After-work hagfish grill near Busan Station: Gyeongbuksan

Here's a great spot for a Busan trip, or for those after-work evenings when you're craving good snacks with a drink. It's Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo (경북산꼼장어), near Choryang Market! With such a long tradition, the deep flavor and freshness really stood out.

Where is Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo, and what are the hours?

Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo is at 25 Choryang-ro, Dong-gu, Busan, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Choryang Station on Busan Subway Line 1. You can also walk there from Busan Station.

• Address: 25 Choryang-ro, Dong-gu, Busan
• Hours: Mon–Thu 13:00–00:30 / Fri–Sun 11:00–00:30
• Last order: 23:30, per online info
• Wi-Fi: wireless internet available
• Transit: about 5 minutes on foot from Exit 1 of Choryang Station (Busan Subway Line 1); also walkable from Busan Station

Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo exterior, live hagfish tank and iron-plate grill

The blue sign with bold lettering caught my eye from far away. This is an original third-generation hagfish (kkomjangeo) restaurant with a long history in Busan, so my expectations were high before I even walked in.

In the tank out front, fresh live hagfish are wriggling around!

You can also watch the owner carefully grilling them over direct heat on an iron plate, which really built my trust.

What's the atmosphere like inside Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo?

Inside, the feel is cozy and homey. The tables are neatly arranged, so it's comfortable to sit and eat.

The walls are covered with celebrity autographs and traces of TV appearances, so you can tell right away this is a long-loved evening spot near Busan Station. When I came after work, many people were already relaxing over a glass of soju.

Ordering by tablet at Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo

Ordering is easy with the tablet at each table. You can choose salt-grilled, sauce-grilled or half and half to suit your group size and taste, which I loved. Drinks, beverages and side dishes are all laid out clearly, so it felt like a smart, convenient ordering system for a Choryang drinking spot.

Free starters: sea snails, quail eggs and silkworm pupae

Once you order, a tidy set of side dishes is laid out.

You get fragrant, fresh perilla leaves, garlic, chili peppers, onion and ssamjang (dipping paste), plus nostalgic snacks like sea snails, quail eggs and silkworm pupae (beondegi). They were perfect to nibble on before the main dish arrived.

The pickled side dishes (jangajji) were sweet and sour, and went wonderfully with the grilled hagfish.

How does the medium half-sauce, half-salt hagfish taste?

We wanted to try both flavors, so we ordered the medium size, half sauce and half salt!

Chewy, mild salt-grilled hagfish

The salt-grilled hagfish, golden and nutty from the iron plate, was chewy and mild with no gamey smell at all. The savory flavor bursting in my mouth made me smile; a great Busan hagfish spot.

Sweet and spicy sauce-grilled hagfish

Next was the sauce-grilled version, coated in a rich, sweet-spicy house sauce that really woke up my appetite. Big, fresh hagfish with crunchy onion and green onion made the texture amazing too.

Wrapped in a perilla leaf with sharp garlic and eaten in one big bite, it's the best combo. Thanks to such great snacks, the drinks just kept going on a lovely evening near Busan Station.

Finishing the hagfish with fried rice

After finishing most of the hagfish, we couldn't skip the fried rice, and we stir-fried it properly!

Spicy sauce plus nutty seaweed and sesame made it a perfect finish; we scraped the plate clean at this Choryang drinking spot.

Is Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo worth a return visit?

It was a very satisfying meal, with the true essence of exceptionally fresh live hagfish. You can enjoy both the mild salt-grilled and the sweet-spicy sauce-grilled versions at once, so I definitely want to come back. Access from the station is great too, so I highly recommend it as an evening course near Busan Station with generous snacks and drinks. If you're looking for a Choryang drinking spot with friendly service and hearty fried rice for the full course, do stop by Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo!