Gwangan Station pizzeria, 48-hour biga dough & romesco: Extra Mile

What kind of place is Extra Mile in Gwangalli?

Extra Mile is a casual dining spot in Gwangalli, opened by the team behind Jeonpo's famous pizza landmark Freewill Pizza and Pickles. I made a weekend trip to Gwangalli, Busan, for a change of pace, and while walking along the beach I started craving properly kneaded, oven-baked dough and carefully simmered pasta. So I headed to Extra Mile. In the cozy mood of a white house, I had 48-hour cold-fermented dough pizza, a rich bisque pasta topped with gamtae (seaweed), and fragrant romesco grilled vegetables. Here's how it went.

Extra Mile location, hours and parking

Extra Mile sits deep in a quiet residential alley, about a 6-minute (460m) walk from Exit 5 of Gwangan Station on Busan Metro Line 2. It's slightly removed from the busy, noisy main Gwangalli beach area, so it's a great spot for a relaxed, private mood.

• Address: 11 Suyeong-ro 554beonga-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: Daily 11:00-21:00 (last order 20:00 / no break time)
• Parking: No dedicated parking (no alley parking); use nearby Boseong Private Parking Lot (within a 5-minute walk / paid)

A white detached house with a fig tree in the yard

Reaching the end of the alley, a neat, bright white two-story house stands out against the blue sky.

They kept the quiet bones of the original house, so the first impression is tidy and calm, with none of that overly commercial feel.

Beside the entrance, the logo is written in a flowing script on a deep blue ceramic round plate, and below it a menu board shows the lineup and prices.

In the small yard flower bed in front of the entrance, a fig tree spreads its leafy branches, and it felt like visiting a little garden, very relaxing.

Is Extra Mile's interior good for a date?

Inside, warm, bright wood panels wrap the ceiling and walls, filling the whole space with a gentle mood. Sunlight pours softly through the big windows, so the lighting is lovely. It would be perfect for an anniversary or a cozy date.

In one corner there are neat wooden hangers, so you can hang bulky coats or bags without wrinkling them. The open kitchen lets you see the whole cooking area, which gave me real confidence in the hygiene too.

Gwangan Bridge paper placemats and crayons

Every table is set with tidy tableware and a big paper mat illustrated with Gwangan Bridge.

You can write or color on it with crayons, so waiting for the food wasn't boring at all, and it made for a fun little memory.

Self-serve bar: lemon water and homemade cucumber pickles

The self-serve bar in the middle of the hall is neatly stocked with cold lemon water, clear glasses, and crunchy homemade cucumber pickles.

Classic Combo for two at 42,000 won: does half and half cost extra?

I ordered the Classic Combo for two (₩42,000), which lets you try both pizza and pasta. For the pizza I chose half potato and half hot honey pepperoni, and the best part is that switching to half and half costs nothing extra.

What is Extra Mile's 48-hour biga dough like?

I heard the pizza dough is made with biga, a traditional Italian pre-ferment, and aged cold for 48 hours before baking. Even the edge of the crust wasn't tough, and the crispy-chewy texture was excellent.

Potato pizza with fried Dubaek potato strings and truffle oil

The potato pizza is piled high with crunchy topping made of Dubaek potatoes cut into very thin strings and fried. Every time you lift a slice you hear the crunch, and the mozzarella stretches endlessly. The deep aroma of truffle oil with the salty bacon was fantastic.

Hot honey pepperoni pizza: the sweet and spicy other half

On the other side, the hot honey pepperoni pizza tops salty pepperoni with soft ricotta, mascarpone, tangy pickled chilies, and sweet honey. That sweet-spicy flavor is perfectly balanced against the savory potato pizza.

How is the red shrimp bisque cream pasta with gamtae seaweed?

Next came the bisque cream pasta, served in a deep bowl with linguine, green gamtae (seaweed) powder, and plump red shrimp, all neatly arranged.

The sauce, made by carefully simmering red shrimp heads, was thick enough to feel heavy on the spoon, with deep, rich shellfish flavor.

When I put a little gamtae on the noodles and ate them, a faint scent of the sea spread, giving a depth a regular cream pasta can't match.

Is the 12,000 won romesco and grilled vegetables side worth adding?

Won over by the pizza and pasta, I added a side of romesco and grilled vegetables (₩12,000), and it turned out to be Extra Mile's hidden highlight.

On an oval plate, a generous layer of orange Spanish-style romesco sauce, made from ground roasted peppers and nuts, is spread on the bottom. Layers of perfectly grilled eggplant, zucchini, sweet pumpkin, and carrot are stacked on top, finished with plenty of crushed nuts.

I cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces with a knife and dipped them well in the sauce. The outside had a faint smoky char and the inside burst with moist juices, cleansing my palate between the pizza and pasta in a refined way.

Who is Extra Mile best for?

From pizza to pasta to grilled vegetables, every dish had such solid fundamentals and balance that we cleaned every plate.

You can eat leisurely in the sunlight in the cozy atmosphere of a white detached house, so I recommend it to couples looking for a nice date course in Gwangalli, and also to anyone wanting a neat, stylish Western-style gathering.