Busan Food Guide: Top 20 Local Restaurants and Cafes
Planning a trip to Busan? To ensure a seamless and delicious culinary journey, here is a complete guide to 20 representative Busan dining spots, ranging from long-standing local eateries to trendy hot places, categorised by specialty.
【1-Day Tour Routes】Busan Night View and Traditional Food Market One-Day Tour
【1-Day Tour Routes】Departure from Busan | Geoje Oedo Botania・Wind Hill・Haegeumgang Cruise・Geoje Panorama Cable Car・Myeongseong Fortress
1. Pork Soup and Wheat Noodles
Subyeon Choego Dwaeji Gukbap (Minrak Main Branch / Gwangalli)
Features: Famous for its Hangjeong Gukbap, generously packed with tender pork neck meat. It offers a rich, savoury broth with no gamey flavour.
Recommended Menu: Hangjeong Gukbap, Suyuk (boiled pork slices)
Address: 13, Minraksubyeonro 103beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan
Bonjeon Dwaeji Gukbap (Busan Station)
Features: A 40-year-old traditional eatery near Busan Station serving a classic style with a clear, clean broth and seasoned chives.
Recommended Menu: Dwaeji Gukbap, Suyuk Baekban
Address: 3-8, Jungang-daero 214beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan
Ssangdungyi Dwaeji Gukbap (Daeyeon-dong)
Features: A value-for-money spot for Suyuk Baekban, where moist boiled pork and a bubbling soup are served separately.
Recommended Menu: Suyuk Baekban
Address: 35-1, UN Pyeonghwa-ro, Nam-gu, Busan
Gaya Milmyeon (Dong-eui University Main Branch / Haeundae)
Features: One of Busan's top three wheat noodle houses, known for its balanced combination of a subtle medicinal herb aroma and a sweet-spicy special seasoning paste.
Recommended Menu: Mul-milmyeon (cold wheat noodles), Bibim-milmyeon (mixed wheat noodles)
Address: 22, Gaya-daero 548beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan (Main Branch)
Choryang Milmyeon (Busan Station)
Features: A cost-effective wheat noodle spot pairing icy, refreshing broth with generously filled king dumplings.
Recommended Menu: Mul-milmyeon, King Dumplings
Address: 225, Jungang-daero, Dong-gu, Busan
2. Seafood, Raw Fish and Eel
Haeundae Amsogalbi-jip (Haeundae)
Features: Busan's premier beef rib institution, famed for its special seasoned ribs and potato noodles boiled around the edge of the iron pan after the meal.
Recommended Menu: Raw Ribs, Seasoned Ribs, Potato Noodles
Address: 32, Jungdong 2-ro 10beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Minrak Waterside Park Raw Fish Centre (Gwangalli)
Features: A classic seafood course where live fish are sliced on the spot to enjoy with a view of Gwangandaegyo Bridge, or eaten at a nearby restaurant by paying a preparation fee.
Recommended Menu: Seasonal Assorted Raw Fish
Address: 1, Minraksubyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan
Haeundae Haemok (Haeundae)
Features: A Michelin-guide-featured Nagoya-style grilled eel rice bowl (Hitsumabushi) specialist offering neat and deep flavors.
Recommended Menu: Freshwater Eel Rice Bowl (Hitsumabushi), Kaisendon
Address: 8, Gunam-ro 24beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Gijang Haenyeochon (Gijang Yeonhwa-ri)
Features: A coastal pocha village where visitors can try fresh assorted seafood and rich, savory abalone porridge packed with abalone entrails.
Recommended Menu: Assorted Seafood, Abalone Porridge
Address: 119-2, Yeonhwa-ri, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan
Busan Myeongmul Hoetjip (Jagalchi)
Features: A long-standing spot in Jagalchi Market offering thickly sliced, chewy aged raw fish and sliced raw fish set meals.
Recommended Menu: Hoe Baekban
Address: 55, Jagalchihaean-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
3. Busan Local Delicacies and Soul Food
Leejaemo Pizza (Nampodong / Seomyeon)
Features: A local soul food spot featuring a signature cheese crust pizza where 100% Imsil cheese flows like a waterfall.
Recommended Menu: Leejaemo Crust Pizza
Address: 31, Gwangbokjungang-ro, Jung-gu, Busan (Main Branch)
Gaemijip (Gukje Market Main Branch / Gwangalli)
Features: The original home of Nakgopsae, a spicy stir-fry dish made with small octopus, beef tripe, and shrimp, served over rice.
Recommended Menu: Nakgopsae Stir-fry
Address: 22, Jung-gu-ro 30beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan (Main Branch)
Baekhwa Yanggopchang (Nampodong / Jagalchi)
Features: An offal specialty establishment grilled over charcoal briquettes, capturing the nostalgic local atmosphere unique to Jagalchi.
Recommended Menu: Grilled Salted Offal, Offal Fried Rice
Address: 6, Jagalchi-ro 23beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
18beon Wandangjip (Nampodong)
Features: A local Busan eatery serving a unique Northern Korean and Chinese-style dumpling soup where thin wrappers slide smoothly down the throat.
Recommended Menu: Wandang, Wandang Udon
Address: 31, BIFF Gwangjang-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
Sangguk-i-ne (Haeundae Market)
Features: Haeundae's representative snack bar famous for its thick rice tteokbokki in a bright red, rich sauce, accompanied by crispy fried dishes.
Recommended Menu: Tteokbokki, Fried Set
Address: 40, Gunam-ro 41beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan
4. Premium Tonkatsu, Desserts and Cafes
Tonshou (Gwangalli / Pusan National University)
Features: A place that sparked the Korean tonkatsu syndrome, representing butter-scented black pork cutlet from Jirisan Sancheong.
Recommended Menu: Berkshire K Loin Katsu
Address: 13, Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 279beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan (Gwangalli Branch)
Momos Coffee (Oncheonjang Main Branch / Yeongdo)
Features: A roastery cafe that produced a World Barista Champion, offering top-tier filter coffee.
Recommended Menu: Specialty Filter Coffee, Drip Bag
Address: 20, Osige-ro, Geumjeong-gu, Busan (Main Branch)
Choryang 1941 (Choryang-dong)
Features: A quiet cafe remodeled from an old Japanese-style house, popular for its handmade vanilla milk and savory teas.
Recommended Menu: Handmade Milk Series
Address: 6, Mangyang-ro 533beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan
Samjin Amuk (Yeongdo Main Branch)
Features: Korea's oldest fish cake factory offering various fish cake croquettes and a fish cake bakery experience.
Recommended Menu: Fish Cake Croquette, Handmade Fish Cake Assortment
Address: 36, Taejong-ro 99beon-gil, Yeongdo-gu, Busan
Snowing Cloud (Dalmaji-gil)
Features: A scenic viewpoint cafe located on Haeundae Dalmaji-gil, serving its signature Snowing Einspanner coffee alongside an open ocean view.
Recommended Menu: Snowing Coffee
Address: 120-30, Dalmaji-gil 117beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan
5. Tips for Visiting Busan Restaurants
Use Remote Queuing Apps: Popular spots like Tonshou, Subyeon Choego Dwaeji Gukbap, and Leejaemo Pizza have very long queues. Register for remote waiting via Catch Table or Tabling apps before heading out.
Optimise Your Route: Divide your visits by zones—such as the Busan Station area (Choryang/Nampodong), followed by Haeundae/Gwangalli, and finally Gijang—to significantly reduce travel time.


