Nampo-dong Japanese restaurant with Big Kkanpunggi, Busan: Daidokoro

If you head over toward Jagalchi Market, there's plenty of snacking and sightseeing to do, but surprisingly few solid places to actually sit down and eat. If you want a clean, proper meal, I'd recommend the 10th floor food court of Lotte Department Store Gwangbok branch.

The place I visited, Daidokoro, centers on Japanese home-style dishes — tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), curry, karaage (Japanese fried chicken), chicken nanban, kkanpunggi (sweet and sour fried chicken), and more filling options. It really does suit solo diners, family outings, and dates alike.

Since it's inside Lotte Department Store, it's convenient to grab a meal while shopping, and being able to use the department store's parking is definitely a plus.

Tonkatsu curry set with 100-hour aged Japanese curry

One of the dishes I ordered was the tonkatsu curry set.

Daidokoro's curry is apparently their signature — a Japanese-style curry that takes a whopping 100 hours to finish aging. They say they use fresh ingredients, simmering and aging them over a long time to get that deep, smooth flavor. Topped with crispy fried tonkatsu, it's a much heartier meal than curry alone.

Tonkatsu and curry is a combo that's hard to mess up, and if you like the rich, smooth flavor of Japanese-style curry specifically, this is a safe, solid pick.

They're really committed to the concept haha

Chicken nanban: sweet-and-sour sauce with tartar

The second dish I had was chicken nanban.

Chicken nanban is known as a local dish from Miyazaki, Japan, and at Daidokoro it's made by frying chicken thigh meat, then topping it with their special sauce and tartar sauce.

The tartar sauce is so good! Crispy fried chicken plus a sweet and sour sauce plus soft tartar — it's a totally different feeling from regular fried chicken.

Since they use chicken thigh meat especially, I think it'll suit people who prefer a moist, tender texture over drier chicken breast.

Big Kkanpunggi, served without rice

And the dish I liked quite a lot was Big Kkanpunggi.

There's the same dish available as a rice bowl too, but I wanted to just chow down on kkanpunggi alone, so I ordered it as an add-on. Big Kkanpunggi isn't served as a rice bowl — it comes as a big plate of kkanpunggi and salad, no rice. Crispy fried chicken tossed in sweet and sour kkanpunggi sauce, with a generous side of salad, made for a pretty filling dish even without rice.

According to Daidokoro's own menu description, their Japanese-style kkanpunggi is made by frying chicken thigh meat crispy, then tossing it in a sweet and sour sauce.

If you're visiting with a group, ordering one set meal each and adding a dish like this to share would work great. It would be perfect as beer food too, haha!

🇯🇵 Does Daidokoro feel like a restaurant in Japan?

Another notable thing about Daidokoro Gwangbok branch is that not just the food but the space itself is decorated to feel like a Japanese home-style restaurant.

Cute little props and character decorations are scattered around, and the warm atmosphere makes it feel more comfortable to linger in than a place you just eat and leave.

The vibe isn't intimidating for solo dining either, so it's a good option if you're looking for a solo meal spot in Nampo-dong, and it's also comfortable for families eating together after a trip to the department store.

What stood out most at Daidokoro

True to Japanese home-style dining, several side dishes come with the meal.

What I liked most was that even ordering just one set meal let me taste a little of everything else.

Worth a meal stop in Nampo-dong?

Above all, the location is great. Being on the 10th floor food court of Lotte Department Store Gwangbok's main building makes it easy to pair with a Nampo-dong shopping trip, and it's convenient to stop by before or after heading to Jagalchi Market or Yeongdo.

Fitting for Busan, which sees a lot of foreign tourists, they have menus ready in multiple languages. In fact, while I was eating, Japanese tourists were dining as well, and by the time I left the tables were completely full.

If you're like me and want to try everything from familiar dishes like tonkatsu and curry to slightly more unusual Japanese dishes like chicken nanban and kkanpunggi in one visit, the menu range here is pretty good.

If you're ever stuck deciding where to eat in Nampo-dong and want something hearty but not too heavy, give Daidokoro Gwangbok branch on the 10th floor of Lotte Department Store Gwangbok — featured on Daein even — a try :)