pizza and toast, and some branches allow outside food. It’s pay-on-exit: settle the time at the counter when you leave.

Manhwa cafe and board game cafe prices in Seoul (from price boards posted in 2025–2026)

Place / plan	Price (won)	Included / conditions
Manhwa cafe, base hour (Nolsoop, Beoltoon, Cartoon Plus)	3,600	Comics, streaming, Switch, board games; 600 per extra 10 min (Beoltoon)
Manhwa cafe, 1 hour + drink	6,000–6,500	Iced tea or Americano included
Manhwa cafe, 2 hours + drink	9,500	The standard plan
Manhwa cafe, 3 / 5 hours + drink	12,000 / 17,000	Nolsoop Apgujeong Station price board
Cartoon Plus Hongdae, weekday day pass	15,000	Until 23:59 that day; open 24 hours
Cartoon Plus Hongdae, overnight 12-hour pass	18,000	Enter after 7 pm
Board game cafe, per person per hour (Red Button)	2,400–3,000	One drink each required; Hongdae branch 3,000
Hero Hongdae branch 1, adult hour	3,000	Teens 2,000; 500 per extra 10 min; one drink each

Read next: For more indoor fun in Hongdae, see 『A 240Hz Monitor for 1,000 Won an Hour! The PC Bang and Esports Pilgrimage That Links T1 Base Camp in Hongdae to LoL Park in Jongno [Things Worth Doing in Korea #4]』 — PC bangs at 1,000 won an hour and the esports pilgrimage.

Hongdae’s 24-Hour Cafe Has a 15,000-Won Day Pass! Cartoon Plus, and How to Choose Elsewhere in Seoul

✔ The basement of the Nanta theater, open 24 hours year-round, one of the largest in Korea
The most traveler-friendly is Cartoon Plus (카툰플러스) in Hongdae. It takes up the entire basement floor of the Hongdae Nanta theater, one of the largest manhwa cafes in the country, open 24 hours year-round. It’s 3,600 won an hour, a weekday day pass is 15,000 won (until 23:59 that day), and an overnight 12-hour pass entered after 7 pm is 18,000 won. There’s PlayStation, Nintendo, streaming and board games, and an Americano is 4,000 won. At Google ★4.8 (1,109 reviews) it’s among the best-rated manhwa cafes in Seoul.

The overnight pass doubles as a bed for a night after the last train. Go in after 7 pm and 18,000 won covers you until 7 the next morning, lying on the floor seating, with separate men’s and women’s toilets. It’s cheaper than a guesthouse and quieter than a jjimjilbang, so it’s used as the fallback for early flights and for nights out in Hongdae that ran too late.

In other districts, search ‘만화카페’ in a map app and you’ll find a Nolsoop or Beoltoon by the subway station. Both chains price about the same. The only things to watch are that some branches charge teenagers the adult rate on weekends and holidays, and that at busy times (weekend afternoons and evenings) you can’t choose your seat.

Board Game Cafes Are 3,000 Won an Hour Plus a Drink! Rules by Video, and Games That Need No Language

✔ 2,400–3,000 won per person per hour, and one drink each is mandatory
Board game cafes (보드게임카페) are a classic date spot in Korea’s university districts. The largest chain, Red Button (레드버튼), states in its official FAQ that the fee is 2,400–3,000 won per person per hour depending on the branch, and each person must order a drink or snack. The Hongdae branch charges 3,000 won an hour on weekdays and weekends alike, paid on exit, and is open 1 pm to midnight Monday to Thursday and until 2 am on Friday and Saturday. Drinks are 3,800–4,900 won, and a set of two people for two hours with two drinks is 18,000 won.

Staff will teach the rules — in Korean. Red Button has video tutorials for more than 100 games on its app, so beginners can start by watching. The surest approach, though, is to pick games that need no language: Halli Galli (ring the bell), Jenga, Rummikub (number tiles), Dobble and Splendor all run on numbers, colors and pictures, so you’re playing within five minutes without a Korean rulebook.

