Walking in, Honey Day Cafe has a very distinct Korean interior. The walls, furniture, and decor are all very modest, yet elegant, designs with neutral colors. Distinct light and wall fixtures stand out well against the otherwise simple cafe. The use of space is very practical, yet unique: the restaurant is filled with a variety of comfy couches and chairs, and there’s even a small phone charging station towards the back of the restaurant.

Korean food doesn’t generally get much recognition around here. When most people in Bergen County hear “Asian cuisine”, they probably think more along the lines of sushi or Chinese takeout. Having opened in December 2022, Honey Day is a Korean brunch place located in downtown Glen Rock and the only Korean restaurant in Glen Rock and possibly in other neighboring towns. However, this cafe has attracted many people eager to experience this unique slice of culture, so we decided to try out some authentic Korean dishes and really put this brunch place to the test.

Overall, all of the small dishes were amazing. The croffle, while it seems the least Korean and isn’t technically a Korean dish, was popularized in South Korea, so we thought to give it a try. The croffle is basically a croissant pressed in a waffle maker to give it that crispy and flaky croissant texture with the fun and familiar waffle shape. The croffle had a sugar coating that added a little bit of extra crunch and sweetness. The plate also came with fruit and whipped cream that made the entire dish taste amazing overall. The kimchi fries are also more of an Americanized dish. This bowl is made up of normal fries mixed with Korean kimchi, which are spicy, pickled vegetables, usually cabbage. They had a bit of a sour and spicy kick while not being too spicy. The fries were moist, most likely from the sauce, but they were also crunchy. The over cooked bacon bits mixed in were crispy? but fun to chew on. The shredded cheddar cheese on top made it a bit more salty, and it was topped off with lime crema for dressing. The ddukbokki, which translates to “stir-fried rice cake” in Korean, consists of chewy rice cakes, with a crispy outside covered in sweet and spicy sauce. In my opinion, it had a relatively mild kick, and it was very flavorful and tangy. They also threw in some everything seasoning that adds the perfect amount of salt to the dish, which is something that I’ve never experienced before with ddukbokki. While we thoroughly enjoyed these small dishes, they were extremely expensive. The croffles were $10, the ddukbokki was $12, and the kimchi fries were $14.The only brunch main that we tried was the K-Street toast. The bread was cooked very well on both sides, and one side was actually a little bit burnt that gave it a little extra crunch. The buttered milk bread made it extremely savory and delicious. The egg was fully cooked with diced vegetables, cabbage, and ham. Inside, the stretchy American cheese and ketchup, in addition to the ham, gave the omelet a salty flavor that matched very well with the meal. There was also a little bit of sugar that perfectly balanced everything out. This was also more on the pricey side, though relatively, not as expensive, at $16.

For drinks, we got the Sunrise Fauxito and the Pretty Palmer refreshers. The Sunrise Fauxito has layers of gorgeous sunrise colors, mostly orange and yellow.It was a very tropical drink consisting of mango, guava, and lime juices, with some mint flavor as well. The fizz from the sparkling water was also good, and it’s really refreshing after all of that food that you’re eating. The Pretty Palmer was also a beautiful but very unique drink. It’s made of butterfly pea tea, and when lemon juice is added, this turns from a royal blue to a vibrant shade of purple, making it one of the more instagram worthy items on the menu. This drink was basically a fizzy lemonade, but it had a very subtle sweet and almost flowery taste to it. While you can get lemonade anywhere, this drink is definitely one that you should try for the experience of watching the color change. For pricing, these drinks are even more expensive at a whopping $7. Granted, it’s a larger drink, but it’s mostly filled with ice, and the flavor is very quickly diluted. We didn’t get the lattes because we’re not huge latte people, but there were a variety of unique lattes, such as French blue latte, strawberry matcha latte, honey lavender latte, and black sesame latte, all ranging from about $6-$7, that may be worth tasting.

Overall, Honey Day is definitely worth stopping by and sitting down for. Everything was amazing and pretty authentic. There were definitely some Americanized dishes, but it wasn’t as diluted as other places. We specifically chose more Korean food, and I would heavily recommend sticking to Korean food because other American foods can be found at any other brunch place, and it’s more worth your money. As we mentioned before, it’s very pricey, but we would definitely go there every once in a while, and the experience is definitely worth it.