Hongdae is a Korean street food bar at Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 57, a three-minute walk from Leidseplein. It opens at 16:00, closes all day Wednesday, and the kitchen stops taking orders at 21:30 — earlier than the bar’s midnight close. Expect to spend roughly €20–€30 per person, and book ahead, because walk-ins are only seated if a table happens to be free.
Hongdae Amsterdam at a glance
| Address | Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 57, 1017 NH Amsterdam |
| Phone | +31 20 369 5212 (answered 16:00–23:00, except Wednesdays) |
| Cuisine | Korean street food and drinks bar |
| Typical spend | €20–€30 per person |
| Closed | Wednesdays |
| Kitchen last orders | 21:30 (21:00 on Sundays) |
| Bar closes | 00:00 (22:00 on Sundays) |
| Nearest tram | Leidseplein — tram 2 or 17 from Amsterdam Centraal |
| Reservations | Online; call for groups over six |
What Hongdae actually is
Hongdae takes its name from the district around Hongik University in Seoul, an area known for its urban art, street food stalls, and indie music scene. The restaurant states plainly that its goal is to bring that same experience to Amsterdam through food and drinks — the tagline is “From Hongdae to Amsterdam.”
The important distinction for planning purposes: this is a street food bar, not a formal sit-down restaurant and not a tabletop barbecue house. That shapes how you should eat here. Order several small plates across the table rather than one main each, and treat the drinks list as part of the meal rather than an afterthought.
The kitchen is led by chef Fan Zheng, who has spoken publicly about the Korean street food bar concept and its place in Amsterdam’s Asian dining landscape.
The timing mistake most visitors make
Hongdae’s listed closing time is midnight, and that figure is what shows up on most aggregator sites. It refers to the bar. The kitchen shuts at 21:30 Monday through Saturday, and at 21:00 on Sunday, when the whole venue closes at 22:00.
Arrive at 21:15 hoping for a full spread of fried chicken and pancakes and you will get a rushed final order at best. Arriving by 20:00 gives you an unhurried two hours. If you only want soju and a snack, the later bar hours are genuinely useful — just know which experience you are booking.
When to go
- Quietest window: shortly after the 16:00 opening on a Monday or Tuesday, when you can talk to staff and take your time with the menu.
- Liveliest window: Thursday through Saturday from roughly 19:00, when the Leidseplein area fills up and the room reaches full volume.
- Best compromise: a 18:00–18:30 booking on a weeknight — full kitchen, real atmosphere, no closing-time pressure.
- Never: Wednesday. The restaurant is closed and the phone line is unattended.
- Sundays: plan an hour earlier than any other day, since both kitchen and bar close early.
Booking a table
Reservations go through the booking system on Hongdae’s own website. Groups larger than six need to phone ahead on +31 20 369 5212, reachable between 16:00 and 23:00 on days the venue is open.
The restaurant makes a specific request worth honouring: empty tables in the room are frequently reserved tables, and staff will turn away walk-ins even when the floor looks half full. Book, and you avoid the conversation entirely.
What to order
The menu centres on Korean street food staples and the drinks that traditionally accompany them. Korean fried chicken, savoury pancakes, and rice-cake dishes are the format’s backbone, and the drinks list runs to soju, makgeolli, and Korean beer alongside standard bar options.
Because the menu rotates and prices change, check the current version on the restaurant’s site before you build expectations around a specific dish. Budget around €20–€30 per person for a shared meal with a drink.
How to get there
By tram
From Amsterdam Centraal, take tram 2 or 17 to Leidseplein, then walk about three minutes. Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht stops are also within a few minutes’ walk if your route suits them better.
On foot
Lange Leidsedwarsstraat runs parallel to the main Leidsestraat approach, so the walk from Dam Square takes roughly 20 minutes along the canal belt. The Rijksmuseum is about a five-minute walk away, which makes Hongdae a practical post-museum dinner if you time it against the 16:00 opening.
By car
Two garages are within walking distance: Parking De Hoofdstad at Prinsengracht 540, roughly one minute away, and Q-Park Byzantium at Tesselschadestraat 1G, about three minutes. Central Amsterdam parking rates are steep, so public transport remains the cheaper option.
By bike
Racks are available around Leidseplein, though the square is one of the busiest cycle-parking areas in the city on weekend evenings. Use a good lock and expect to walk the last stretch.
How Hongdae is rated
Hongdae holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Tripadvisor and 4.4 out of 5 across a much larger sample of 716 reviews on aggregator listings. That is a consistent picture: reliably good rather than a once-in-a-lifetime meal, which is a fair expectation to set for a street food bar.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hongdae Amsterdam open on Wednesday?
No. Hongdae is closed every Wednesday, and the reservation phone line is not answered that day.
What time does the Hongdae kitchen close?
The kitchen takes its last orders at 21:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 21:00 on Sunday. The bar stays open until midnight, or 22:00 on Sunday.
Do you need a reservation at Hongdae Amsterdam?
Strongly recommended. Walk-ins are only seated if a table is genuinely free, and the restaurant notes that apparently empty tables are often already reserved.
How much does dinner at Hongdae cost?
Around €20–€30 per person, placing it in the moderate price band for central Amsterdam.
Which tram goes to Hongdae Amsterdam?
Tram 2 or 17 from Amsterdam Centraal to Leidseplein, followed by a three-minute walk.
