Vietnamese restaurant in Daegu: pho, bun cha and banh xeo at Raichen

Today, I’m introducing Raichen Chilgok Branch, a great Vietnamese pho spot I found because I suddenly had a craving for bun cha~

Raichen Chilgok Branch location and visitor information

• 108 and 109, 1F, 30-23 Dongcheon-ro 23-gil, Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• 11:00–21:15 / last order 20:30
• Closed every Monday
• Parking available; Hit Town parking can also be used
• 3-minute walk from Palgeo Station Exit 3

The warm interior combines wood tones and lush greenery so nicely! It even made me feel as though I’d travelled to a real Vietnamese restaurant, which made me even more excited.

The dining room is spacious too, so there were lots of families. There’s even a private space, making it a good place to reserve for a gathering.

A varied menu, from pho to rice bowls

There were so many kinds of pho, along with plenty of home-style rice bowl options, so it was easy to choose according to your taste~

Set A for two includes Hanoi-style pho, bun cha (Vietnamese grilled pork with noodles), and banh xeo (Vietnamese crispy pancake) for ₩37,500.

The rich broth of Hanoi-style pho

The weather suddenly turned cool lately, so I ordered Hanoi-style pho because I wanted something with a hot broth! It comes with a rich beef-bone broth and lots of tender brisket.

Generous bun cha with charcoal-grilled pork

The bun cha my boyfriend wanted most! There was such a huge amount of noodles, haha. It also came with plenty of lettuce and vegetables, plus spring rolls, so it was lovely to eat all together.

The charcoal-grilled pork arrives in a sweet-and-tangy nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) dip! We thought we might order extra pork if there wasn’t enough, but there was plenty of meat in the sauce, along with two large meatballs, haha. You can request the pork separately too.

Banh xeo wrapped in rice paper

The banh xeo came out right after that. A staff member kindly explained how to eat it: place lettuce and the banh xeo, a Vietnamese-style pancake, on rice paper, wrap it up, and dip it in the sauce, hehe.

Ordering the set for two gave us such a generous spread! A totally satisfying lunch from the very start 🤍

There’s a self-service bar inside, where you can bring back extra spicy peppers and onions! Baby spoons are available too, so it felt perfect for visiting with young children, hehe.

The Hanoi-style pho was piled high with brisket, and the noodles were so soft and silky—it was completely my kind of dish! Maybe because the restaurant simmers its beef-bone and brisket broth in-house for 24 hours, the soup was incredibly rich and deep, haha.

Such an addictive broth. The brisket was so tender too, so I think children would enjoy it very much 👍🏻

For the bun cha, just soak the noodles, meat, and lettuce well in the nuoc mam sauce that comes alongside! Since the meat really is charcoal-grilled, its smoky aroma was so good, haha. The nuoc mam sauce didn’t have an overpowering spice-note either, so I think even first-timers could enjoy it without any strong likes or dislikes :)

I requested some cilantro separately and they brought us a little! I always try to give cilantro another chance when I eat Southeast Asian food, but maybe I’m still not used to it—I found it tastier without it, haha.

Bun cha, where the charcoal-scented meat goes so well with the sweet-and-tangy nuoc mam sauce.

Raichen, a great pho restaurant in Chilgok

I actually find banh xeo in Korea much more suited to my taste than the kind I ate in Vietnam, haha. This thick egg pancake was filled with bean sprouts, meat, and shrimp.

Place a piece of lettuce on the dry rice paper, add the egg pancake full of bean sprouts and shrimp, roll it up, and dip it in the sauce! I thought a little spice would be nice, so I drizzled on chili sauce before dipping it in the accompanying sauce—it was even better, haha.

It was so filling, packed with meat, shrimp, and bean sprouts!

Raichen, a great pho restaurant in Chilgok 3 District

These Vietnamese dishes made for such a satisfying lunch. It had been hard to find a place in Chilgok that does Vietnamese food well, but now, whenever I’m craving bun cha or pho, I think I’ll definitely visit Raichen, haha.