Thai restaurant near Unjeong Lake Park, Paju: Drunken Thai

When I want to step away from everyday life and briefly escape abroad, the first thing that comes to mind is Southeast Asian food, full of exotic aromas and flavors. Missing the rich flavors of Thai food, I visited Drunken Thai Unjeong Yadang Branch (드렁킨타이 운정야당점), a Thai-food specialist near Unjeong Lake Park.

Drunken Thai Unjeong Yadang Branch information

• Tuesday–Sunday, 11:00–22:00
• Break time: 15:00–16:30
• Last order: 21:00
• Closed every Monday
• Free parking available
• 108, Yuen Tower 1, 1102 Gyeongui-ro, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

An interior like a local Bangkok restaurant

Known as a great restaurant near Unjeong Lake Park, this place stands out right from the atmosphere inside.

Even each exotic poster covering the walls has the kind of detail that makes you feel as though you have walked into a local restaurant abroad. It is full of a cute yet hip mood.

There are regular tables for a comfortable meal as well as bar tables where you can sit side by side for a solo meal or a date, so anyone can visit comfortably.

One side of the restaurant has a neat self-service bar with assorted sauces and a water dispenser. It was convenient to refill the sauces freely to suit our tastes.

A wide range of Thai dishes, from pad thai to som tam

A look at the menu shows the depth you would expect from a Thai restaurant. There is beef rice-noodle soup, sweet-and-tangy pad thai, deeply flavored curry rice, savory khao pad (Thai fried rice), exotic tom yum goong, wide-noodle pad see ew, spicy-salty pad kra pao moo sap, crisp morning glory, and spicy-tangy som tam (green papaya salad)! The lineup is as varied as a great local spot in Thailand.

That day, we chose seafood pad thai, pad kra pao moo sap, morning glory, and spring rolls.

We also ordered Chang beer, one of Thailand’s signature beers, and a refreshing cola to perfectly bring back memories of a Thai trip. If you want the full local feeling, you simply cannot pass up Thai beer!

Seafood pad thai with vibrant tamarind sauce

The first dish to arrive was seafood pad thai, Thailand’s representative stir-fried noodle dish, generously showcasing the appeal of its house tamarind sauce.

Sweet, tangy, and gently savory flavors spread throughout the mouth, while the noodles were not overcooked at all—springy and wonderfully textured.

There was plenty of fresh seafood, making every bite satisfying, and adding ground peanuts and bean sprouts doubled the nutty flavor.

Basil-scented pad kra pao moo sap and a runny egg

Next was pad kra pao moo sap, a rice bowl topped with minced pork deeply scented with fragrant basil.

It has an exotic flavor that somehow still feels familiar to Korean tastes, making it a dish that anyone can enjoy without much hesitation.

Mix the spicy, salty stir-fried minced pork into the rice, then break the soft-yolk fried egg over it and eat them together—there is no better rice thief!

Morning glory and crisp spring rolls

Morning glory is something I would really miss if it were absent from a Thai meal.

The morning glory, infused with its distinctive salty and savory sauce, was irresistibly moreish.

With spring rolls that were crisp outside and moist inside, the table transformed into Bangkok itself.

Chang beer poured over ice

You all know that Southeast Asian beer tastes best when it is dropped over ice and enjoyed ice-cold, local style, right?

Wanting to enjoy that feeling exactly as it is, we poured chilled Chang beer into cups of ice, and it completed a happy moment that truly felt like a trip to Thailand.

The exotic interior and distinctive aroma of Thai spices made us feel excited as though we were in a local Bangkok restaurant. Above all, every dish we ordered was truly delicious, so our mouths were happy the whole time.

It is a lovely place to stop after a walk around Unjeong Lake Park for delicious food with an international feel, and I recommend Drunken Thai Unjeong Yadang Branch if you want an unusual date in its uniquely hip atmosphere : )