Crab curry at a Thai restaurant in Sangam, Seoul: Drunken Thai

Today I'm writing about a visit to "Drunken Thai Sangam Branch," a Thai restaurant in Sangam 😊

Usually when I go out for Thai food in Korea, it's either super premium and restaurant-like, or formatted to suit Korean tastes. Personally, I really love that rough, wild energy you get from a Thai night market or a local hole-in-the-wall!

True to its name, "Drunken Thai" recreates exactly that feeling of stumbling on a hidden gem in a Thai night market ✨

Drunken Thai Sangam Branch hours and the best time to go

Drunken Thai Sangam Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. Barring special circumstances, they're open every day without closures.

I visited around 2pm on a holiday — a bit past lunchtime — and the place was still completely full 👍🏻

How to get to Drunken Thai Sangam Branch and where to park

✔️412m from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station

Come out of Exit 2 of Digital Media City Station (Line 6), go straight, turn right when you hit a dead end, cross at the traffic light, go straight on the left side, turn right when you reach the main road, and walk about 150m — it's on the right on the 1st floor.

✔️No parking available. There's no parking at the restaurant, so please use a nearby public parking lot.

• 1️⃣DMC Cheomdan Parking Tower: ₩1,500/30min (186m from the restaurant)
• 2️⃣Sangam 1 Public Parking Lot: ₩1,200/30min (263m from the restaurant)
• 3️⃣Sangam DMC Park M: ₩1,500/30min (258m from the restaurant)

Inside Drunken Thai Sangam Branch and what's on the menu

The interior is cozy but has a strong Thai vibe! Also perfect for eating solo.

📋Check the menu below📋 Rice and noodle refills are free ❗️ They're also running a Naver receipt review campaign〰️

How the food tastes at Drunken Thai Sangam Branch

Drunken Thai serves a variety of dishes like tom yum goong, pad see ew, and som tam, but we ordered the three most basic, representative dishes.

🍽️What we ordered today🍽️ Pad Thai (shrimp) 12,000 / Poo Pad Pong Curry (curry rice) 20,000 / Pad Kra Pao Moo Sap 11,000

1️⃣ The standout: poo pad pong curry, 20,000 won (highly recommended⭐️⭐️)

Personally, this is the #1 dish I want to most strongly recommend from this visit 🍛

✅ Flavor highlight: Poo pad pong curry usually leans soft and sweet, so it gets sickly sweet fast. This place has a chili-oil base mixed in, so there's a clear punch underneath the soft flavor. Nothing greasy or heavy about it — it all comes together perfectly.

✅ Fried crab meat: The crab meat inside comes topped on as fried pieces, soft enough that you could eat the shell whole. The harmony with the curry was pure art.

✅ Overall: I've had poo pad pong curry in Thailand and at various places in Korea, but this was hands-down the best I've ever had. If you come to Drunken Thai, you have to try this!

2️⃣ Solid and classic: pad thai with shrimp, 12,000 won

Pad thai is the dish everyone thinks of first when they hear "Thai food." Surprisingly, it varies a lot store by store — the gap between a place that nails it and one that doesn't is huge.

✅ Flavor highlight: This was really solid and true to the basics. It had that same texture as the pad thai I really enjoyed in Thailand.

✅ Overall: I was satisfied enough to clean the whole plate without getting tired of it, start to finish.

3️⃣ A spicy surprise: pad kra pao moo sap, 11,000 won

Pad kra pao moo sap, a rice bowl with stir-fried pork and basil, came out slightly milder and gentler than the local version.

✅ Flavor highlight: It's mild and tasty as-is, but if you want the fiery local flavor, I recommend mixing in the "Thai-style pickled chili" set on the table! (Not your usual side-dish pickle — this is a real Thai-style pickle.)

✅ Overall: Add a little of the pickle and mix it all together, and you get that spicy, fiery local flavor exactly as it is.

Singha soda water: a free extra worth knowing about

🥤 Special tip: Singha Soda Water. The owner gave us this on the house, and it was a treat! True to being a leading Thai brand, the carbonation is overwhelming. It's on a completely different level from the usual sparkling water or soda you drink in Korea — clean and seriously strong fizz. If you want a crisp palate cleanser, or want to try proper sparkling water, definitely give it a try.

Is Drunken Thai Sangam Branch worth a visit?

If you've been disappointed by the typical "neatly arranged Thai restaurant" scene in Korea, this place will be a welcome change. You'll get that rough, charming flavor that feels lifted straight out of a Thai night market. If you want to taste proper Thai food in Sangam, I strongly recommend Drunken Thai!