Hongdae/Hapjeong Thai spot trying nasi goreng for the first time

I was trying to decide what to eat for dinner in Hapjeong when I ended up at Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch (생어거스틴 합정점) 🇹🇭. It's in the basement of Mecenatpolis, so it's really close to Hapjeong Station and super accessible. I ordered the top 3 popular menu items — giant prawn pad thai, beef pho, and nasi goreng — and honestly loved every single one … ♥ If you're usually into Thai food, I'm writing this honest review hoping you'll definitely check out Saeng Augustine!

Basic info: hours, parking, corkage

• 🕰️ Hours: Daily 13:00–22:00
• ✔️ Break time: 15:00–17:00 (except weekends, holidays)
• 📍 Address: B1118, B1F Mecenatpolis, 45 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🅿️ Parking: On-site parking available (free)
• 🥃 Corkage: Available, paid

Getting there from Hapjeong Station, B1F of Mecenatpolis

📍It's about a 5-minute walk from Hapjeong Station, so it was easy to find since it's close to the subway. Good accessibility makes it a solid choice for meeting spots too, or whenever you're craving Thai food.

Saeng Augustine is inside Mecenatpolis, so it's perfect for combining shopping or a café stop before or after your meal — it seemed like a good fit for family lunches or dinners with a baby too 🧑🧑🧒🧒

What's the vibe like inside

Walking in, the atmosphere was calmer and cleaner than I expected!

Even though it's a Thai restaurant, it doesn't feel overly casual — it's a clean space that's great for a proper meal, whether it's a date or hanging out with friends (there's also an indoor room, so it works for gatherings or dinners too).

Picking the menu, and the top 3 popular items

I usually like Thai food, so looking at the menu, there wasn't just one or two things I wanted to try 🫣 From tom yum goong to crab curry, khao pat moo sap, pad thai — so many options it was hard to choose. We ended up ordering giant prawn pad thai, beef pho, and nasi goreng.

** I found out afterward these are actually the top 3 popular items. If it's your first visit, starting with the popular menu like we did seems like a good idea!

Since we had booked through Naver Reservation ahead of time, the basic setting was already on the table when we sat down. The side dish was pickles, and there were sauces ready to go with the pho too — hoisin sauce and chili sauce.

All the food we ordered came out at once! Giant prawn pad thai + beef pho + nasi goreng. Laying all three out, the visuals alone screamed a proper full Thai spread — got me so excited … ♥

Giant prawn pad thai

First up, giant prawn pad thai 🦐. Pad thai is a menu I always end up ordering whenever I'm in Thailand, and this one looked just as appetizing. The prawns on top were big and chunky, so it looked really generous.

The sauce soaked into the noodles really well, giving it that sweet, savory pad thai flavor! Eating it with the bean sprouts added a nice crunchy texture too. And most of all, true to its name, the prawns were huge, so every bite came with a good chunk of prawn to go along with it 🦐

Twirling the noodles up with the prawn — the sweet, salty sauce blended into the noodles so well that I kept reaching for more without even thinking about it.

Beef pho

Next up, beef pho (베트남 쌀국수) 🍜. Plenty of beef in a hot broth. Where the pad thai was sweet and rich, the pho was relatively clean and light, so eating them together made a great combo ♥

The broth was warm and the noodles were soft, so it was easy to slurp down haha. Depending on your taste, adding hoisin sauce or chili sauce lets you enjoy it in a whole different way too!

The noodle portion itself was huge, and eating it with the beef felt really filling — switching back and forth between this and the pad thai meant I never got tired of either .. ♥

Nasi goreng, tried for the first time

And the one I was most looking forward to — nasi goreng. I'd heard the name a lot but had never actually eaten it before. I always wondered what it would taste like, and it turned out way better than I expected 🤭

Every single grain of rice was seasoned well, giving off that savory, umami-rich fried rice feel!

There was plenty of shrimp and squid in it too 🦐🦑. It wasn't just fried rice — you could bite into seafood throughout, which added great texture!

It was my first time eating nasi goreng, but one bite in, I understood exactly why it's a popular menu item.

Mixing the nasi goreng with the egg on top and the rice added a nutty flavor that made it feel even softer ♥ My first impression as someone trying nasi goreng for the first time was, oh? This is way better than I thought — so I think I'll order it again next time I go to Saeng Augustine haha.

Final thoughts

My first visit to Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch. The menu was so varied I had a hard time deciding, but all three — giant prawn pad thai, beef pho, and nasi goreng — were delicious, so I was very satisfied !!! Especially the nasi goreng, which I tried for the first time and turned out to be way tastier than expected, really stuck with me ..! Next time I'll definitely come back and try other Thai dishes !!!! If you're looking for a good Thai restaurant near Hapjeong, I highly recommend Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch ♥