Thai restaurant in Seongsu with pad mee moo and khao pad set: Thanon55

Vietnamese restaurants are everywhere these days, but it's surprisingly hard to find a place that really specializes in Thai food. So when I heard there was a spot in Seongsu that stays true to authentic Thai flavors while adapting them for Korean palates, I had to check it out 🇹🇭

Sawasdee krap 🙏🏻 Let me introduce Thanon55, a place whose owner lived in Bangkok and built the menu around the dishes they encountered there.

Where is Thanon55, and where can you park?

Thanon55 is about an 8-minute walk from Seongsu Station exit 3. Parking is notoriously tough in Seongdong, so there's no dedicated lot for the restaurant. If you're driving, I'd recommend using a nearby public parking lot.

Inside Thanon55: a Bangkok-style room in Seongsu

Thanon55 has an antique feel starting right from the entrance, and the moment you step inside you can feel that unmistakable atmosphere of a dedicated Thai restaurant.

Antique props and decor that look straight out of Thailand mix nicely with the trendy sensibility unique to Seongsu-dong, so it genuinely feels like you've traveled somewhere else.

Apparently Thanon55 has kept researching and refining the menu to serve high-quality Thai food to guests. It started out as a word-of-mouth line-up spot in Seongsu and has since expanded into department stores, gradually opening more locations.

What's on the Thanon55 menu?

There's everything from standard Thai pho to neua tun pho, Thai-style gamjatang pho, curry pho, and gopchang (beef intestine) pho — the same base noodle dish but different ingredients and broth give each version a totally different character, so it's fun picking based on your mood. Beyond pho, you can also try khao pad (Thai fried rice), goong pad pong curry, poo pad pong curry, pad mee moo, tom yum goong, and more.

Som tam (shredded green papaya salad) and pickled radish come out as the default side dishes.

How does the gamjatang pho & khao pad set taste?

The gamjatang pho & khao pad set lets you sample a range of flavors at once 👀 Gamjatang (pork bone soup) meets pho — just hearing the name made it sound delicious.

The gamjatang pho is apparently modeled on leng saap, a dish actually sold in Bangkok! It's built on a rich broth simmered from bones, with the distinct fragrance of Thai herbs rising gently, and the sour-spicy notes blend beautifully with the deep, hearty flavor. Really tasty.

The meat is generously portioned and so tender it melts the moment it hits your mouth. Since it's made with rice noodles, it's easy to digest too, and the noodles keep a nice springy texture — so it's easy to enjoy without feeling weighed down!

Khao pad, Thai-style fried rice, has its own charm that's similar to but distinctly different from Korean fried rice. It picks up a subtle smoky char from the wok and the rice grains stay fluffy and separate — great texture! A familiar taste that somehow makes it even more delicious... 🤤💛

I still remember not being able to finish local food when I traveled to Bangkok because it didn't suit my palate, but this menu seems slightly adjusted for Korean tastes — the spices weren't overwhelming, and it felt both familiar and new, so I enjoyed every bite 😋

Pad mee moo, Thai stir-fried pork noodles, tried for the first time

Pad mee moo ✨ is a Thai pork stir-fried noodle dish — no broth, just seasoning, ingredients, and meat stir-fried together in rice noodle form. Stir-frying the pork right in with the noodles gave it a richer, more intense flavor.

I'd only ever had pad thai before, so this was my first time with pad mee moo. At first the unfamiliar name made me wonder if I'd like it, but once I tried it, it tasted far more familiar than expected, with zero resistance. Stir-frying the pork together with the noodles gave it a salty, savory depth, plus a subtle smoky char — really good!

If you want to enjoy a range of Thai dishes at once in Seongsu, trying authentic Thai food at Thanon55 seems like a great choice 🙌🏻