Sejong pho restaurant with extra bean sprouts: Mekong Thai Lake Park

Was looking for somewhere to eat near Sejong Lake Park and suddenly craved a warm bowl of pho after a while. Ended up at Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch, where you can enjoy both Vietnamese and Thai food.

It's conveniently located for both Sejong Lake Park and Sejong Arboretum, so it seems like a good place to check out for a meal before or after a walk in the area.

Where is Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch, and what are its hours?

Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch is at 91 Doum8-ro, Sejong Machi 302, Sejong, South Korea (lot number: Eojin-dong 610, Sejong).

• Address: 91 Doum8-ro, Sejong Machi 302, Sejong, South Korea
• Lot number: Eojin-dong 610, Sejong
• Hours: 10:30 - 21:00
• Last order: 20:40
• Weekday break time: 15:00 - 17:00
• Weekend break time: 16:00 - 17:00
• Open year-round

Coming up to the 3rd floor of the building, the green-and-yellow exterior typical of Mekong Thai caught my eye right away. There are chairs set up in front of the restaurant for waiting, too.

Apparently the name Mekong Thai comes from the Mekong River flowing through Southeast Asia and Thai for Thailand. It's a casual Asian food restaurant where you can taste both Vietnamese and Thai dishes, so there's plenty to choose from besides pho.

Inside Mekong Thai: seating and high chairs for kids

Once inside Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch, the space was bigger than I expected.

Wood-toned tables and chairs with green tile accents gave it a clean look while still feeling like an Asian restaurant.

There's a mix of window seats, sofa seats, and regular tables, and the spacing between tables is fairly generous. Seems comfortable enough for a group visit too.

Baby chairs are also available separately, so it looked like a fine place to bring a child along for a meal.

The open kitchen area was kept clean as well, and the overall bright, pleasant atmosphere made for a comfortable meal.

Tablet ordering at Mekong Thai, including extra bean sprouts and cilantro

At Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch, you order using the tablet installed at each table. Main dishes, sides, pho, fried rice and more are organized by category, which made picking a menu easy.

Small plates, cups, and utensils were also neatly set up on one side.

Pickled onions and pickled radish came as basic side dishes, along with a refreshing jasmine tea. They also had sauces ready to go with the pho — a full setup.

Besides ordering, you could add extras like bean sprouts or cilantro while eating right from the tablet, so there was no need to call a staff member over.

What we ordered at Mekong Thai and what it cost

What I ate:

• Beef pho R — ₩12,900 — the signature pho loaded with tender beef
• Combo pho R — ₩13,900 — comes with both beef chuck and brisket

There were two of us, so we each ordered a bowl of pho — they came out in big bowls that looked quite generous.

Since we love bean sprouts, we added two extra servings and piled them in generously. Cilantro can also be added separately, so if you like it, add as much as you want.

How does the beef pho (R) taste?

First up, Mekong Thai's signature beef pho (bo pho, Vietnamese rice noodle soup). Plenty of thinly sliced beef sat on top, finished cleanly with onion, chives, and red chili.

The meat was on the tender side, easy to pick up together with the noodles.

The rice noodles went down smoothly, and loading up on bean sprouts added a nice crunchy texture. The broth had a well-developed beef flavor without being heavy, so I kept spooning it up. A solid choice if you like a warm broth.

Combo pho (R): the meat-packed bowl

Next, the combo pho R. With beef chuck plus brisket, it had a different composition from the beef pho.

Even from the photo you could tell the meat was generous, and the brisket pulled apart nicely along the grain, making it easy to eat with the noodles.

Piling on the bean sprouts made the portion even more filling, and the crunchy texture worked well with everything.

Adding cilantro on top brought a fragrant aroma that made it feel like a proper pho experience.

Even the R size had plenty of noodles, so one bowl left me quite full. We finished off by spooning up the broth to the last bit.

The table tablet also had guidance on how to enjoy pho, which could be handy if it's your first visit or you're unsure how to eat it.

Verdict: a bowl of pho before or after Sejong Lake Park

Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch was a good option when craving pho in Eojin-dong, Sejong. The restaurant was spacious and clean, with a variety of seating, and it was convenient being able to order and request extras right at the table.

Both the beef pho and combo pho came with generous amounts of meat, and being able to add bean sprouts and cilantro to taste was a plus. Worth stopping by if you're looking for a place to eat with family before or after visiting Sejong Lake Park or Sejong Arboretum, or just craving a hot, filling bowl of pho.