Busan! The cool sea is nice when you do it, but food representative of each region comes to mind first, such as pork gukbap, cold pork foot, lamb giblets, wheat noodles, water mochi, and hotteok. You can enjoy a variety of food, from markets to street food, Busan is known as a mecca for foodies and is loved by foodies. Following the famous seaweed, eel, and mentaiko since ancient times, Busan has recently emerged as the home of large tomatoes and sweet potatoes, and the number of restaurants using local specialties is increasing one by one. The places I'm going to introduce today are restaurants that offer sensuous food using local specialties from “Busan.†Starting with Jukseong Cathedral, which looks like a scene from a drama, through the Cheongsapo Daritstone Observatory where the blue sea and cool sea breeze greet you, to Hwangnyeongsan Mountain, where you can enjoy a spectacular night view of Busan at a glance! Here is a tour course for Busan specialty food restaurants that capture the flavors of Busan.
From eels baked in a straw fire with a subtle aroma and flavor, roasted sweet potatoes that can be enjoyed throughout the four seasons, and spicy mentaiko dishes that are salty yet bursting with flavor! Let's go see the splendid transformation of Busan's specialties!
1. Seaweed brings the flavor of the sea, 'Tambok' in Gijang-gun, Busan
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Image source: hyunyy_'s Instagram
Image source: hyunyy_'s Instagram
“Tambok†is so popular that there are queues even before opening hours on weekdays. The store, which is operated by remodeling a place used as a family home, has a nostalgic yet warm atmosphere. The signature menu is “tambok rice,†which is rice cooked with wakame seaweed, radish, and abalone, and “tambok rice,†which is neatly packed with abalone paste, miso soup, salted fish, and Schisandra tea. Rice topped with plenty of abalone cut into bite-size pieces contains the flavor of the sea derived from seaweed. At first, you can mix the ingredients evenly and enjoy the lightness, then enjoy it with spicy sauce and salted fish according to your preferences. As for tambok rice, you can also order a menu containing gondrenadine instead of seaweed, and abalone offal sauce is served instead of sauce.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 31, Munoseong-gil, Ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun, Busan
▲Business hours: 11:00-20:00 every day, B/T (weekdays) 15:00-16:30, B/T (weekends) 15:30 — 17:00, closed on Mondays
â–²Price: Tambok rice (seaweed) 14,000 won, tambok porridge 14,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Food is always hot these days): It's a popular place these days, so the wait was a bit long, but the food was really delicious. The tableware that served with the food was also very luxurious, and it was very nice that it contained plenty of abalone and seaweed. If I go to Gijang again next time, this is a place I definitely want to come back to.
2. “Gijang Bear Eel†in Gijang-gun, Busan, filled with the scent of straw fire
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Image source: chaeyeon's Instagram
Image source: Chaeyeon's Instagram
“Gijang eel†has been the fourth generation eel dish for about 120 years. You can find a variety of dishes using eel, such as grilled eel, eel miso soup, spicy eel soup, and boiled eel. The signature menu, “Grilled eel,†quickly grilled fresh eel on a straw fire at a high temperature to bring out its natural savory flavor and moist flesh. The soft scent of straw fire from the immaculate inner skin that comes out when you peel off the charred part enhances the taste buds. The flesh of eels, which has a chewy texture, is excellent, and the savory flavor that spreads throughout the mouth as you chew them. The bursting texture of the cartilage also makes it even more fun to chew.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 70 Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan
▲Opening hours: 10:00 — 22:0 every day
â–²Price: Grilled eel 60,000 won, grilled eel with sauce 60,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Shikigin Mochine Butcher): I usually only ate eels mixed with red sauce, but I tried eels grilled over a straw fire for the first time. I was surprised by the black visuals that first came out, but I was amazed by the staff's grooming, and I was amazed. I tried it without taking any pictures, but it was a real eel restaurant of my life.
