Hieutu (Hyottteu)

Hieutu opened in 2019 and is widely seen as the restaurant that put Yongridan-gil, the side streets between Sinyongsan and Samgakji, on the map; it also appeared as a location in the action film The Roundup. The name means a devoted son in Vietnamese, and the kitchen calls itself a modern Vietnamese bistro rather than a strict pho shop. Step inside and it feels like a Hanoi street corner: green walls, rattan lamps, small tables packed close and an open kitchen by the door. The beef pho is the easy first order, with a clear, deeply spiced broth and slices of brisket and shank cooked to order. The house fried rice is louder, studded with squid, shrimp and mussels, smoky from the wok and finished with a poached egg you break into it. Fried chicken and crisp cha gio spring rolls are the usual add-ons, and a few larger plates appear only at dinner. Ordering is by QR code at the table, with photos on the menu, and you pay on the way out. It sits in a red-brick building a few minutes from Sinyongsan Station, close to the Yongsan Park entrance.