Haeundae pho restaurant vs. Da Nang pho: Cheongsapo Rice Noodles

Why I went to Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch after Da Nang

Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch is a pho restaurant in Cheongsapo, Haeundae, that I visited because I kept craving pho broth after coming back from Da Nang. I got back from a Da Nang trip last week, and after eating pho every single day there, I couldn't tell whether it was travel withdrawal or whether I genuinely missed pho, but I kept wanting that broth. So I went for lunch to Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch, which is famous as the pho place in Cheongsapo.

Opening hours and closing day

Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch is at 6 Cheongsapo-ro 128beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan. It is open 10:00–18:00, with last order at 17:15. It is closed every Wednesday.

How is the parking?

From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at lunchtime you can park right in front of the restaurant, which was so convenient.

At other times, the nearby public car park wasn't too hard to use. Parking in the Cheongsapo alleys is tricky to begin with, so this felt like a pretty big plus.

Atmosphere: Vietnamese feel and a sea view

The moment I walked in, it felt just like being in Vietnam. You could tell they'd paid close attention to the lighting, the props and even the table layout.

As you'd expect from a Cheongsapo pho place, if you sit at a window seat you see the sea right there, and I felt like I was on a trip the whole meal.

The tables are nicely spaced too, so I could eat comfortably without worrying about the next table.

There are high chairs, space for bags and even coat hangers, so it felt like a place where families can relax.

What the two of us ordered, and the prices

That day at Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch we ordered three dishes: beef pho (₩15,000), beef intestine pho (₩15,000) and butter shrimp fried rice (₩6,000).

I also loved that if you order two or more pho, you get banh xeo (crispy Vietnamese savory pancake) as a free extra.

They also gave us cilantro for free when we asked, and you can adjust the spice level to your taste when ordering.

If you run short of side dishes, just help yourself at the self-serve bar, and the noodles and bean sprouts can be refilled for free, so we ate our fill.

How each dish tastes compared with Da Nang

Beef intestine pho: spicy, hangover-curing broth

The beef intestine pho at Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch came in a slightly spicy broth, packed with chewy intestine and meat.

The broth was spicy yet deep, so I think it would be perfect as a hangover cure. It's the flavor you'd think of the morning after drinking. The intestine was clean with no gamey smell, and it went down so easily.

Beef pho: mild, with cilantro for a local feel

The beef pho is mild and suits Korean tastes, so I think it would be fine to share with kids too.

When I added a little cilantro, the broth became much more like the local version, which was a fun different way to enjoy it.

Butter shrimp fried rice: better than Da Nang

In the butter shrimp fried rice, the butter and shrimp aromas blended naturally, and I actually thought it was tastier than what I ate in Da Nang. The rice grains were fluffy too, perfect for alternating with the pho broth.

Free banh xeo: wrapped in rice paper

I wrapped the banh xeo in rice paper with vegetables, and it didn't feel greasy at all, so I kept reaching for more.

The crispy banh xeo was stuffed with shrimp and bean sprouts, so it felt substantial.

What I liked and what to know

I really liked that you don't have to order one dish per person. We were two and ordered regardless of portion size this time, though.

With a larger family it's hard to judge quantities, but here they said it's fine to order fewer dishes than the number of people.

The catch is that in that case, the noodle and bean sprout refills aren't free but cost an extra ₩2,000, which is good to know beforehand. Even so, for a family with kids, those terms felt perfectly fine.

The staff explained things kindly too, so even on a first visit I could order comfortably without getting lost.

Who is Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch for?

It suits people who want a relaxed lunch looking at the sea, and people looking for a place to eat pho with their kids.

On the other hand, if you don't handle spicy food well, I'd order the beef pho rather than the beef intestine pho.

Verdict: it held up against Da Nang

As you'd expect from a Cheongsapo pho place, it honestly surprised me by not falling short at all compared with what I ate in Da Nang. I think there'll be a wait on weekends, so go at a leisurely weekday lunchtime.

I got some fresh air and a hearty, tasty bowl of pho, and next time I want to try the water spinach pho I haven't had yet. It's a place I'd love to come back to for a Cheongsapo lunch on a nice day.