High Street Guesthouse Hongdae
by the TopOfHotel team
High Street is an industrial-style guesthouse with its own bar — the pick if you want Hongdae's nightlife a few steps from your door.
High Street is an industrial-style guesthouse with its own bar — the pick if you want Hongdae's nightlife a few steps from your door.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
High Street Guesthouse Hongdae occupies a 4-storey black-and-grey industrial building marked by a red HIGH STREET neon sign. The lobby sets the tone with red brick, black steel, natural wood and Edison bulbs strung from the ceiling — closer to a Brooklyn bar than a budget guesthouse. The headline room is an 18-sqm private double, the largest in this hostel group, fitted with a 140x200 cm double bed, a small desk and chair, a minibar and an en-suite bathroom. It carries the same look as the lobby: red brick, wood floors and a big window. The bathroom has a strong hot shower, a Toto washlet and Innisfree organic toiletries. The budget end is a 6-bed mixed dorm at 12 sqm, tighter, with three sets of black steel bunks.
Food and amenities
The heart of the place is the bar on the ground floor, open 18:00 to midnight. It is industrial-cool — red brick, Edison-bulb light, Korean indie and jazz on the speakers. Happy hour runs 19:00 to 21:00, with soju and Korean beer dropping to roughly $3, around 30% cheaper than the bars outside. A house signature, a Korean-style mojito built with shiso leaf and soju, is worth a try. Beyond the bar there is a common area, free Wi-Fi, laundry and luggage storage.
Location and getting there
The location is built for Hongdae nightlife. It is about a 3-minute walk to the Hongdae live-music streets, an 800-metre stretch lined with bars, clubs and indie acts playing live most nights, and roughly 5 minutes to the Hongdae Walking Street, where the food and shopping run until 02:00. Hongik University Station is a 4-minute walk, putting the rest of the city within easy reach. Come back late and the bar downstairs is still going, but the 4th-floor private rooms stay quiet thanks to double-glazed windows.
Things to know before booking
The trade-off is noise: the bar runs until midnight and the music carries, so light sleepers should request an upper floor. It also costs about $2 a night more than Inno and Sunny Hill elsewhere in the group. And the 6-bed dorm is genuinely tight at 12 sqm — fine for a crash pad, less so if you want room to spread out.
Our take
High Street is the strongest pick here for travelers who come to Hongdae for the nights out — an in-house bar, the live-music streets a few minutes away and a large 18-sqm private room with real industrial character. It scores 8.3/10 across 2,200+ reviews, with dorm beds from about $21 and the private double around $57, good for couples who want the space. Best for people heading out at night who will not mind the bar below them.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The ground-floor bar pours soju and Korean beer for noticeably less than the bars outside, with a happy hour that drops prices further still.
- The industrial styling is the real draw — red brick walls, black steel, natural wood and Edison bulbs that read more Brooklyn bar than budget dorm.
- The 18-sqm private double is the largest room in this hostel group, with its own en-suite bathroom, a desk and a minibar.
- You are a short walk from both the Hongdae Walking Street and the Hongdae live-music streets, so the nightlife is on your doorstep.
- It is a 4-minute walk to Hongik University Station, which keeps the rest of Seoul within easy reach.
- The bar runs until midnight and the music carries, so light sleepers should ask for an upper-floor room — the 4th-floor private rooms are quieter thanks to double-glazed windows.
- It costs a little more than nearby budget options like Inno and Sunny Hill — roughly $2 a night more.
- The 6-bed mixed dorm is small at 12 sqm, with three sets of steel bunks packed in.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Seoul
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Seoul — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
See activities in SeoulAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Insider Tips
- Hit the bar during happy hour, 19:00 to 21:00, when soju drops to about $3.
- For couples, the 18-sqm private double at around $57 a night is genuinely good value for the space.
- Book a 3rd-floor dorm bed to sit further from the bar and keep the noise down at night.