Gilpost · Mapo-gu, Donggyo-dong
Chinese
Maragongbang Hongdae
마라공방 홍대점 Mara is the numbing-hot Sichuan mala seasoning and gongbang means workshop, so the name reads as a mala workshop; this is the Hongdae branch of the chain.
Compiled from 12 blog posts read in fullSources →
The Hongdae branch of the Maragongbang malatang chain, on the second floor of a building at 12 Yanghwa-ro 18-gil, near Exit 8 of Hongik Univ. Station. You fill a bowl at the self-serve bar, pay by weight, choose a heat level and collect your food when your number is called. Most tables pair the malatang with a small guobaorou. Where posts gave totals, a bowl came to between 10,500 and 21,000 won. We read 14 posts from August 2025 to October 2026. Two were about the Gwangmyeong and Pohang branches and were set aside, which leaves 12 actual visits here. Nine of those 12 appeared in September and October 2026 and follow the same template.
Data as of · Published ·
Location & hours
- Address서울특별시 마포구 양화로18길 12, 2층 (동교동)12 Yanghwa-ro 18-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
- Phone02-2082-2030
- Typical spend₩2,100 – ₩10,000
- From the station8 posts say it is walkable from the station.
- Floor areaFloor area 95 m² · Status In business
When it opens
Of 9 posts: 7 wrote Daily 11:00–22:30.
| Daily | 11:00–22:30 | 7 of 9 posts |
|---|
Counted from what bloggers wrote in their posts; we did not confirm it with the restaurant. Where the values differ, it may be a change over time rather than a disagreement, so we show when each one was written.
What sets it apart
- Seven of the nine posts that ate guobaorou called the batter crisp, and one said it arrived hot because it is fried to order. Several said even the small size was a big plate.
- Posts disagree on heat. Three found it spicy, two said it was not (one at level 2, one at level 1), and three described a numbing tingle without calling it hot. Two posts repeated the shop's guide that level 1 is about as hot as Shin Ramyun.
- Space is roomy. Five posts called the room large or the tables well spaced, and four mentioned plenty of two- and four-seat tables and solo seats. Of the six posts that called it clean, most were judging by how tidy the self-serve ingredient bar was.
- Eight posts said who they went with: three with a partner, two with friends (one a group of three), one alone and one with a 12-year-old child. Nearly every title calls it good for solo dining, but only one writer actually went alone.
1 more
- One post mentioned a one-mala-dish-per-person rule (they shared one anyway). No other post mentioned it.
What 12 bloggers said
malatang
Crispy batter
We read all 12 in full. The most common claims are “Crispy batter” (7) and “Clean” (6).
What they liked
Where they disagree
| Spicy | yes 3 · no 2 |
|---|
Things you can check on site
- Reachable by transit 8 of 12 posts
- Second floor 4 of 12 posts
- Seats to sit and eat 4 of 12 posts
- In a basement saying it is not 4 of 12 posts
- Toilet inside 2 of 12 posts
- Cooked to order 1 of 12 posts
- One dish per person 1 of 12 posts
These are raw counts, not percentages. Someone who did not mention something is not someone who disagreed.
Who came, and with whom
- Date 3 of 12 posts
- With a friend 2 of 12 posts
- Solo visit 1 of 12 posts
- Family visit 1 of 12 posts
- Came with children 1 of 12 posts
- Group visit 1 of 12 posts
Where it is
We could not find this shop’s own listing on Naver Map, so the link searches for its Korean name around this spot instead.
From the station
8 posts say it is walkable from the station.
Getting inside
| Second floor | 4 of 12 posts |
|---|---|
| In a basement | yes 0 · no 4 (of 12 posts read) |
| Lift to the floor | yes 0 · no 1 (of 12 posts read) |
| Toilet inside | 2 of 12 posts |
It is upstairs and you get there by stairs. Four posts described climbing to the second-floor shop, and one said the building has no elevator, so you have to take the stairs.
Four posts confirmed from the climb that it is on the second floor, not below ground. No one said whether the shop itself covers one floor or more.
No post said whether a wheelchair or stroller can get in, or whether there is a step at the door. One post noted only that there is no elevator and they took the stairs.
