Millak-dong solo dining in Busan: sashimi rice bowl at The Bangpaje

Why a solo traveler picks The Bangpaje in Millak-dong, Busan

Come to Busan and the food that comes to mind is milmyeon (wheat noodles), pork bone soup, and sashimi!! Since I was traveling Busan alone, I thought about sushi but ended up looking for a place good at mixed sashimi and sashimi rice bowls.

Before heading out to see the Gwangan Bridge night view, Millak Waterside Park, and the night market at Millak the Market, I stopped for dinner at The Bangpaje, a well-known sashimi restaurant in Millak-dong. I'd booked the first evening slot in advance through Naver Reservation.

Busan weather that feels like it won't cool down until October. The sashimi looked fresh and the chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) tasted great too, so I imagine the mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) would be excellent here as well.

The Bangpaje hours, break time and menu lineup

The Bangpaje has been running since 1982, so no wonder it has a Baeknyeon Gage (Hundred-Year Store) badge and a Blue Ribbon distinction too. Hours run from 11:30 to 22:00, with a break time from 3pm to before 5pm.

The menu ranges from dining courses to reasonably priced mixed sashimi sets for two, plus meal options like mulhoe, bibimbap, mixed sashimi rice bowl, spicy fish stew, and grilled fish.

Where to sit: first-floor window seats, three floors of halls and private rooms

The place is quite large across three floors, but since I'd booked a hall seat, I sat by the window on the first floor. If you're doing a course menu or dining with around four people, reserving a private room in advance wouldn't be a bad idea.

The fish tanks are the thing you always check out closely at a sashimi restaurant! They were super clean here — good, good on the hygiene front.

The interior is also a clean wood tone. Clean and spacious, it seemed like a good spot for a group dinner too.

A handkerchief-wrapped spoon set, and sungnyung (roasted rice tea) to warm the stomach before eating cold food. I'd had noodles from morning through lunch and my stomach wasn't feeling great, but maybe thanks to the sungnyung, I was fine even after eating sashimi.

How to eat the premium mixed sashimi rice bowl with gizzard sauce

What I ordered was the premium mixed sashimi rice bowl. The difference from a typical kaisendon is that there's no soy-seasoned rice underneath — instead there's gizzard sauce, and the staff explained I should taste the sashimi first, then mix everything together with the sauce afterward.

Completely thick-cut, looking like it was just caught!! I thought I'd accidentally ordered the mixed sashimi set!

Tasting each cut of sashimi in the bowl

Salmon!! The salmon was super fresh and thick-cut, delicious.

I think this one's in the yellowtail family, haha — really firm and fresh. The skin was left on, which gave it more of a wild-caught feel!

This one might be mackerel, but it looked more like Spanish mackerel. Clean-tasting and nutty, this one was especially good mixed with the gizzard sauce and chojang.

A maki roll that keeps the firm, crisp texture of cucumber wrapped with sashimi! Crunchy, and a nice palate refresher partway through.

A sea bream-family fish served with a bit of the fin attached! This one was really tasty too. Especially good eaten with the sesame-oil-coated aged kimchi — extra delicious.

And then the slightly sweet sweet shrimp! Plus the sweet, rich uni (sea urchin) on top!

It's a sashimi rice bowl, but the texture was so good it really made me feel like I was eating proper Busan sashimi!! After trying each piece separately, I added dried laver and aged kimchi, which tasted better than eating it plain.

Chewy squid sashimi with the pop of flying fish roe and salmon roe! Not a hint of fishiness — everything fresh and delicious.

Uni is delicious on its own, but I made it even nuttier by wrapping it with laver like a sushi bite.

Gizzard sauce or chojang: which mix tasted better

I mixed everything with the gizzard sauce as instructed — best thing ever! I used to wonder why sushi topped with gizzard sauce tastes so good, but it's because the sauce itself is savory and clean, pairing really well with the sashimi.

The gizzard sauce paired even better with the nutty, red-fleshed fish!

It's technically a mixed sashimi rice bowl, but you can combine it however you like — like your own omakase sushi!! I even wrapped some in shiso leaves, which I love, and tried combos of gizzard sauce with sweet shrimp and uni!

And finally, of course — Koreans need their gochujang (chili paste). The chojang here had a serious flavor too, but I'd already mixed all my rice into the gizzard sauce, so I'm sad I didn't get to try the chojang combination.

The chojang was rich and savory too — you could really tell it was handmade. I heard spicy fish stew comes with the mixed sashimi rice bowl, so I'd love to come back later with my parents for the stew and mulhoe.

The Bangpaje location and parking in Millak-dong

The Bangpaje sits just diagonally from Millak the Market — worth knowing that using Millak Public Parking Lot gets you parking support!

If you're looking for a Millak-dong sashimi restaurant to bring your parents to! Savory, clean gizzard sauce, and firm, chewy, fresh sashimi! The friendly service stood out too.