Haeundae hagfish restaurant for a husband's birthday: Hyejane San

What is Hyejane San Gomjangeo Main Branch in Haeundae?

Hyejane San Gomjangeo Main Branch (혜자네 산곰장어 본점) is a hagfish (gomjangeo, also spelled kkomjangeo) and grilled clam restaurant inside Haeundae Traditional Market. We took a 2-day, 1-night Busan trip for my husband's birthday, and had the Pick 2 set (small) with hagfish and grilled clams 🎉

Haeundae means 🐚 grilled clams, hagfish, and fresh seafood and raw fish 🎣, right? Hyejane San is said to let you eat all of it in one place at a great value. The set menus are reasonably priced, you can pick your own combination, and the table was loaded with ingredients brought in fresh that day. The price and the quality both made me so, so happy 👍

If you're looking for a Haeundae restaurant near Haeundae Station with fresh live hagfish, grilled clams, raw fish and seafood, I recommend it, so let's get started.

Hyejane San Gomjangeo hours, parking and pet policy

• Address: 18 Gunam-ro 41beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan (1st floor)
• Hours: 15:00 - 01:00 (last order 00:30)
• Saturday: 15:00 - 02:00 (last order 01:30)
• Parking: use the nearby paid lot, Haeundae Market Public Parking Lot
• Pets are allowed inside (vaccination certificate required)

How to get to Hyejane San Gomjangeo from Haeundae Station

Hyejane San Main Branch is 408 m from Exit 3 of Haeundae Station. By subway, it's a 5-minute walk from Exits 1 and 3.

For parking, use a nearby paid lot; Haeundae Market Public Parking Lot is about 110 m away. It costs ₩1,500 for the first 30 minutes, then ₩500 for every 10 minutes.

✔️It's in the middle of Haeundae Traditional Market, so it was easy to find.

Live hagfish, clams and seafood in the entrance tanks

Right at the entrance there are clean tanks 🐟🐡🎣 full of fresh hagfish, clams and other seafood.. It was fun just to look at them, and I was happy with the choice since the ingredients are supplied fresh every day from the traditional market!!!

Inside Hyejane San Gomjangeo Main Branch and its private room

✔️This is the inside of Hyejane San. Wow.. the moment I walked in, I felt like I was on a trip abroad instead of in Busan ⛱️

✔️The interior was huge and pleasant. There's a private room for group gatherings, and the tables are wide and the space roomy, so I was comfortable the whole time.

Add the resort-style interior ⛱️ and it really felt like a lively Busan vacation. I thought it was a great choice 👏

Are the restrooms OK inside Haeundae Traditional Market?

Hyejane San Main Branch has separate men's and women's restrooms inside the restaurant. Since it's a Haeundae restaurant inside a traditional market, I was a little worried about the restrooms.. but they were bright and neatly kept, and I was really happy with the hygiene 👏

A wall covered in celebrity autographs

A signature Haeundae restaurant that celebrities and famous people visit often ✨ Hyejane San Main Branch has an insane number of autographs, haha

Hyejane San Gomjangeo menu and prices

The menu runs from single dishes to good-value sets, so you can order what you like to fit your group size!!

Set menus

• Pick 2 (choose 2 of hagfish, raw fish, grilled clams, live octopus, seafood stew, steamed clams, abalone): S ₩78,000 / M ₩98,000 / L ₩128,000
• Hyeja Set ₩110,000: raw fish + grilled clams + live octopus
• Haengbok Set ₩135,000: raw fish + grilled clams + live hagfish
• Hwanggeum Set ₩160,000: raw fish + grilled clams + live hagfish + live octopus
• Cheonha Set ₩190,000: raw fish + grilled clams + live hagfish + seafood stew + live octopus

À la carte dishes

• Live hagfish (salt-grilled or seasoned): S ₩40,000 / M ₩50,000 / L ₩60,000 / XL ₩70,000
• Assorted grilled clams + cheese (scallop + pen shell + clam + shrimp): S ₩68,000 / M ₩78,000 / L ₩88,000 / XL ₩110,000
• Seafood stew or steamed clams: S ₩50,000 / M ₩60,000 / L ₩70,000
• Seafood ramen ₩8,000 / ₩13,000
• Pork belly ₩26,000 / ₩39,000 / ₩52,000
• Beef bulgogi ₩45,000 / ₩55,000
• Grilled shrimp ₩38,000 / ₩48,000 / ₩58,000
• Soy-marinated crab ₩38,000
• Assorted seafood ₩45,000 / ₩65,000
• Abalone ₩50,000 / ₩70,000
• Assorted grilled fish ₩37,000
• Boiled octopus slices ₩50,000

Receipt review event

If you join the receipt review event, you get one free item of your choice: soju, extra noodles/add-ins, fried rice or a soft drink. Good to know -!