3. 'Dilori' in Jeonpo-dong, Busan, melts in the natural flavors of the ingredients
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Image source: dirori_jeonpo's Instagram
Image source: youjin0616's Instagram
“DiLori,†which makes gelato using traditional Italian manufacturing methods, uses only fresh ingredients prepared on the same day. It captivates the younger generation by showcasing unique flavors such as Pocheon rice makgeolli, peanut butter oreo, and banana pound cake. “Gelato,†where you can choose from two flavors, features a tasting menu and a dainty mini cone when ordering. The signature menu is “Daeser Tomato Sorbet,†which captures all the sweet and salty flavors of Daezer tomatoes. Even after the gelato melts softly, the fresh tomato flavor that lingers in the mouth is appealing. Tomato sorbet is made from March to May using large tomatoes and chilled tomatoes in other months.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 39, 9beon-gil, 20, Jeonpo-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan
▲Business hours: 12:00 — 22:00 every day
â–²Price: Gelato (two flavors) 5,000 won, Gelato (750cc) 25,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Shikigin Pimacner is in love): It's great to see a gelato restaurant like this in Busan too! There are a variety of varieties, so it's fun to pick and eat, and I didn't like the tomato itself, but the one I used here was strangely perfect for my taste, so I scraped the gelato out because it was delicious.
4. Enjoy roasted sweet potatoes throughout the four seasons, 'Goshim' in Daeyeon-dong, Busan
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Image source: 5_silvers on Instagram
Image source: jkyu1107's Instagram
“Koshin†is a dessert cafe where you can enjoy roasted sweet potatoes all year round regardless of the season. This place selects the type of sweet potato that has the best flavor according to the season to bring out the best flavor. The signature menu is “Honey Ice Cream Roasted Sweet Potato,†where ice cream and natural honeycombs are placed on top of roasted sweet potatoes cut in half. The sight of cold ice cream melting softly over hot roasted sweet potatoes catches the eye. The sweet ice cream and beehives in a can bring out the sweetness and flavor of roasted goma and further enrich the flavor. In addition, various types of roasted sweet potato sweets such as honey butter, cheese, and yogurt are also available.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 274-17, Suyeong-ro, Nam-gu, Busan
â–²Business hours: Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 21:30, Sunday 12:00 to 21:30
â–²Price: Honey ice cream roasted sweet potato 5,000 won, honey butter roasted sweet potato 4,500 won
â–²Testimonial (Chef Yamae Shikigami): I always love sweet potatoes, and it was great to be able to eat a variety of sweet potato desserts. They come in a variety of varieties, so it's fun to pick and eat, and the toppings go great with sweet potatoes!
5. A diverse world of mentaiko dishes, 'Mentaiko Famous District' in Jungang-dong, Busan
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Image source: heee_ill's Instagram
Image source: heee_ill's Instagram
“Mentaiko Myeongga†is a restaurant specializing in mentaiko dishes located on the 10th floor of Lotte Department Store near Exit 10 of Nampo Station. They offer a variety of mentaiko dishes, such as mentaiko sweet and sour pork, mentaiko hot pot, and steamed mentaiko ribs that are hard to taste anywhere else. The signature menu is the “Mentaiko Dinner,†where you can enjoy a course of popular dishes from this place all at once. Starting with seasonal porridge and salad that gently soothes the stomach before the meal, it consists of dishes that fill the stomach (sweet and sour pork, omelette), meals (soup, kimchi stew, sundubu stew), and dessert. You can choose one of each dish and meal according to your taste, and freshly cooked hot kamameshi are served together to add a hearty touch. Please note that dinner can be ordered for 2 or more servings.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 2 Jungang-daero, Jung-gu, Busan
▲Opening hours: 10:30 — 20:30 every day, closed on department store holidays
â–²Price: Mentaiko dinner 15,000 won, mentaiko steamed ribs set meal 13,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Good weather for eating and drinking): Everyone who likes mentaiko should gather here! It was great to be able to try dishes I hadn't even thought of with mentaiko. It wasn't just a little bit, but it was a very satisfying meal because it contained all of the mentaiko. ^^
This post is co-authored by Shikishin and Busan Tourism Organization.