Busan skewer bar with steak-like hanger steak: Samajama Yeonsan

While wondering what to have for dinner, I found Samajama Yeonsan Direct Branch, a great skewer spot in Yeonsan-dong❕ The hanger steak skewers were seriously so good that I finished the first plate and immediately ordered a second one hahahaㅠㅠ To give you the conclusion first, I have no idea how many hanger steak skewers I ate here... I went for skewers and came home feeling as if I’d had steak🤍

Samajama Yeonsan Direct Branch location and hours

Samajama Yeonsan Direct Branch is⁉️ 🫶on the first floor at 20 Gobun-ro 13beon-gil, Yeonje-gu, Busan. 🫶It is open daily from 17:00 until 02:00 the next day, 🫶with last orders at 01:00.

A menu where you can choose your own skewer combination

The menu was incredibly varied⁉️ It wasn’t just skewers—there were soupy dishes, meals, and light bites too, so I walked in with the happiest dilemma, heart racing.

The first thing I ordered was the six-piece handmade skewer plate! I picked a whopping three hanger steak skewers hahaha, along with pork belly kimchi roll skewers and whole shrimp. I also added 2PC of ginkgo skewers separately🤍

I loved that you can put together exactly the combination you want even within the six-piece handmade skewer plate. Since you can choose to your taste, it’s totally possible to load it up with only your favorites hahaha

A skewer-bar atmosphere like a Japanese alley

While waiting for our order, I looked around the restaurant, and the interior felt exactly like a skewer bar you might find down a Japanese alley.

The dark wood tones made it cozy overall, and the wall decorations and little props had a Japanese feel, so it was fun just looking around.

I could also see the skewers being prepared, and the ingredients looked substantial even before grilling, so I was excited hahaha

The first six-piece handmade skewer plate and hanger steak

Finally, the first plate arrived🤍

Aren’t these skewers way more filling-looking than expected⁉️ Especially the hanger steak—it wasn’t the kind with just one or two tiny pieces on a skewer; the meat itself was quite large.

And then, the long-awaited hanger steak... my eyes got huge here hahaha. It was a skewer, but the moment I ate it, it didn’t feel like just a meat skewer—it felt like eating steak. The outside was grilled with a smoky char, while the inside was moist and tender. The meat was thick, so every bite had juices and such a great texture🤍

The sauce had soaked in nicely too, giving it a proper savory depth... truly the dish I enjoyed most that day. It felt like steak cut into bite-sized pieces and put on a skewer, so if you like hanger steak, please make sure to add this one❕❕

I even took it off the skewer and ate the pieces one by one, and seeing it like this made it look even more like steak hahaha. Ah, the meat was really quite thick and not dry at all, so I kept saying how delicious it was while eating.

The pork belly skewer was delicious too, with its surface grilled golden brown. The rich meat and filling together gave it a completely different charm from the hanger steak.

The whole shrimp really did come as a whole shrimp, so it had quite the presence hahaha. Once I put out the extra ginkgo skewers beside it, it really felt like I was at a skewer bar. The ginkgo was chewy and nutty, perfect for picking up one at a time in between. But... did I stop after the first plate, you ask? No hahaha... It was so good that I ordered another six-piece handmade skewer plate.

A second skewer plate with hanger steak again

For the second plate, I went ahead and added three more hanger steak skewers hahaha. At this point, yes, I really did go there to eat hanger steak that day... I chose chicken hearts, beef brisket with garlic scapes, and chicken skin for a total of six kinds.

The second plate looked so good too, right🤍 Changing up the combination from the first one made it fun to compare all the different kinds. And the hanger steak again... still deliciousㅠㅠㅠ It hadn’t just been a lucky tasty bite on the first plate; it was just as good the second time. So if I had to pick only one thing to eat again at Samajama, I think I’d choose the hanger steak without even thinking hahaha. The beef brisket with garlic scapes was delicious too! The garlic scapes inside the rich brisket kept it from feeling greasy and added a lovely texture, so it was a great combination.

The chicken skin had crispy grilled bits that were nutty and chewy, so I think it would be exactly the kind of thing people who love crispy chicken skin enjoy. In the end, I had the first six-piece handmade skewer plate and then added a second because it was so good, but the different combinations meant I didn’t get tired of it at all. Above all, my overwhelming number one was the hanger steak🤍 I had thought lightly of it because it was a skewer, but I completely fell for the thick meat and moist texture. Next time I go, I’ll probably start by putting three hanger steak skewers in my order hahaha...😘🤍 I completely approve of this Yeonsan skewer spot...