# Vietnamese banh xeo and beef pho lunch with mom in Jeonju: Phodam - By Doyun (https://superchart.com/en/@jeolla-side-trips/) - Written Sep 8, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Jeonju, Jeonbuk - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@jeolla-side-trips/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@jeolla-side-trips/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/index.md) ## In short Phodam Jeonju City Hall Branch is a Vietnamese restaurant next to Save Zone in Jeonju's Jungang Market, close to Gaeksa. Over lunch with her mom, the writer ordered fresh spring rolls, beef pho, and banh xeo, wrapping vegetables in rice paper, and found the crispy banh xeo the most memorable dish. She plans to return to try the spring rolls and banh mi next time. ## Good to know - **Ordered**: Fresh spring rolls, beef pho, banh xeo - **Location**: Right next to Save Zone in Jungang Market, close to Gaeksa - **Visit time**: Lunch (restaurant was busy inside) *as written by the visitor on Sep 8, 2026* My mom and I went on a date to Jeonju's Jungang Market and Gaeksa area after a while :) We were trying to figure out what to eat and suddenly craved Vietnamese food, so we found Phodam, a Jeonju lunch spot! ![Visiting Phodam, a Vietnamese restaurant in Jeonju's Jungang Market](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-01-14smi-1200.webp) Ever since I went to Vietnam, I've been properly hooked on banh xeo haha. Even when I go to Vietnamese restaurants, it's not easy to find a banh xeo that really hits the spot for me ㅠ ![Vietnamese food spread ordered at Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-02-159au-900.webp) This time my mom and I ate thoroughly — fresh spring rolls, beef pho, and banh xeo haha ## Phodam's location — right next to Save Zone in Jungang Market Phodam is right next to Save Zone in Jeonju's Jungang Market, so it wasn't hard to find at all. It's also pretty close to Gaeksa, so it's a good spot to drop into for a meal while dating nearby or wandering around the market. ![Entrance of Phodam next to Save Zone in Jungang Market](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-03-nrhp5-900.webp) We went for lunch, and seeing how packed it was inside, I thought — oh... this really must be a Jeonju lunch spot? That was my first impression hahaha ## What's the vibe inside? The interior had a comfortable, homey feel, so it was easy to eat without any pressure. It was also a relaxed enough atmosphere for my mom and me to sit and chat while eating slowly. ![Comfortable interior of Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-04-n2kqa-900.webp) ![Table seating inside Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-05-s3f1q-900.webp) Most of all, the owner was so kind and bright that it put me in an even better mood for the whole meal :) Taste matters, but a place that treats you this warmly is one that comes to mind again for no particular reason. ![Interior decor of Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-06-66g3c-m-900.webp) ![A view of one side of Phodam's dining area](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-07-1y5ci-900.webp) ## What we ordered for two That day we ordered fresh spring rolls, beef pho, and the banh xeo I'd been looking forward to! Since it was just the two of us and we wanted to try a bit of everything, we ordered all three, and we walked out really full. ![Table with fresh spring rolls, beef pho, and banh xeo](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-08-1gtp0-900.webp) ![Vietnamese dishes shared between two people at Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-09-4efke-900.webp) If you're looking for a Jeonju lunch spot and want to enjoy a variety of Vietnamese dishes together, I'd recommend visiting Phodam in Jungang Market and ordering a few different things to share. ![Phodam's menu featuring the cilantro item](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-10-1ops6-m-900.webp) Such a cute play on the cilantro item on the menu!! I was surprised it came out with a photo of the actor Go Soo haha, since 'goh-su' is also how cilantro is pronounced in Korean. My mom and I laughed, joking about whether ordering cilantro would bring us the actor instead 😄 Great sense of humor from the owner!! haha ## The crispy banh xeo — this is what stuck with me the most The banh xeo I'd been looking forward to most! I still remember the texture even now haha. The outside was so crispy that it was great to bite into, and the inside was packed full too. ![Crispy banh xeo at Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-11-u22qt-900.webp) ![Cross-section of banh xeo showing a full filling](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-12-1oea8-900.webp) What I especially liked was that the banh xeo didn't just come on its own — they also gave us vegetables to wrap it with. We put lettuce and banh xeo on rice paper, added cucumber and other vegetables, and wrapped it up properly haha ![Wrapping lettuce and banh xeo in rice paper](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-13-1qx6r-900.webp) Wrapping everything together like this made every bite feel packed and made eating more fun. Since going to Vietnam I've come to love banh xeo and have sought it out many times, but it turned out to be harder than expected to find a place I really liked. ![A bite of banh xeo wrapped with vegetables](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-14-1emx8-900.webp) ![Vegetable plate served alongside the banh xeo](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-15-10wbz-900.webp) So the crispy texture I had this time at Phodam, a Jeonju lunch spot, stuck with me even more. Ordering the beef pho and fresh spring rolls together too meant the two of us really filled up on a solid lunch. ## Recommendation points If you want Vietnamese food near Gaeksa or Jungang Market, I'd strongly recommend Phodam, where I'm planning to go again soon haha. Especially if you love banh xeo like I do, Phodam is worth a visit when you're looking for a Jeonju lunch spot! ![A lunch spread of pho and fresh spring rolls together](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-16-1ta36-900.webp) Besides pho, there are dishes to share like fresh spring rolls and banh xeo, so it seems like a good place to visit with a group and order a variety of things. ## Final thoughts and plans to return This time I got to properly enjoy Vietnamese food while going on a date with my mom after a long while, and she seemed to enjoy it too, saying we should go again next time — so we're planning to revisit haha ![Lunch with mom at Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-17-tfhan-900.webp) I still find myself thinking about that crispy banh xeo texture and wanting more... Next time I visit Phodam, a Jeonju lunch spot, I'm planning to try the spring rolls and banh mi I didn't get to have this time haha ![A bowl of beef pho at Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-18-1n0qz-900.webp) ![Close-up of Vietnamese food eaten at Phodam](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-19-1gv2o-900.webp) ![Table at Phodam after finishing the meal](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-20-3gph1-900.webp) If you're craving Vietnamese food or looking for a good restaurant near Jungang Market or Gaeksa, give Phodam a try :) Next time, I'll upload a post about the spring rolls and banh mi from another visit to Phodam, a Jeonju lunch spot. ![View of Phodam near Gaeksa](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-21-10e0h-900.webp) ![Closing photo from the visit to Phodam in Jeonju](https://img.superchart.com/images/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch-22-jhyd4-900.webp) ## Where it is - Phodam Jeonju City Hall Branch (포담 전주시청점) - 262-9 Paldal-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk State, South Korea - 전북특별자치도 전주시 완산구 팔달로 262-9 1층 포담 - 35.826136, 127.1444404 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%8F%AC%EB%8B%B4%20%EC%A0%84%EC%A3%BC%EC%8B%9C%EC%B2%AD%EC%A0%90/@35.826136,127.1444404,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@jeolla-side-trips/pho-dam-jeonju-banh-xeo-lunch/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt