Sangam-dong Thai restaurant dinner with free refills: Drunken Thai

Both my home and my office are in Sangam-dong, so I've basically memorized every restaurant around here by now. On my way home from work, it was drizzling a little and the AC had left me chilled, so I was craving something warm with deep, rich broth.

I happened to be in the mood for proper Thai food, so my husband, our second kid, and I headed to Drunken Thai Sangam Branch, a regular candidate right by our house, for a dinner date.

When you think of a Thai food chain, you usually picture the safe, unremarkable flavor typical of chains — but Drunken Thai Sangam Branch had this intense, savory depth like eating at a real local Thai spot, so much so that my husband and I joked, 'did we take a trip to Southeast Asia?'

I packed this post with everything I always wonder about when dining out with a kid — whether there's a baby chair, what to order, and the free refill tips — so if you've been looking for deep, rich Southeast Asian flavors around Sangam-dong, this one's worth a close read :)

What Drunken Thai Sangam Branch is like, and where the baby chairs are

Drunken Thai Sangam Branch keeps its baby chairs clean and well-maintained, so we could get settled comfortably with our child right away. The moment we walked in, the colorful interior and quirky decor caught my eye — it felt like we'd traveled to a Bangkok night market.

The exotic vibe makes it a great spot for couples to enjoy a cozy dinner date too. Since we had our kid with us, I'd worried the chair might be uncomfortable or that the atmosphere might feel awkward for a family, but none of that turned out to be a concern.

Whenever I pass by during my office lunch hour, I always see Sangam office workers lined up here, so I worried the evening peak-time wait might be long. Luckily, when we visited for dinner, the tables were full but we got lucky and were seated with no wait at all. I also saw several people who'd come to enjoy a casual solo Sangam dinner after work, so it felt totally comfortable for solo diners too :)

Beef pho: broth mild enough for a husband who avoids spices

The first thing we ordered at Drunken Thai Sangam Branch was the signature beef pho. We chose it after carefully reading through the menu once we sat down.

My husband isn't really one to seek out pho normally because of the distinctive spice aroma, so I was a little worried whether the broth here would suit his taste. But after taking one spoonful, he fell for the deep, rich meat broth flavor and basically drank it down to the last drop.

The deep, rich broth wraps around your body so gently on a rainy day or when you're chilled from the AC — it's truly excellent, and I instantly understood why locals and office workers alike name Drunken Thai as Sangam's go-to pho spot.

The beef slices on top were generous and tender, with a clean flavor that came through more the more you chewed, so I enjoyed it happily down to the last bite.

Plus, both extra pho noodles and rice are free to add, so even big eaters can fill up here :)

Half-order spring rolls: an easy side for two people

For a side, we ordered spring rolls as a half-order. Drunken Thai Sangam Branch has a separate half-order option for sides, so it was easy to try without pressure whether you're going with a partner or with a kid.

Sides like this usually come bundled in a large set that feels like a lot to order. Here, they smartly offer a half-order option separately, which I really appreciated.

The spring rolls were crispy on the outside and packed with vegetables inside, giving a clean, appetite-whetting bite. The side dish had such high quality that it paired perfectly with the mains! You should definitely order it!

Pad thai with chicken: sweet, savory and full of umami

Next up was pad thai, an absolute must for Thai food. At Drunken Thai Sangam Branch, you can choose shrimp or chicken for the pad thai — since we were planning to get the shrimp version for the fried rice later, we went with chicken for the pad thai.

The flat rice noodles were soaked through with sauce, and that distinctive slightly sweet, sticky-to-the-tongue flavor made it even more delicious.

It was loaded with crunchy bean sprouts and tender chicken, so there was a lot of fun texture to chew on. The moment my husband took a bite, his eyes went wide and he said it was the best stir-fried noodle dish he'd had in a while, and he devoured it fast. The crunchy bean sprouts and the sweet-savory sauce blended together so well that it never got tiring.

Shrimp khao pad plus a fried egg add-on for the kid

I thought it'd be good to have a rice dish too, so we ordered shrimp khao pad (Thai fried rice). Since Drunken Thai Sangam Branch's menu has a fried egg add-on option, I ordered it separately for our kid.

I'd worried our kid might not eat the fried rice because of the spices or seasoning, but luckily there was a fried egg option available.

So I ordered a fried egg separately for our kid. She said she just wanted plain white rice with a fried egg on top, so we added one more fried egg! Thanks to that, my husband and I got to have the shrimp khao pad all to ourselves.

It was generously loaded with plump whole shrimp, and each grain of rice was perfectly stir-fried, leaving behind a memorable, nutty savory flavor that spread through every bite.

But the best part about this place is that both rice and extra pho noodles come free. In these times of high prices, this kind of great-value perk is unbeatable for big-eating office workers or families. We got to eat until we were completely full, which made our satisfaction even higher.

I really love their stir-fried morning glory as a side and wanted to order it too, but the portions we'd already ordered were so generous and we were so full that we had to save it for next time. It's genuinely delicious, so I recommend ordering it along with your meal!

On our way out after finishing our meal, we even got a Drunken Thai logo sticker. Handing our kid the cute character sticker made her so excited and happy, which wrapped up the evening on a great note.

Why we'll come back to Drunken Thai Sangam Branch for dinner

Having found a place right by home and work where I can enjoy the real, deep flavors of authentic Thai food, I think I'll be coming back very often. It's perfect for when you're craving a warm, rich soup on a chilly day, and I could clearly feel why coworkers line up for Thai food in Sangam during lunchtime.

Our kid filled up happily on rice and fried egg, and my husband and I got to enjoy a delicious dinner date with that local, easygoing atmosphere for the first time in a while — the whole family left completely satisfied. Next time, I want to come back for lunch with my coworkers for pho, pad thai, and morning glory :)