Hongdae’s other option is Hero Board Game Cafe branch 1 (히어로보드게임카페), Google ★4.8 (119 reviews). Adults pay 3,000 won an hour (teens 2,000), 500 won per extra 10 minutes, one drink each, open 1 pm to midnight Monday to Thursday and noon to midnight Friday to Sunday. It’s a 10-minute walk from Hapjeong Station (Line 2) or 6 minutes from Sangsu Station (Line 6), and drinks and time are settled together when you leave.

Is It OK Without Korean? What Language the Comics Are In, and How Foreign Readers Enjoy It

✔ The comics are almost all Korean editions, Japanese manga included
To be upfront: the shelves are almost entirely Korean editions. One Piece, Spy × Family and Demon Slayer are all there, but translated into Korean, and English editions are rare. Korean webtoons are in Korean too. So if the goal is ‘reading comics in English’, a manhwa cafe isn’t the place.

Three reasons it still works for foreign readers: (1) at the streaming seats you can pick titles with English audio or subtitles (some branches let you log into your own account), (2) the Nintendo Switch language can be changed, and (3) reading by the pictures — checking the original art of a Korean webtoon, or flipping through the Korean edition of a manga you know — is actually great material for anyone starting to learn Korean.

The other use is as a rest stop. For 3,600 won an hour you can take your shoes off, lie down, charge your phone, and get a drink and ramyeon. An hour between winter walks, three hours on a rainy afternoon, twelve hours after the last train — treat it as the cheapest place to lie down in Seoul and it pays off without a word of Korean.

Where to Go? Map and Summary — Cartoon Plus and Hero in Hongdae

In short, Seoul’s indoor fun is ‘manhwa cafe at 3,600 won an hour or 9,500 for two hours with a drink, unlimited comics, streaming, Switch and board games; board game cafe at 3,000 won an hour plus a drink’. The comics are in Korean, so foreign readers should lean on streaming, games and language-free board games. Ratings are Google Maps as of September 17, 2026.

• Cartoon Plus Manhwa Cafe, Hongdae (카툰플러스 만화카페) — Google ★4.8 (1,109 reviews) · B1, 29 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu (under the Nanta theater) · about 5 min on foot from Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2) · open 24 hours year-round · 3,600 won an hour, 15,000-won weekday day pass, 18,000-won overnight 12-hour pass
• Hero Board Game Cafe, Hongdae branch 1 (히어로보드게임카페 홍대1호점) — Google ★4.8 (119 reviews) · 2F, 31-10 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu · about 6 min on foot from Sangsu Station (Line 6) or 10 min from Hapjeong Station (Line 2) · Mon–Thu 13:00–24:00, Fri–Sun 12:00–24:00 · adults 3,000 won an hour plus one drink each, 500 won per extra 10 minutes

FAQ

How much is a manhwa cafe?

The base rate is 3,600 won an hour, with 600 won per extra 10 minutes (Beoltoon). With a drink it’s 6,000–6,500 won for one hour, 9,500 for two, 12,000 for three and 17,000 for five. Cartoon Plus in Hongdae has a 15,000-won weekday day pass and an 18,000-won overnight 12-hour pass.

Are there comics in English?

Very few. Japanese manga are Korean translations too. The practical options are watching titles with English audio or subtitles at the streaming seats, switching the Nintendo Switch to English, or reading by the pictures.

What do board game cafes cost, and what are the rules?

2,400–3,000 won per person per hour, and each person must order a drink or snack. Red Button Hongdae and Hero branch 1 both charge 3,000 won an hour; Hero adds 500 won per extra 10 minutes.

Can staff explain the rules in English?

Staff explanations are basically in Korean. Red Button offers video tutorials for more than 100 games on its app. The sure bet is to choose language-free games such as Halli Galli, Jenga, Rummikub and Dobble.

Is there a 24-hour manhwa cafe?

Cartoon Plus in Hongdae is open 24 hours year-round. An 18,000-won overnight 12-hour pass entered after 7 pm lets you stay until morning — a fallback if you miss the last train.