Gongju restaurant for spicy pho and galbi rice bowls: Myeonsikdang

Myeonsikdang Gongju University Branch, near Gongju University and the terminal

It’s about a 3-minute walk from Gongju University’s west gate and close to Gongju Intercity Bus Terminal too, so it’s in a nice spot not only for Gongju University students but also for a meal while visiting Gongju! 🌀

There are so many menu options. It’s a great-value spot that doesn’t feel pricey. From pho to cold soba and pork cutlets, yum, even as sets 🤍 I especially recommend it to anyone looking for pho in Gongju or a good tonkatsu spot near Gongju University~

Myeonsikdang Gongju University Branch is in the university district near Gongju University, so it isn’t hard to find 🚶🏻♀️

It’s also about a 5-minute walk from Gongju Intercity Bus Terminal, so I think it would be great for car-free walkers too. Unlimited rice refills and even a receipt event! Myeonsikdang is so on top of things, hoho ⭐

Solo seats, tables, and how to order

Once you step inside, it’s spacious! There are seats that are great for eating alone as well as tables for 2–4 people, so it looks good whether you come by yourself or with friends.

As you’d expect from a university-area place, having dedicated solo-dining seats is such a plus~.

Water and the basic side dishes are self-serve! There’s pickled radish and kimchi, haha. Myeonsikdang says it inspects the ingredients delivered each day before using them! Every table has a kiosk, which makes ordering easy, and turnover is fairly quick too!

There’s a review event, so make sure you join it, haha.

A varied menu, from ramen to pork cutlets

Myeonsikdang’s signature dishes include tonkotsu ramen, mazesoba, handmade pork loin cutlet, and a large butadon (pork rice bowl). There’s also spicy tonkotsu ramen, shoyu ramen, mala shabu pho, spicy shabu pho, hirekatsu, half-and-half cutlets, spicy green-onion pork cutlet, and more... So! Much! Variety!

You can adjust the spice level too, just so you know. I visited at weekend lunchtime, and while there wasn’t a wait to get in, orders were backed up, so I think we waited about 15–20 minutes! Still, turnover is usually quick, and it didn’t feel especially long, so it was fine!

The day we tried spicy shabu pho and galbi rice bowls

• Spicy shabu pho (9.5)
• Spicy galbi rice bowl (10.5)
• Hirekatsu (4.9)
• Cold soba (?)

I came with my boyfriend, so we got to try lots of different things all at once, hehe. First up, the spicy shabu pho! 🌶️🍜

First of all, it doesn’t have cilantro, which was great for me since I can’t eat cilantro, haha. The broth was spicy and refreshing, and delicious too ㅠ I added bean sprouts~~🥗

The noodles had a lovely springy bite and went well with the bean sprouts, and there was lots of meat on top too! Even though I’m not great with spice, I ate the spicy pho, so I recommend it!!!

Spicy galbi rice bowl

A rice bowl where spicy galbi seasoning meets a sweet sauce! It has lots of galbi in it, so I recommend it to anyone who wants rice rather than noodles, hehe.

I added an extra egg yolk, and it made it even richer >..>

The cold soba was just standard cold soba, hehe. It was refreshing and easy to eat cleanly with the chilled broth! Since the other dishes were spicy, I loved the spicy + cool combination.. 💡

Lastly, the hirekatsu. It was neither too much nor too little, so it was great as a side dish!

Myeonsikdang also has lots of pork cutlet options, including handmade pork loin cutlet, half-and-half cutlets, spicy green-onion pork cutlet, and cheese cutlet. I think they’d go sooo well with the spicy galbi rice bowl, so that’s what I’m going to try next time 🩵