Seongbuk-gu Office pho shop: tendon pho and free refills at Mibundang

A good spot for a solo pho lunch near Sungshin Women's University: Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch

Mibundang is a brand best known for its pho, and it turns out there's a branch near Sungshin Women's University too. It's a calm, serene place where you can focus on nothing but the pho, so you get a proper meal and a bit of rest at the same time. Here's my solo pho lunch near Sungshin Women's University.

Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch: location and hours

Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch is on the 1st floor at 40 Bomun-ro 32-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and is open every day from 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Break time is 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Walking toward Seongbuk-gu Office, I found it tucked into a corner of a quiet side street.

The cozy, warm wood-tone interior and the exterior gave off a neat, tidy look that suits a good Vietnamese pho place. Once lunchtime hit, a lot of office workers from the area came in to eat.

How do you order at Mibundang?

At Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch, you order first at the kiosk outside the restaurant, then head inside.

Inside Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch: is it comfortable for eating alone?

The inside is quiet and tidy, so it's easy to eat alone. My first impression the moment I walked in was, "It's quiet!"

When a place is too loud or chaotic, I'm eating but I can't tell where the food is even going.. it's distracting, and the noise follows me through the whole meal, so my ears sometimes feel muffled afterward. Mibundang has a really calm, orderly atmosphere where I could focus on myself and my food and eat comfortably, and I loved that.

It had a bit of a Japanese feel too, which maybe is why it came across as even more pleasant and clean. The tables are an L shape wrapping around the kitchen in the middle, so you can see in, and the kitchen looked really spotless.

Plenty of people were there eating alone, and I figured this is probably the perfect space for solo diners to eat without any pressure.

They bring out sauces and onions first, and why are the onions so good, haha

The sauces sit up on a shelf above, so you get more table space, which is nice~ Other places put everything on the table and it feels cramped.. even in the smallest corners of the shop, you could see consideration for the people eating.

How much does the menu cost at Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch?

Pho here is just over ₩10,000, so you can eat a generous portion without worrying about the price. Side dishes are all in the ₩3,000 range, so even two people could eat well for ₩30,000.

I followed the guide on how to eat it well, and they got the side dishes ready first haha

How was the tendon pho at Mibundang?

What I ordered that day at Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch was the tendon pho. The broth was clear and not salty, topped with plenty of springy tendon.

It was packed with springy tendon, and the glossy, neatly arranged toppings plus the shop lighting made the food look even more delicious.

Underneath were bean sprouts and noodles. I mixed everything together and slurped it up, and it was so warm.. my mouth felt at ease.

The broth is clear and refreshing rather than salty, so even with the sauces it wasn't harsh. The rice noodles themselves were really soft and tender,

and the crunchy bean sprouts and the generous tendon seem to lift the quality of the dish.

They pile on so much meat that you'll never feel shortchanged.

The tendon was well prepared, and it tasted a little like dogani-tang (beef knee-cartilage soup) with rice noodles added~

Can you get a noodle refill at Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch?

Oh, and I heard free noodle refills are available here! The man at the next seat was eating a refill too, though the standard portion is already generous!

Seriously great value~

Side dish: potato-wrapped shrimp tempura

I also ordered the potato-wrapped shrimp tempura as a side at Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch. All the sides are in the ₩3,000 range.

It was fried crisp in clean oil, which was appealing. Pairing soft pho with a crunchy side like this is the icing on the cake haha

Is Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch worth going back to?

Mibundang Sungshin Women's University Branch is a place where I could have a healthy, tasty, great-value meal for around ₩10,000. The calm, tidy dining atmosphere and the condition of the shop are, I think, Mibundang's biggest strengths and what makes it worth returning to!