A method is provided for a first provider edge (PE) device to forward packets in a virtual private local area network service (VPLS) network. The VPLS network includes PE devices that are each connected by one or more attachment circuits (ACs) to one or more customer edge (CE) devices. The first PE device receives a unicast packet on a first AC, which is associated with a first virtual switch instance (VSI) on the first PE device. The first PE device searches, in a media access control (MAC) address table associated with the first VSI, for an entry that matches a MAC destination address carried in the packet. When a matching entry is not found for the MAC destination address, the first PE device only floods the unicast packet to other ACs associated with the first VSI.