Vietnamese restaurant near Ewha: banh xeo signature set at Kkua Ewha

I went to Kkua Ewha with my parents. It's located just one block from the main gate of Ewha Womans University, so it's super accessible. Unlike a typical Vietnamese restaurant, the exterior and interior had a unique look — almost like an American diner.

Inside Kkua Ewha: a white-and-red American diner look

The interior overall was white-toned with red accents — totally gives off that American diner feeling. It seems to be famous around Ewha for pho, since customers kept coming in after us. By the time we left, it was almost full.

Kkua Ewha menu and prices: signature set 42,000 won, morning glory 9,500 won

You order and pay through the kiosk at each table. Menu photos are shown, which makes picking easy. We ordered the signature set, which includes banh xeo, single-portion bun cha, and one pho, plus a side of stir-fried morning glory. They cost ₩42,000 and ₩9,500 respectively. At Kkua, a well-known pho spot near Ewha, you can refill the noodles once per dish, so if you want to eat a bit more, I'd recommend adding it.

Is the stir-fried morning glory at Kkua Ewha worth ordering?

First came the stir-fried morning glory. It wasn't stir-fried too long, so it kept a nice crunchy texture. The seasoning was just right too — I felt like I could eat this with plain rice alone and be happy. Morning glory is always delicious, haha.

Banh xeo served with rice paper you don't have to soak

Next was banh xeo. I had it in Da Nang, Vietnam once and loved it, so it was nice to have it again after a while. Inside the half-moon-shaped rice flour pancake were crunchy bean sprouts, shrimp, and pork.

You're supposed to wrap the banh xeo and various fillings in rice paper — and interestingly, you eat the rice paper without soaking it in water first! It was my first time eating rice paper in its dry, stiff state, which was surprising, but it wasn't as tough as I expected and had its own unique charm.

There was a wide range of things to pair with the banh xeo — fried items, meat skewers, lettuce, cucumber, and even pineapple — so you can wrap them in rice paper according to your taste.

There were two sauces, sweet and spicy, and neither was too strongly seasoned, so I'd recommend using as much as you like. Diced onion and tomato also came alongside — delicious mixed in, and also good crunchy and tangy just eaten on their own.

Is one portion of bun cha enough for a full meal?

The single-portion bun cha. There are bigger portion options too, but even the single portion is by no means small. It comes with large spring rolls, grilled meat, and various vegetables. Bun cha is always delicious...

Dipping the pho noodles into this fish sauce is really delicious.

Beef brisket pho with bean sprouts and the free noodle refill

Last was the beef brisket bean sprout pho. When you order the signature set, you get to choose your pho, and we of course went with the most classic Vietnamese pho option. It's still a bit warm out, but having pho with a hot broth felt comforting and nice.

The brisket pieces were big and plentiful, so I could keep pairing them with the noodles right up to the last bite.

And as I mentioned earlier, pho dishes come with one free noodle refill, and when you refill, they give you plenty of broth along with the noodles too. I didn't try the chili condiment on the side, but I heard it's quite spicy, so keep that in mind if you add it.

I'd been craving Vietnamese food, and it was great to get to try such a varied menu at Kkua, a popular pho spot near Ewha. All the ingredients were fresh, and with the noodle and broth refills, I had a truly delicious and filling meal. If you're craving Vietnamese food near Ewha, I'd recommend Kkua Ewha.

Where to park near Kkua Ewha

+) If you're driving to Kkua Ewha, you can park at the Ireum Tower parking lot, one block from the restaurant. This seemed to have the cheapest parking rates in the area.