What side dishes and free seafood come with the meal?

✔️After ordering, we got a warm siraegi-guk (dried radish greens soup) and mostly easy-to-pick-at sides like wrap vegetables, silkworm pupae, kidney beans and corn.

They also gave us 3 kinds of fresh seafood as a free extra: 🦐 shrimp, live octopus and sea squirt 🦑. I love live octopus tangtangi (chopped raw) and had wondered whether to order it.. wow.. it was so fresh and delicious!!!

Small Pick 2 set (₩78,000): hagfish and grilled clams

We ordered the good-value Pick 2 set (small) with hagfish + grilled clams. Wow.. 🤩 They loaded the table until it nearly buckled. We came to Busan, so we had to try fresh hagfish and grilled clams, right~?!

How did the seasoned hagfish taste?

Before seasoning, the staff showed us the hagfish still alive and wriggling..🐍 haha ✔️Maybe because it's supplied every morning, it was insanely strong,,, really fresh and good quality-looking 👍

✔️At Hyejane San you can choose salt-grilled or seasoned, and they do the first round of grilling for you!! We asked for that right away, and they brought it back nicely seasoned, cooked and ready to eat. That red look that Koreans love... ❤️ It's a sight that makes you crave a drink 🤤

The seasoning was spicy-sweet with great depth and nothing harsh 🤤 ✔️The hagfish was plump, nutty and clean-tasting the more you chewed, the kind you keep reaching for,,, even my husband, who doesn't really like hagfish, ate it happily~~!!

What's in the grilled clams: scallops, pen shells, hard clams and shrimp

Wow... 🦪 the grilled clams 🐚 I was busy taking photos the second they arrived.. They looked so carefully arranged that I hated to eat them 🤍

✔️The lineup was scallops, pen shells, clams and shrimp. The clams were wriggling around,,, so fresh, and I was really happy with that!!

A staff member prepares and puts on the first round. They grill the scallops and turn them into a tasty cheese soup.. 🤩 and it was a total killer with soju!!!! My husband and I couldn't stop scooping it up with spoons, haha

Let's keep the next round going without a break, haha. The clams are so fresh that they're easy to grill, and the staff explained everything well, which was great

Busan's Daeseon soju and cheese fondue grilled clams

If you're in Busan, Daeseon (the local soju) is a must 💙 Now that the snacks are ready, let's have a drink!!

Daeseon + grilled clams, impossible to resist....🤤 They gave us plenty of cheese too, so we made 🫕 cheese fondue and dunked the clams in it like crazy, hahaha

✔️The clams themselves are so clean-tasting and nutty that I kept reaching for them, haha. Plump, big pieces of meat with a nice chewy texture 👏

And to finish, scallop cheese soup!!!! This is the real treat 🤍 Splash on some chojang (sweet-spicy chili vinegar sauce) to make a broth and eat it with a spoon, and it's heavenly 🤩✨

Hyejane San Gomjangeo Main Branch: final verdict

• Spacious, pleasant interior
• 5-minute walk from Haeundae Beach
• Private room and tables for group gatherings
• A variety of sets at reasonable prices
• Pets allowed

It was a Haeundae restaurant in Busan that satisfied me on atmosphere, taste and quality. Hyejane San Main Branch gets fresh grilled clams and hagfish daily from Haeundae Traditional Market and cooks them to your taste: seasoned, salt-grilled or pre-grilled. For a signature order, I'd recommend the Pick 2 set (choose 2 of hagfish, raw fish, grilled clams, live octopus, seafood stew, steamed clams, abalone), the most popular menu item and a way to enjoy lots of seafood at a low price!!

With years of know-how and a secret seasoning, it's said to be steadily loved by tourists and locals alike, and is a signature Haeundae restaurant that celebrities and famous people often visit.

Who should eat at Hyejane San Gomjangeo Main Branch?

• Anyone looking for a good-quality, reasonably priced restaurant in Haeundae, Busan
• Anyone looking for fresh seafood, grilled clams, live hagfish and assorted raw fish
• Anyone looking for a Haeundae restaurant that's easy to reach from Haeundae Beach and the traditional market
• Anyone looking for a pet-friendly restaurant near Haeundae Station
• Anyone looking for a spacious, pleasant place near Haeundae Station for group gatherings or family meals