Nampo-dong bar with self-serve rice balls and Good Day soju: Budan

Today I'm sharing my review of Budan, a bar in the Nampo-dong food alley. This place was packed even on a weekday — a real hotspot with great anju (drinking snacks), including the beef intestine set we ordered. They had a wide range of drinks from highballs to soju, and they even served whipped cream and toast as a basic side.

Where is Budan Nampo Branch, and what are the hours?

• Location: 6 Gwangbok-ro, 2nd floor, Jung-gu, Busan, South Korea
• 289m from Exit 3, Jagalchi Station, Line 1
• Hours: 5 PM–2 AM (until 4 AM on Fridays and Saturdays)

We ordered Good Day soju, the Maedalgu set, and self-made rice balls.

Inside Budan, on the second floor of the Nampo-dong food alley

This place sits right in the Nampo-dong food alley, and it's also walkable from Busan Tower.

The inside had that retro pub vibe. It was a hotspot even on a weekday, with a constant stream of customers and tables nearly all full.

Budan's menu: sides and the drink lineup

This is the menu board at Budan, the Nampo-dong bar. You order through the tablet attached to the table, and there were so many delicious-looking options I really had trouble deciding! 🥹

Plus the side dishes here were no joke — jjapaghetti, scallion kimchi, bibim noodles, pork belly, all these delicious hot combinations.

They had regular liquor too, but also cherry cola for lightweights and a bunch of different-flavored highballs.

On the regular soju list, they even had unusual fruit sojus I hadn't seen before, like Good Day pineapple and Good Day apple.

Free toast and whipped cream, plus a bottle of Good Day soju

At this recommended Nampo-dong hotspot, they give you toast and whipped cream as a basic setting, free, so you can nibble on it with soju before the anju arrives.

The toast had a crisp, crunchy texture, and dipping it in the whipped cream brought back memories of the old Can More cafés — total nostalgia.

We ordered a bottle of Good Day, which is hard to find in Seoul. Besides Good Day, they also have plenty of other soju, beer, and highballs, so keep that in mind! 😗

The Maedalgu set: grilled beef intestine, chicken neck meat, buldak fire noodles

The anju we picked was called Maedalgu. This set comes with grilled beef intestine, chicken neck meat, and fire noodles.

First up, the fire noodles tasted exactly like the classic fire noodles that so many people love, and the noodles were boiled just right for good texture.

The grilled beef intestine came in plump, generous pieces, and once coated in the spicy sauce, the greasiness cut down and it was just perfect as a soju pairing! 🤭

The chicken neck meat was actually almost my first time trying that cut, and I get now why people say you have to try the cuts that only come in small portions — the texture, flavor, and smoky char were fantastic together.

On top of that, this Maedalgu set even had cheese added in, and looking at the menu, there were various add-in noodles too, which would've been great to throw in.

Adding self-serve rice balls: was the portion enough?

To go with the Maedalgu at Budan, the Nampo-dong bar, we also ordered a self-made rice ball on top.

The self-made rice ball had a bit more moisture than a typical rice ball, and taking a bite, the sesame oil added a really nutty flavor. The portion was also huge.

Budan Nampo Branch really made sense as a hotspot — a genuine anju spot with such a wide variety of menu options. This Maedalgu in particular! I highly recommend it, so please try it at least once.