Two posts said the restroom is inside, at the back of the shop. Separate men's and women's restrooms appear only in copied info blocks, never as something a writer saw.
No one mentioned: Ramp at the door · Step at the entrance · Step-free access · Accessible toilet · Separate restrooms. That is not the same as there being none — it means we could not confirm it. Worth calling ahead, and do tell us: we will put it here.
How to read these posts
- Posts saying they paid themselves1 of 12 posts
- Posts saying nothing either way11 of 12 posts
When the posts appeared
Month by month
| Month | Posts |
|---|---|
| 2025-08 | 1 |
| 2025-09 | 1 |
| 2026-06 | 1 |
| 2026-09 | 3 |
| 2026-10 | 6 |
What we do not know
- No post reported waiting. Some said the room was nearly full or that empty tables filled right away, but nobody said they queued. That doesn't mean there is never a wait, only that no one wrote about one.
- Nine posts listed opening hours, all copied from the listing. The eight posts from June 2026 on say 11:00 to 22:30 daily; a single August 2025 post gave a 10:30 opening. No post mentioned a break time or last order.
- Posts don't agree on prices. Malatang was given as 2,100 or 2,500 won per 100 g, and the small guobaorou as 9,000, 9,900 or 10,000 won. Two posts published the same day, September 23, 2026, gave 9,900 and 10,000 won. Three posts called it good value.
- Five posts gave the same phone number, 0507-1358-7666. Reservations appear only in copied listing info; no one wrote about actually booking.
- Nine posts from September 23 to October 25, 2026 follow the same template: a 'Hongdae malatang' title, directions from Exit 8, a copied info block and a must-order guobaorou. Two still carry a pasted review-count widget. None discloses sponsorship, but these posts tend to repeat the same points, so read their agreement with that in mind.
Sources (12)
Every number above was counted from the posts below.
- [서울 마포/홍대] 마라탕 맛있는집, 마라공방 홍대점 💛 2026-10-25 · 윌리의 행복한 일상(ᐢᗜᐢ) · via Daum
- 홍대 마라탕 맛집 마라공방 역대급 비주얼과 맛 가성비! 홍대 혼밥 .... 2026-10-14 · 여행, 맛집, 육아 뷰티, 정보공유
- 홍대 마라탕 맛집 <마라공방> 홍대 마라샹궈 꿔바로우 맛집 후기 2026-10-09 · 잘 먹기
- [서울 마포] 홍대 마라탕 맛집 마라공방! 로제마라샹궈, 꿔바로우까.... 2026-10-07 · Nuttie blog
- [마포/홍대] 마라공방 홍대입구역직영점 | 홍대 마라탕 맛집, 홍대 .... 2026-10-01 · 오늘의 TMI
- [홍대 맛집] 마라공방 홍대점: 마라 입덕하게 만든 듬직한 마라탕 & 꿔바로우 완벽 정복! 🍜✨ 2026-10-01 · ✨소소한 G-LOG✨ | 신혼일기·제품리뷰 · via Daum
- 홍대 마라탕 맛집 마라공방 홍대점 내맘대로 재료 가득 마라탕 꿔바.... 2026-09-23 · 일개미의 데이로그(Daylog)
- 홍대 마라탕 맛집 찾다가 발견한 마라공방 홍대입구역직영점 2026-09-23 · 맛쀼먹쀼
- 홍대 마라탕 맛집ㅣ마라공방 홍대점ㅣ홍대 혼밥 마라샹궈 2026-09-23 · 나으 먹방일지
- 땅콩소스바 있는 홍대 마라탕 맛집 마라공방 홍대점 마라탕 감별사.... 2026-06-25 · bonnie LOG
- 제목 할게 없어요 2025-09-13 · R♥️CK STAR · via Daum
- 홍대 마라탕 맛집 혼밥 데이트하기 좋은 마라공방 홍대입구직영점 2025-08-13 · 심약한 혜령이의 해피스토리 · via Daum
Of 381 candidate posts we opened 120 and kept 12 as evidence. We have not seen them all yet; another pass would add more.