Leng saep pork spine stew for two at Euljiro Thai restaurant Kkai 9
In short
Kkai 9 is a second-floor Thai restaurant in Euljiro 3-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, a 1-minute walk from Exit 9 of Euljiro 3-ga Station, run by a Thai wife and her Korean husband. Two people ordered laeng sap (leng saep pork spine stew, 35,000 won), tom yum rice noodles (14,000 won) and pad thai kung (13,000 won), and finished everything from the chili-and-garlic bone stew to the last of the sour tom yum broth. Weekday evenings from 6pm bring a wait at Kkai 9, and only groups of six or more can book ahead.
Good to know
- Location
- 6 Chungmuro 5-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (1-minute walk from Euljiro 3-ga Station Exit 9, 2nd floor)
- Hours
- Sun–Fri 11:00–21:30 (break 15:00–17:00, last orders 14:30 and 21:00) / Sat 11:30–21:30 (last order 21:00)
- Reservations
- Groups of 6 or more only
- Takeout
- Available
- Parking
- Not available
- Seating
- 8–9 tables, pushed together to suit the party size
- Ordering
- QR code ordering at each table
- What we ordered
- Laeng sap 35,000 won / Tom yum rice noodles 14,000 won / Pad thai kung 13,000 won
as written by the visitor on Sep 17, 2026
Kkai 9
Location: 6 Chungmuro 5-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea Hours: Sun–Fri 11:00–21:30 (break 15:00–17:00) (last order 14:30, 21:00) Sat 11:30–21:30 (last order 21:00) Group reservations available (6+ people) Takeout No parking
How to get to Kkai 9 from Euljiro 3-ga Station
I was craving Thai food, so I went to Kkai 9. It's a 1-minute walk from Exit 9 of Euljiro 3-ga Station, where Line 2 and Line 3 meet!
It's a well-known spot that's even been on the TV show Live Today.
The restaurant is on the 2nd floor — go up the stairs to the left of the Oppadak store. The entrance already gives off major Thailand / Southeast Asia vibes!
This is Kkai 9's menu. There are main dishes, noodles, fried rice, sides, and drinks. Kkai 9 is run by a Thai wife and Korean husband, and I heard they make their pho broth, laeng sap, pad thai sauce, and khao kha mu sauce all from scratch. Getting authentic Thai flavor right here in Euljiro? Amazing!
Once you come up to the 2nd floor, there are chairs by the entrance for waiting. I arrived a little after 5:30pm on a weekday and there were already a lot of customers, and past 6pm a wait started to form. (But sadly, no reservations unless you're a group ㅠ.ㅠ)
Inside Kkai 9: seating on the second floor
Right past the entrance is the cooking area.
Here's the interior. There were about 8–9 tables, and it looks like they push tables together depending on the party size!
The windows are big and pretty, and the whole interior really feels like an actual Thai restaurant.
There are disposable aprons available in the restaurant too.
You order by scanning the QR code at your table.
Kkai 9 menu and what two people ordered
Kkai 9 also has set menus for 2–4 people depending on party size. We weren't planning to drink, so we picked from the à la carte menu. I went back and forth between pu pad pong curry and the laeng sap I was most curious about, and ended up ordering the following:
- Laeng sap ₩35,000
- Pad thai kung ₩13,000
- Tom yum rice noodles ₩14,000
The two of us ordered a lot. My boyfriend isn't really a fan of tom yum goong, but the reviews were so good he decided to give it a shot!
Since we sat near the kitchen, we even got to watch the owner making the laeng sap. That laeng sap is mine—
What does laeng sap (35,000 won), Thai chili pork spine stew, taste like?
The laeng sap came out first. It's described as a Thai-style chili bone stew, and the big bones are stacked neatly without toppling over. It was bigger and taller than I expected — I was surprised.
Piled high on top of the stew are chili, garlic sauce, and a heap of cilantro. It wasn't very spicy — more of a slight tingle — and the sauce had a bit of tanginess. I already like cilantro and this was my first time trying laeng sap, and I found it delicious and distinctive. My boyfriend said this was his 3rd laeng sap in life and the best of the three. So glad his first laeng sap experience was at a good place haha
The meat is seriously huge, and there's a lot of it too. The portion is quite large, so it seems like two people usually order one laeng sap plus one noodle or fried rice dish to share. We ordered 3 dishes including the laeng sap and finished everything — we were seriously stuffed.
Tom yum rice noodles and pad thai kung at Kkai 9
And then the tom yum rice noodles arrived
Push the cilantro aside and you see bean sprouts, onion, mushrooms, and big chunky shrimp underneath.
The noodles were bouncy and delicious, but the broth — wow, it had that signature tom yum goong sourness with a smoothness to it, and I immediately understood why the reviews are so good and why it's a popular dish. Even my boyfriend, who's not usually a tom yum fan, said it was tasty and kept spooning up the broth...
And then pad thai kung — pad thai is one of my favorite Thai dishes, and this one was stir-fried perfectly in a sweet-salty sauce, so good in that sweet-and-savory way. Compared to the soup dish, the noodles here were chewier and springier, and the shrimp were plump and tasty. Every single dish was a win! Next time I'm coming back for pu pad pong curry and rib pho.
Where it is
6 Chungmuro 5-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 중구 충무로5길 6
