Thai restaurant with 1-hour free parking in Gyodong, Daegu: Thai Yami

What should mom and I eat before going to see the Chagall exhibition? That's how I ended up here. Since we had to drive, I looked up good restaurants near the exhibition hall and Gyodong lunch spots in Daegu, and when I found out this place offered parking support, I decided right away! (Parking around Dongseongno and Gyodong is no joke...) The interior was to my taste and so was the menu — Thai Yami, a Gyodong favorite.

Where to park for Thai Yami in Gyodong, Daegu

For Thai Yami parking, you can use the Jungangno Hyundai Sun&Vill officetel parking lot and get 1 hour free. I typed '현대썬앤빌중앙로오피스텔 주차장' into my navigation, but if the parking lot doesn't come up, try searching 'Jungangno Hyundai Sun&Vill officetel,' 'Gate 1,' or 'CU Hyundai Sun&Vill branch' — that should be easier to find. The parking lot entrance is right next to the CU.

Parking fees are ₩500 per 10 minutes. Lucky that we got 1 hour free.

❗️One thing to note. On the way down from the parking lot to the shops below, there's no elevator — just two sets of stairs. If stairs are difficult for you, plan ahead. That said, once you come down the stairs, the restaurant is right there, so it wasn't hard to find.

Inside Thai Yami: atmosphere and seating

Thai Yami's interior mixes wood and greenery with cute in-store posters, making for an overall warm, cozy space. Personally, exactly my kind of vibe.

We visited around 1pm on a Sunday, and right after we sat down, the tables filled up fast. There were families with kids, groups of friends, and couples too. That made me feel like this is a place — and a menu — anyone can enjoy comfortably, whoever they come with.

For the restroom, you get an access key and use the officetel restroom outside the restaurant. It was kept clean, which I appreciated. (Grab tissue from the restaurant before you go!)

Thai Yami's menu: how lunch and dinner differ

Looking at the kiosk, the lunch menu and dinner menu were listed separately.

Lunch seems to have more pho varieties, and dinner adds a spicy clam hot pot (I think..?). The menu was more varied than I expected. I was curious about the Korean beef shabu hot pot, and torn about the poo pad pong curry too. Pho is one of my go-to dishes normally, and since some items had a 'signature' mark, I figured I had to try those.

What we ordered at Thai Yami: pad thai, kai phrai, jjajo and orange juice

One pad thai, one kai phrai, one jjajo, one fresh-squeezed orange juice. Along with it came a tangy pickled cabbage that served as the pickle side.

Pad thai, 15,000 won

Their signature dish, noodles stir-fried in a special sauce.

From the very first bite, it's exactly suited to Korean tastes haha. The kind of flavor anyone could eat without hesitation. Squeeze the lemon on, mix it all up with the plump shrimp and bean sprouts. Once mixed, there's chili flakes in there too, so you can eat it without it feeling greasy. Totally understood why it's the signature — that savory umami 👍🏼

Kai phrai chicken salad, 21,000 won

A house-made fried chicken and salad dish you can only get at Thai Yami. The moment it arrived, I thought 'oh? this is my style!' — pretty from the visuals alone.

The cheese shredded on top looked great, and more than anything, the portion was huge. It's not just piled with salad — there's a mountain of fried chicken too. They drizzle lemon on first.

There's a generous amount of sweet-tangy sauce pooled at the bottom of the plate, so it's nice to toss everything together so the chicken and salad get evenly coated. There was so much chicken that mixing wasn't easy at first — if that happens, at least pull up the onions sitting at the bottom center.

It's delicious eaten together with the sauce-coated onions, but I only discovered the clump of onions after finishing half the chicken... wish I'd found it sooner. Still, eating the fried chicken with the lettuce was amazing!! Especially when you get a piece with lots of cheese on it??

Genuinely savory and delicious...👍🏼 Sweet, salty, savory ⭐️ The sprouts can taste a little sharp/spicy, but I like sprouts anyway so it was fine for me. I kept saying 'this is totally my style, so good!' the whole time I was eating! Even near the end I was still dunking it in extra sauce haha. Mom, on the other hand, said it got a bit salty toward the end.

The full portion is quite large, and there's a mini size available too, so if you're planning to order other dishes alongside it, the mini size might be a good call. Of course, if you can eat a lot? Full size, highly recommend! Between the two of us, the pad thai and full-size kai phrai left us pretty stuffed.

Jjajo spring rolls, 4 pcs for 7,000 won

Mom wanted to try this one out of curiosity, so we ordered it.

Eaten right when it arrives, it's crispy! Crunchy outside, with a hearty filling inside too. We enjoyed it, but personally, since we ate it alongside the kai phrai, the sauce flavors felt a bit repetitive. Still, eaten hot and crispy right when it came out, it was delicious.

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, 5,500 won

Definitely different from store-bought orange juice, probably because it's freshly squeezed. Not overly sweet, more refreshingly tangy-sweet! The orange's own flavor really came through, and it paired well with the food.

Would I go back to Thai Yami? Final verdict

A place we left genuinely full and satisfied. A Gyodong, Daegu restaurant I want to come back to. Next time I'll try the pho and poo pad pong curry we skipped, and I'll definitely order the kai phrai again haha.

• Seeing delivery riders coming in often, it must be a great delivery spot too. Would love Thai Yami delivery.
• Draft beer and highballs would go well with the food, so I'll keep it in mind as a candidate for a Gyodong, Daegu drinking spot.
• It's only about a 9-minute walk from Spark Land, so it's worth checking out as a Daegu Spark Land restaurant before or after an exhibition, date, or outing.
• Follow and leave a review on Naver and you get a free small pho.