Dongtan Station pho restaurant, two brisket bowls & platter: Mibundang

If you love pho, you've probably heard of Mibundang, a well-known spot in Dongtan! I was curious too, so I finally went. From the atmosphere to the menu, it has a charm a bit different from an ordinary pho place. Generous meat toppings, rich broth, and plenty of sides! Here's my review of a proper meal there :)

Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch hours and parking

Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch is open daily 11:00–21:00 and closed every Tuesday. Break time is 15:00–17:00, and last order is 14:30 / 20:30.

• Parking: 1 hour free in the building, up to 1 hour 30 minutes if you're waiting for a table
• Takeout available (₩500 environmental fee added for takeout)
• Local currency accepted

Where is Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch?

It's on the first floor of the Richan shopping complex, where the Hayan Pungcha (White Windmill) and Starbucks are at Dongtan Station. It sits right next to Olive Young on the main road, so even first-time visitors can find it quickly. It's so easy to spot that I got there without any wandering.

I heard that 米粉 in 'Mibundang (米粉堂)' means 'rice noodles' in Chinese. The place reinterprets traditional Vietnamese food for Korean tastes, adding a calm Japanese-style atmosphere and a Chinese-style name, with the belief that people of all kinds of cultures and personalities can come comfortably and enjoy a good meal.

How do you order at Mibundang?

At Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch you don't go straight in. You order and pay first at the kiosk outside. When you arrive, don't panic, and follow the steps below!

• 1️⃣ Order and pay before entering: use the kiosk outside the shop to order and pay.
• 2️⃣ Put your number ticket in the holder: after paying, place the ticket you receive in the holder above the kiosk, in order! ⭐ Be sure to remember your order number! ⭐
• 3️⃣ Enter when your number is called: when it's your turn, a staff member calls your order number. Go in once you're called.

What's on the Mibundang menu?

The Mibundang menu is built around pho made from combinations of beef plate (chadolbaegi), brisket and tendon (seuji). What strikes you right away is that they focused on the main dish, pho! With no miscellaneous dishes, just meat combinations, you can feel the deep skill and pride of a pho specialist~

Parasols and hovenia tea while you wait in line

In front of Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch there are parasols for waiting customers, and you can freely drink cold hovenia tea (heotgaesu). I was touched by the owner's thoughtfulness while waiting 🥹 Small touches like these seem to be why you want to come back to Mibundang.

What are the atmosphere and seating like at Mibundang?

Mibundang has a quiet 'solo dining zone' concept. All seats are counter seats, so coming alone felt completely comfortable.

Inside, the Mibundang manners are to whisper rather than talk loudly! The overall mood is quiet and calm, so it's great for focusing purely on your meal.

There are also hangers on the wall behind the seats, which is perfect for coats and bags!!

The kitchen is open! You can see it as soon as you sit down. Watching the cooking was fun, and seeing how neatly it's kept made me trust the place even more.

When I opened the drawer under the table, the spoons, chopsticks and sauce bowls were neatly organized. Tissues were next to them too, so I could grab what I needed right away.

Lift the top of the table slightly and the hoisin sauce, chili sauce and hot sauce are ready~ The shop isn't big, so they've used the space efficiently. Everything you need is within reach, which made it easy to use.

Side dishes were pickled onion, danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and chili peppers, and they also gave us an empty bowl, which was handy for sharing.

Today's order: brisket pho & beef plate pho! The first thing that caught my eye when they came out was the generous meat topping! For meat lovers it's pure happiness at first sight, haha. It looked so hearty that my expectations were sky-high before I even took a bite!!

How does Mibundang's brisket-and-flank pho taste?

Mibundang's brisket pho (chadol-yangji pho) lets you enjoy tender beef plate and mild brisket shredded along the grain, all in one bowl~!

There's seriously sooo much meat that when I lifted the noodles with my chopsticks, the meat kept coming up with them, can you believe it?? Haha. The thinly sliced beef plate was full of rich flavor, and the brisket was shredded along the grain and got milder and better the more I chewed. Getting both meats in one bowl is the charm of the brisket pho, that's the point!!!

