Beer bar in Seomyeon, Busan for pollack fritters: 5 Budu Twigimjip

I was hunting for a budget-friendly second-round bar with simple snacks and ice-cold draft beer, so I headed to 5 Budu Twigimjip (5부두튀긴집), a snack-bar-style beer spot in Seomyeon.

Where is 5 Budu Twigimjip in Seomyeon?

Come out of Seomyeon Station Exit 7, go straight, and you'll find 5 Budu Twigimjip in the alley behind Lotte Department Store's Seomyeon flagship. There's no parking lot. It's open Mon–Thu 18:00–02:00 and Fri–Sat 18:00–03:00, and closed on Sundays.

Walk straight along the back of Lotte Department Store's Seomyeon flagship, pass between Busan Chobap and Surim Sikdang, then take the alley on the right. It's next to Sojei, and there's a shop banner out at the front of the alley, so it's easy to spot.

The exterior looks like a friendly street-food tent or old-school snack bar, so it feels totally casual to walk in. Get closer and you'll notice the door handle is a hoe (homi). The entrance alone tells you this place is something else, haha.

What is the atmosphere like at 5 Budu Twigimjip?

Inside it's a relaxed gamaek-style pub (a casual, retro beer-and-snacks joint) with a retro feel. It's lively and you can chat and have fun without worrying, which makes it perfect as a budget second round in Seomyeon.

You can leave your bags in the box under your chair, and tissues, cups and chopsticks are already set out on every table, so just help yourself.

5 Budu Twigimjip menu and review event

5 Budu Twigimjip specializes in handmade fritters, with a huge variety. They say everything is mixed in-house, from the fillings to the batter and the flour.

These are on a totally different level from frozen fritters! There are also soups, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and other dishes, which makes drinking here even better.

A review event was running when I visited. Write a review and you get a glass of beer or a go at a nostalgic prize draw. Try your luck~

I came as a budget second round in Seomyeon and ordered the following :)

• Sapporo draft beer
• Uri Halbae Choeae pollack fritters ("my grandpa's favorite")
• Jagalchi squid fritters
• Frozen Juicy Cool

The table has red tongs and a red ladle-shaped small plate, the kind you see in old-school snack bars. Every little detail really nails that snack-bar feel >_<

Free Saewookkang shrimp crackers and Sapporo draft beer

The free snack at 5 Budu Twigimjip is Saewookkang (shrimp crackers). You get a bag of mini ones each, which goes nicely with beer.

So I ordered a Sapporo draft beer right away ^.^

The foam on this Sapporo draft is no joke. It's so smooth it just melts in your mouth~ Ice-cold draft beer is the best in this hot weather.

Frozen Juicy Cool: an icy snack instead of pineapple sherbet

5 Budu Twigimjip has frozen Juicy Cool. For some reason when I drink I keep craving something cold. They happened to have frozen Juicy Cool, so I ordered it right away.

I can't forget scraping it up with a spoon.. I scraped away like crazy. The crunchy, sweet-and-sour ice beats pineapple sherbet any day. It's a great cold snack with far better value than pineapple sherbet.

How many fritter sauces does 5 Budu Twigimjip offer?

The fritters at 5 Budu Twigimjip are fried the moment you order and served together on one plate. There are four sauces: curry powder, spicy, tartar and soy sauce.

With so many sauces, even a single fritter order lets you enjoy several flavors.

Shrimp-roe chips come out with your fritter order. Are these freshly fried too? They're seriously, truly crunchy!! The kind of taste that makes you think of beer all by itself.

How do the Uri Halbae Choeae pollack fritters taste?

If you like fried fish, the Uri Halbae Choeae pollack fritters are a must-order. It's a seriously thick-cut fried fish, through and through.

Because it's so thick, it's wonderfully fluffy and even more mild and clean-tasting! The texture and flavor of the pollack flesh melting in your mouth are great, great.

It's tasty on its own, but fried fish and tartar sauce are a perfect match, of course.

If the fritters start to feel heavy, dip them in the spicy sauce. It tasted like sriracha mixed with mayo, and the kick went really well with the fritters.

Jagalchi squid fritters: crispy outside, chewy inside

The Jagalchi squid fritters are insanely crispy. The textbook example of crispy outside, chewy inside.

The squid inside was springy and delicious, with nothing tough about it.

Um, I went basic and dipped my fritters in soy sauce. Honestly they taste even better plain, so whichever sauce you pair them with, they're delicious.

Is 5 Budu Twigimjip a good budget second-round bar in Seomyeon?

If you're looking for a budget-friendly snack-bar-style beer spot in Seomyeon, 5 Budu Twigimjip, come on over!! It's perfect when you just want a quick beer. Great for when your wallet is thin, too ^.^