Mai i Mien: Authentic Thai Food in Itaewon

Ma i Mien is a cozy little Thai restaurant that is relatively new to the Itaewon scene, having only been open for about four months now. The interior is simple, but colorful with deep browns and reds accented with bright yellows, teals and greens. Outside is a lovely little terrace for extra seating.

 

Ma i Mien Itaewon, Thai food, authentic, beef soup, noodles

 

The menu isn’t extensive, but it has a little bit of everything: noodles with soup, “dry” noodles, curries and stir fried rice along with a few more stand-alone items. The star of the show is their “beef cueotio nue toon nam,” or noodles with beef soup, which is a Thai market style soup. The dish mostly consists of green onions and a hardy helping of noodles complimented with a variety of tender cuts of beef. What really makes the dish is the broth itself, a blissful bowl of spices and flavor.

 

Ma i Mien Itaewon, mango sticky rice, Thai food, Itaewon, Seoul

 

For something fresh and perhaps even a little dessert-ish, the mango sticky rice really hits the spot. It comes with three balls of rice doused in coconut milk and alongside juicy pieces of mango. On the other hand, there’s the papaya chicken salad. This dish comes with two savory chicken satay skewers, two bundles of rice noodles, puffed pork rinds and shredded papaya mixed with red peppers, dried shrimp, peanuts, and cherry tomatoes. It was surprisingly spicy. Delicious, but so spicy.

 

Ma i Mien Itaewon, mango sticky rice, Thai food, Itaewon, Seoul

 

Ma i Mien is a fantastic place to grab some great Thai food prepared by some great Thai chefs. The food is flavorful, filling, and surprisingly very reasonably priced. The staff is also incredibly friendly and helpful. So next time you’re in the mood for Thai food, give Ma i Mien a try.