Busan Chinese restaurant fiery meat jjajang: Surabanjeom Gaya Branch

The Ham Couple's diary made another stop at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch, our go-to Chinese restaurant in Gaya-dong.

Where is Surabanjeom Gaya Branch, and when is it open?

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch is a Chinese restaurant in Gaegeum-dong and Gaya-dong at 143 Eomgwang-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan. Closed Mondays, open Tuesday through Sunday 11:00–21:00, last order at 20:00.

📍143 Eomgwang-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan ⏰️ Closed Mondays Tue–Sun 11:00–21:00 Last order 20:00

Surabanjeom near Dongui University Station is my go-to-go-to-go-to spot, and if you join their Naver receipt review event, you get fried dumplings or mianbaoxia (shrimp toast) as a free extra!

In summer they also do cold jjamppong and Chinese-style cold noodles. Every single time I come here I crave the spicy fire jjamppong broth — I was traveling in Japan eating bland, watery food and kept thinking about this place. Take a quick look at the new menu lineup below.

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch menu and prices

On the menu: jjajangmyeon/jjajangbap ₩7,000, shrimp fried rice ₩9,000, spicy fire jjamppong ₩10,000. Everything is made to order, so just wait a bit.

• Jjajangmyeon / Jjajangbap ₩7,000
• Jjamjjamyeon ₩10,000
• Seafood jaengban jjajang (2 people) ₩20,000
• Spicy fire jjamppong ₩10,000
• Sura jjamppong ₩9,000
• Chinese-style bibimbap ₩10,000
• Shrimp fried rice ₩9,000
• Japchae rice ₩10,000

Everything on the menu is good, but I really love the spicy fire jjamppong, and yet I also wanted the shrimp fried rice — a real dilemma that day. Didn't order it this time, but I highly recommend the spicy fire jjamppong Chinese-style bibimbap too.

Good for a drink alongside the cooked dishes too.

Can you eat solo and have a drink at Surabanjeom?

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch has a solo-diner set, so no worries eating alone here. It comes with a taste of tangsuyuk plus a main dish, so you don't feel like you're missing out — you can enjoy the full Surabanjeom experience.

They also stock various Chinese liquors starting with Tsingtao, along with erguotou and gongjiu, perfect with the cooked dishes.

Free rice and what's on the self-serve bar

Rice refills at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch are completely free, and danmuji, onion, and kimchi are self-serve. If jjajangmyeon leaves you slightly hungry, mix in more rice and make it jjajangbap.

The first round of danmuji, chunjang, and onion is served to you, and after that you can help yourself at the self-serve bar.

The interior is clean too, and people of all ages seem to enjoy coming here — though honestly I'm always the most excited one.

How spicy is the fiery meat jjajang?

My husband wanted jjajangmyeon and ordered Surabanjeom's fiery meat jjajang for the first time. It really is piled high with meat and loaded with chili.

Right after, the shrimp fried rice we ordered arrived. Surabanjeom's shrimp fried rice has plump, evenly cooked shrimp with really nice texture to bite into.

With all that chili on top it looks super spicy, right? But it's a clean, healthy kind of spicy heat, not harsh at all, so you can enjoy the spice together with the jjajang — it's an addictive flavor.

They're generous with the jjajang sauce too, so there was plenty left over to eat with the shrimp fried rice.

The combo of fluffy fried rice and shrimp always gets a thumbs up from me. We always come here as a couple, and if there's one downside, it's that we can't order everything at once, ㅠㅠ — I want the jjamppong, the jjajangmyeon, and the fried rice all at the same time...

Freshly fried tangsuyuk served with salt

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch has an open kitchen, so you can watch the tangsuyuk being made — battered and dropped straight into the fryer. That's why it stays crispy and never goes soggy.

One special touch at Surabanjeom is that they serve salt alongside the tangsuyuk, and the classic pairing of tangsuyuk with salt works really well.

Of course they also give you the tangsuyuk sauce — dip in deep into the sweet-and-tangy sauce and it's always delicious. It would feel like something's missing if tangsuyuk weren't ordered alongside jjajangmyeon, and since it comes with the set menu, it feels like great value.

I sometimes like dipping it in the jjajang sauce too — it's good that way.

Shrimp fried rice, jjamppong broth and self-serve kimchi

Surabanjeom's shrimp fried rice is loaded with scallions and egg, so it's satisfying with that scallion aroma, plus a hint of smoky wok flavor — a fried rice I could eat every single day.

The fried rice comes with jjamppong broth, and taking a spoonful of that rich broth between bites of fried rice makes it go down even more smoothly.

After the overseas trip and all that fried rice, I was craving kimchi, so my husband grabbed some from the self-serve bar... and oh my god, ㅠㅠ this is it, this is exactly it. Eating it with kimchi made me think Surabanjeom really is the best. My stomach was still queasy from all the Japanese food, but it went down smoothly, like taking digestive medicine.

Parking at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch

Order over ₩15,000 per table and you get 1 hour of free parking at Taeyang Parking Lot! It's right next to the restaurant, so it's easy to get to.