Sejong pho and fried rice under 30,000 won for two: Mekong Thai

I visited Mekong Thai Lake Park Branch, a pho restaurant in Eojin-dong!

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

Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch is on the 3rd floor of the Sejongmachi commercial building in Eojin-dong. As soon as you step off the elevator, a brightly colored entrance greets you. By the way, Mekong Thai's name apparently combines the Mekong River — the largest river in Southeast Asia — with Thailand!

They're open daily from 10:30 to 21:00, with last order at 20:40!

Inside Mekong Thai: the space and seating

The interior has that cozy Southeast Asian feel — spacious and overall pretty clean! There are group tables and window seats, and high chairs are available too.

What's on the menu at Mekong Thai

As a Vietnamese pho specialist, Mekong Thai has a wide range of menu items!

• Mains: stir-fried water spinach, bun cha, tom yum goong, chicken with plum sweet-and-sour sauce
• Sides: cha gio (fried spring rolls), spring rolls, buffalo wings, buffalo drumettes, shrimp croquettes, Cajun potatoes
• Pho: beef, brisket, thin-sliced beef, Thai garlic, chive beef, shrimp wonton, spicy beef, seafood, chicken, tom yum
• Stir-fried noodles: pad thai, chicken pad thai, spicy seafood pad thai, mi goreng
• Fried rice: seafood, curry, Thai red, beef, tom yum, spicy seafood, pineapple, nasi goreng, pork rice bowl

They also have fresh spring rolls, various drinks, and alcohol, so keep that in mind too.

The menu was so varied and everything looked delicious that I had a hard time choosing, but I ended up ordering one beef pho and one seafood fried rice. Before the food arrived, jasmine tea, pickled onion, and pickled radish came out as the basic table setting! It wasn't plain water but fragrant tea, which really woke up my appetite before the meal haha.

After a bit, both dishes came out together, and even at a glance the portions looked serious. And since both together didn't even hit ₩30,000, the value for money was amazing!!

How does the beef pho taste?

Mekong Thai's beef pho comes piled high with shredded beef, onion, scallion, and bean sprouts! I could feel a subtle spice aroma rising from the rich broth.

It's so packed full that you can barely see the noodles haha. It's almost like half broth, half noodles.

I tried the broth first, and it was clean yet had that deep pho-specific flavor — one sip and I felt like I'd been transported to Vietnam!

The noodles are just as generous as the toppings, with a soft texture that's easy to eat. Even eaten on their own away from the broth, they're well-seasoned and not bland at all.

The beef is tender, not tough, and has no gamey smell, so it tastes clean! It has a texture similar to braised soy-sauce beef, and it blends seamlessly with the pho.

Dipping it in the small side plate of sweet-and-sour sauce made it taste even better — the pairing really works.

What's in the seafood fried rice, and how does it taste?

Mekong Thai's seafood fried rice is stir-fried with shrimp, squid, clams, assorted vegetables, and egg! Just like the pho, it's generous and the visual alone gets your mouth watering haha.

See those plump shrimp — not the tiny cocktail kind? Amazing! The fluffy texture of each rice grain, the subtle smoky wok flavor, and just the right seasoning — this is a fried rice pretty much anyone could enjoy.

With all kinds of seafood spread evenly throughout, the umami built up more with every bite.

I cleaned the whole plate and never got tired of it the whole way through haha.

Final verdict on Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch

Mekong Thai Sejong Lake Park Branch was great overall — clean store and food, generous portions, and a wide variety of menu items. It's a solid restaurant near Eojin-dong and Lake Park where you can enjoy everything from pho to fried rice to a whole range of Southeast Asian dishes in one visit!