Gangnam Vietnamese restaurant lunch date: seafood fried rice at Anan

I had plans near Gangnam Station recently! While debating what to have for lunch, I suddenly craved Vietnamese food, so I visited Anan, a well-known bun cha (grilled pork with rice noodles) spot near Gangnam Station. The atmosphere was great too, so let me share my review of Anan as a recommended lunch date spot^^

Where is Anan Gangnam Direct Store, and what are its hours?

Anan Gangnam Direct Store is located at 31 Gangnam-daero 92-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, just a 2-3 minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 12, so it's really accessible^^ It's open from 11:00 to 21:00, and closed every Saturday and Sunday, so please keep that in mind~!

If you're coming by subway, exit through Gangnam Station Exit 12 and walk straight for about 100m. Turn into the alley behind the KB Insurance building, pass the Gong Cha store, and walk up a short hill — at the top of the hill on the left, you'll find it on the first floor of a mint-colored building. Even I, who has zero sense of direction, found it easily, so you shouldn't have trouble either.

Inside Anan: dining room and group seating

The interior of Anan near Gangnam Station has such a great atmosphere! It's kept really clean and tidy, making it good for gatherings with friends as well as a date spot. The place is spacious with quite a lot of tables, and group seating is available too.

They had the basic table setting ready for us! They thoughtfully provided a small plate, chopsticks, a spoon, and even wet wipes. You order easily through your phone using the QR code set up at each table^^ We looked through the whole menu first and then ordered a variety of dishes~

What we ordered at Anan in Gangnam

After some deliberation, we ordered the bun cha full of charcoal-grilled aroma, which we were most looking forward to! We also ordered garlic-stir-fried water spinach and fried rice for variety~

They gave us soy sauce, pickled onion, and tomato sauce to go with the fried rice! It was my first time eating it this way, so it felt so novel — putting a bit of tomato sauce on top of the fried rice gave it a tangy, unique flavor that was great to enjoy^^ For reference, cilantro can be added or left out depending on your preference.

Bun cha with real charcoal-grill aroma

Personally, this was the dish I was most looking forward to! I kept going back and forth between banh xeo (Vietnamese crispy pancake) and bun cha, but this looked so appetizing and had such a strong charcoal-grilled aroma that I got even more curious. The vegetables were served generously, and the charcoal-grilled meat combined with the tangy nuoc mam sauce made for a flavor-packed dish~

Anan's seafood fried rice, with three sauces

Whenever I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, I always order water spinach! Salty water spinach paired with fried rice is just so good. Since bun cha comes with rice noodles, I figured it'd be nice to order a rice dish too, so I went with fried rice! The portion was way bigger than expected, and the seafood made it even tastier.

Water spinach stir-fried with garlic

I also ordered the garlic-stir-fried water spinach, which I love so much! Stir-frying it over high heat really brought out the garlic aroma, making it even more delicious. The crunchy texture and nutty flavor of the water spinach were on full display, and it went perfectly with the fried rice^^

Since this was my first time at this restaurant near Gangnam Station, I was a bit worried about how it would be, but all three dishes we ordered were a hit! Seeing how many customers were there at lunchtime, it seems like this place is already well known as a great Vietnamese noodle spot near Gangnam Station haha. I'm planning to go back next time and try the banh xeo too!!

Is Anan a good lunch date spot near Gangnam Station?

After visiting Anan, a great Vietnamese noodle spot near Gangnam Station, I have to say the overall atmosphere of the place was really lovely~! I'd like to recommend it to anyone looking for a Gangnam Station lunch date course^^

The food was delicious, the staff were kind, and the atmosphere was great, so it's a place I'd love to revisit. It's close to Gangnam Station, so accessibility is excellent too — enjoy a delicious lunch and check out the surrounding area to have some fun afterward~