Spicy beef pho and nasi goreng for two: Mekong Thai Sejong Naseong

There's a place I come to fairly often when I'm craving pho: Mekong Thai Sejong Naseong Branch.

For us, Mekong Thai isn't really a place we go for some big fancy meal out — it's more of a spot we casually drop into when we want something easy to eat. With everything from Vietnamese pho to fried rice and pad thai, it's easy to pick whatever you're in the mood for that day. Pho is the signature dish, but if you look at the menu, there are actually a lot more options than you'd expect.

A Mekong Thai we visit often in Naseong-dong, Sejong

The vibe and seating — baby chairs available too

Every time I come, I'm struck by how spacious the interior is. The place is clean and the tables are well spaced out, making it easy to have a simple lunch or dinner.

Baby chairs were also available. When your child is little, that's the first thing you check when going to a restaurant, right? Worth noting if you're a family visiting with a young child.

The seating is split into window-side and lower-level areas, divided by a staircase.

Just the two of us for once — what we ordered that day

This time it was just my husband and me, for the first time in a while. We usually move around as a family, so eating just the two of us felt kind of rare.

Even though I've been to Mekong Thai many times, there are still quite a few menu items I haven't tried. This time we picked spicy beef pho and nasi goreng.

Spicy beef pho, with finely ground topping at the bottom of the bowl

As you can see in the photo, the broth color is clearly different from a typical clear pho. There's quite a bit of beef on top, along with onion, mushroom, bean sprouts, and other ingredients.

While eating, I noticed something interesting — there was a good amount of what looked like very finely ground meat sitting at the bottom of the bowl. At first I thought, 'What is this? Is it ground jerky?' — the texture and shape really did look like finely crumbled meat.

I added bean sprouts to the pho. There's no extra charge for bean sprouts or cilantro, and that's one of the things I like about this place. ^^ For anyone who loves cilantro, this free plate is a nice bonus.

Nasi goreng, tried for the first time at Mekong Thai

So how does the nasi goreng taste?

The new dish we ordered this time was nasi goreng. First time trying it at Mekong Thai.

Even the photo looks appetizing. Rich, dark-colored fried rice topped with a fried egg, with crushed peanuts on the side.

Since it's fried rice coated in sauce, the flavor is bolder than regular fried rice, and it paired well with the fried egg. Mixing in the peanut powder on the side added a nice nutty flavor too.

What made this visit especially good was the combination — spicy beef pho and nasi goreng together. A bite of the spicy, hot pho, then a bite of fried rice, then back to the broth. Ordering one dish each and sharing worked out really well for two people.

Menu, prices, hours, and parking

• Meals: Chadol Beef Pho (M) ₩14,900 / Chadol Beef Pho (L) ₩16,900 / Brisket Pho ₩13,900 / Spicy Pho ₩14,900 / Short Rib Pho ₩17,900 / Bun Cha ₩17,900
• Noodles & stir-fry: Pad Thai ₩14,900 / Spicy Seafood Pad Thai ₩15,900 / Chicken Pad Thai ₩14,900 / Mi Goreng ₩14,900
• Fried rice: Beef Fried Rice ₩14,900 / Pineapple Fried Rice ₩15,900 / Thai Crab Fried Rice ₩15,900 / Khao Pad Kaphrao Moo Sap ₩15,900
• Soup: Tom Yum Goong ₩18,900 / Tom Yum Pho ₩16,900
• Sides: Tod Mun Goong ₩8,900 / Spring Rolls ₩7,900 / Shrimp Balls ₩8,900 / Coconut Shrimp ₩9,900
• Drinks: Mango Juice ₩5,000 / Coconut Juice ₩5,000 / Lemonade ₩4,000 / Cola, Sprite, Fanta ₩2,500 / Water ₩1,000 / Thai Drinks (various) ₩3,000
• Parking: 2 hours free
• Weekdays 10:30–20:50, break time 15:30–17:00, lunch last order 14:30, last order 20:20
• Weekends (Sat–Sun) 10:30–21:00, lunch last order 14:50, break time 15:30–17:00, last order 20:30