Busanjin restaurant dinner before a movie: Pickles

My friend and I were looking for a good Jeonpo restaurant for dinner before seeing a movie when I remembered Pickles, which I had visited before. I remembered it being delicious the first time, so naturally, I found myself coming back.

Jeonpo Café Street has so many great restaurants and cafés that it is fun to try somewhere new, but there is always a clear reason to return to a place you have already visited. This time, we ordered lasagna, a romaine salad, chicken steak, coffee, and orange juice, then enjoyed a leisurely meal together.

Returning to Pickles on Jeonpo Café Street

Pickles is a Western restaurant on Jeonpo Café Street in Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu. It is near Jeonposagil and Jeollidan-gil, making it nice for stopping by a café or taking a walk after a meal. It is also easy to reach from Jeonpo Station and Seomyeon Station, so it suits a Jeonpo or Seomyeon date as well. This visit had a special reason, too.

My friend and I had plans to see a movie, and while looking for somewhere to eat dinner beforehand, I thought of Pickles, where I had eaten so well before.

“We went there before—shall we go again?”

After talking it over, we returned. When looking for a good Jeonpo restaurant, new places are great too, but choosing somewhere whose flavors you already know seems like quite a wise option.

A ₩39,000 set to share between two

This time, we ordered the PASTA & SIDE 2 + DRINK 2 set. It costs ₩39,000. You can choose a pasta, two sides, and two drinks.

• BACON CREAM bacon cream pasta
• ROMAINE romaine salad
• CHICKEN STEAK chicken steak
• COFFEE by WERK filter coffee
• ORANGE JUICE orange juice

It was a great setup for two people to share several dishes. Rather than ordering only one item, having the pasta, salad, and chicken steak together made the meal more enjoyable, too.

Bacon cream pasta and romaine salad together

The bacon cream pasta combines a thick, nutty cream sauce with the savory saltiness of bacon. Bacon, green onion, mini cabbage, and pistachios came together for a nutty dish with interesting texture. Though the cream sauce was rich, the variety of ingredients kept it from becoming too heavy. If you enjoy smooth, deeply creamy pasta, this is a Jeonpo pasta dish I would recommend.

For a side, we chose the romaine salad. It includes romaine, ranch dressing, bacon, and chili oil. The crisp romaine pairs softly with ranch dressing, while the bacon adds a nutty savory flavor. The chili oil gives it more character than an ordinary salad. Eaten with the rich lasagna, the salad felt like it refreshed the palate in between bites. If you like pairing pasta with salad, it is a very satisfying choice.

Tender chicken thigh steak

The chicken steak we ordered alongside it was memorable, too. It comes with chicken thigh, potatoes, and coleslaw.

The chicken thigh is notably tender, and with potatoes and coleslaw on the side, you can enjoy several flavors on one plate. Pickles says it has worked to recreate the flavor and feeling of chicken it ate while traveling in Harlem, New York. Maybe that is why it felt a little different from a typical chicken dish. I especially liked the pairing of tender chicken thigh and tangy coleslaw. If you visit with a friend, it would be nice for one person to choose pasta and the other chicken steak, then share.

Coffee and a relaxed moment before the movie

For drinks, we chose WERK filter coffee and orange juice. The coffee is COFFEE by WERK filter coffee, and it can be refilled. After eating, having a cup of coffee while chatting with my friend made the time before the movie feel even more relaxed. Pickles felt like a lovely place for Jeonpo brunch at lunchtime, and for dinner with a friend or a date in the evening. That is why I would also like to recommend it to anyone looking for Jeonpo brunch or a Seomyeon lunch spot.

A place to experience food, space, and music

Pickles’ appeal is not only in its food. Pickles says it created this space around memories and good experiences from New York, along with its food and interior. Its intention to share the natural culture and classic atmosphere it felt in America is impressive, too. So when you walk into Pickles, it feels less like a restaurant where you simply eat and more like a place where you experience food, space, and music together. Jeonpo Café Street is full of distinctive shops, and Pickles fits that atmosphere well.

At lunchtime, Pickles suits people looking for light brunch dishes. There are easygoing dishes that work well with a cup of coffee, making it a good place for those seeking Jeonpo brunch. In the evening, the soft lighting and atmosphere make it suitable for dinner with a friend or a date. You could turn it into a course of eating in Jeonpo, visiting a café, and then seeing a movie. It is a useful spot when you are wondering, like we were, “Where should we eat before the movie?”

Pizza next time, too

Pickles offers pizza as well as pasta. The menu includes half-and-half, jambon-beurre, taco, beef cheeseburger, potato, and bacon cheddar pizzas. We ordered lasagna this time, but it made me want to try the pizza next time as well. Rather than being a place you visit once and finish with, it is a place that makes you curious about the next dish. Personally, I think that is one of Pickles’ strengths.

A dinner before the movie that was good again

This was not a visit I had huge expectations for from the start; I returned because I remembered how good it had been before. But when I came back, not only the food but also the time with my friend made it even more memorable. The rich flavor of the lasagna, the freshness of the romaine salad, the tender chicken thigh in the chicken steak, and the filter coffee after the meal. We ordered different dishes, but they worked well together. More than anything, I liked being able to eat and talk about this and that with my friend rather than rushing before the movie began. Delicious food has a way of making plans more enjoyable.

Pickles is a great Jeonpo restaurant that I returned to because it was delicious once—and that was just as satisfying the second time, from the food and atmosphere to the time we spent together.