Hapjeong Thai restaurant, no wait at 5pm on a weekend: Saeng Augustine

There's a guaranteed favorite I visit regularly whenever I'm craving Asian food or Thai dishes! It's the famous Thai restaurant franchise Saeng Augustine (생어거스틴), Hapjeong Branch!

Saeng Augustine is popular with everyone, yet it presents local flavors in an upscale way, so I leave happy every single time. It's something people of all ages can enjoy with no fuss, and the space is large enough to be a great gathering spot. Let me walk you through my very satisfied review of the Hapjeong Branch!

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch: location, hours and weekend break time

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is a 4-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hapjeong Station, inside the Mesa Napolis mall. It's open daily 11:30–22:00 (last order 21:20), and the break time is 15:00–17:00 on weekdays only. There's no break time on weekends or public holidays!

It's inside Mesa Napolis, which connects directly to the subway station, so it's easy to visit whatever the weather! Since there's no break time on weekends and holidays, I think the big plus is that you can drop in for a meal any time, even when you're hungry at an awkward hour in the afternoon!

Weekend 5pm at Saeng Augustine Hapjeong: is there a wait?

I visited Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch around 5pm on a weekend for a slightly early dinner! Probably because it was before the evening rush, there was luckily no wait, and I got to start my meal in a quiet, relaxed atmosphere!

Is it good for a team dinner or group gathering near Hapjeong Station?

The inside of Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is neat and tidy with roomy table seating! There are lots of large tables and wide seats that fit many people, so it looks perfect for office team dinners or family gatherings near Hapjeong Station!

In fact, there used to be a Saeng Augustine near my old workplace, and I went there for team lunches with colleagues all the time. The menu has few hit-or-miss dishes and the upscale atmosphere meant everyone on the team liked it. For meeting friends or a date, and especially if you're looking for a foolproof place for a group meal near Hapjeong Station, I really recommend it!

À la carte instead of a set menu: what did I pick?

This time at Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch I skipped the sets and ordered phu phong curry and tom yum goong à la carte. Saeng Augustine has a great variety of good-value sets tailored to party size, but that day I had my absolute favorites firmly in mind, so I boldly went à la carte! Sets are better value, so if it's your first visit I'd definitely recommend a set, haha.

Phu phong curry and tom yum goong are the two big pillars of Thai cuisine! The spread arrived looking and smelling like we were in Thailand, and my heart was pounding before I even took a bite!

Saeng Augustine phu phong curry: do you need to order rice separately?

The phu phong curry at Saeng Augustine doesn't come with steamed rice, so you must add plain white rice separately! Phu phong curry is crispy fried soft-shell crab stir-fried in a soft egg curry sauce, and it's such a signature dish that skipping it at Saeng Augustine would almost be a crime!

The crispy fried crab can be eaten shell and all, and it melts softly in your mouth with no unpleasant texture! Mix the soft, sweet, salty, slightly spicy and savory curry sauce into the rice, top it with a piece of crab, and it's honestly moving! The sauce is so generous and good that a bowl of rice vanishes in no time. It's a magical rice thief!

Saeng Augustine tom yum goong: flavor and how much noodles add

The tom yum goong at Saeng Augustine is the classic flavor, with sour, spicy, sweet and salty notes in harmony. True to its reputation as one of the world's three great soups and a dish that satisfies all five senses, the balance is excellent, so even first-timers can enjoy it without hesitation!

The basic tom yum goong doesn't include noodles, so I added noodles separately to make it a full meal! The amount of noodles was huge, so generous that it was hard for two people to finish!! The broth was packed with big, plump shrimp, chewy mushrooms and mild meatballs, so fishing them out was a lot of fun, haha. Slurping noodles dipped in the hot, rich broth warmed my whole body, and the deep flavor works as a hangover cure and also makes you want a drink!

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch: overall verdict

Two of us mixed rice into the phu phong curry and then polished off the noodle-packed tom yum goong broth, and I was about to burst! It was a happy weekend evening with a nicely full belly. Of course, as you all know, Saeng Augustine has plenty of other delicious dishes besides these two, like the spicy-sour-sweet king prawn pad thai and nasi goreng (Indonesian-style fried rice)!

If you want to properly enjoy fragrant, crowd-pleasing Thai food in a clean, upscale setting, come to Mesa Napolis in Hapjeong this weekend and visit Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch! I'm confident it'll be a great meal, from the taste to the service to the roomy space, and I strongly recommend it~~