When I lifted the meat, there was plenty of crunchy bean sprouts underneath. Lightly cooked in the broth, they kept their crunch, and eating them with the meat made the texture richer, soft and crisp together.

The rice noodles were hiding under the sprouts. They weren't overcooked and had a nice spring to them. Soaked in the rich broth, they slid down softly with a slurp, so every bite was delicious.

I picked up a big chopstick-full of meat, sprouts and noodles and dipped it in the hot sauce! Slurp~~ It's good plain, but I personally recommend adding a little hot sauce! It keeps the richness of the beef plate but cuts the greasiness, so the savory depth really goes up.

What can you refill for free at Mibundang?

If you order one menu item per person at Mibundang, noodles, bean sprouts and broth can all be refilled for free. My big-eater husband went for the noodle refill, of course! People with big appetites will be really satisfied, haha. And if you like cilantro, just ask the staff and they'll bring it separately, so add it to your taste.

How does Mibundang's thin-sliced brisket pho taste?

Mibundang's beef plate pho (chadolbaegi pho) is piled high with rich, tender beef plate on top of the noodles~ The thin slices are moistened by the broth and melt as soon as they hit your mouth~🫠 The flavor is rich but the texture is soft and tender, which I loved. If you like beef plate, please, please try it!

Under the meat there was a heap of bean sprouts! Their clean, refreshing taste kept the richness of the beef plate while making the broth feel even cleaner.

Wow, look at the amount of noodles. This isn't an extra-large, it's the regular menu… Lots of meat, lots of noodles! I really felt the happiness of ₩10,000 at Mibundang 💛 I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a filling meal!!!

I grabbed plenty of meat and noodles and slurped~~ The noodles were soft and went down smoothly, and the meat wasn't tough at all, so good. The combination of rich beef plate, chewy noodles and deep broth was perfect, one bite after another! It's really so yummy, yummy~ haha.

How to eat pho like bibim (mixed) noodles

Scoop out a good amount of noodles, sprouts and meat, add a little hot sauce or hoisin sauce, and mix it up 😋 I enjoyed it first as warm brothy pho, then switched to a bibim-noodle (mixed noodle) feel in the middle. One bowl, two flavors, so I enjoyed it to the very end.

The savory fat of the beef plate seeps into the broth and makes it deeper and richer! Clean yet savory, savory yet not greasy, so my spoon kept going back.

What comes in Mibundang's assorted starter platter?

The Mibundang assorted starter platter (modeum jeonsik) lets you try sides all at once: potato-wrapped shrimp, buffalo wings, sweet potato cha gio (fried spring rolls), scallop cha gio and wedding shumai. We ordered it with the pho!

Each item comes in twos, so it was easy for two people to take one each. You get to enjoy a nice variety of sides, which went well with the pho.

Potato-wrapped shrimp

A plump shrimp is tucked inside a crispy fried potato coating. The golden shredded potato was crunchy like a snack, and the shrimp inside was bouncy and got tastier the more I chewed~

Buffalo wings

Buffalo wings taste just like you'd expect, no explanation needed! 🍗

The juicy chicken was tender and the salty flavor really woke up my appetite!

Sweet potato cha gio (fried spring rolls)

Bite in and after the crunch there's soft, sweet sweet potato mousse inside! 🍠 Among the salty sides, it was a nice bite that added a gentle sweetness.

Scallop cha gio

Had a bite of the scallop cha gio too! It tastes mild, a bit like fish cake (eomuk), but the savory depth of scallop adds to it, so it's quietly appealing, haha.

Wedding shumai

Cute round wedding shumai shaped like little fortune pouches! The outside is crispy like a snack, but inside it's filled with moist shrimp, a total twist in texture! A charming side that gives you crisp and moist at once.

Is Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch worth a return visit?

Generous portions, deep broth and solid sides! Nothing disappointed me, and I was really happy with this Dongtan Station pho spot. The quiet mood makes it great for solo dining, and it's a place I want to revisit whenever I crave clean-tasting pho. If you're looking for a good pho place in Dongtan, I recommend Mibundang.