Nampo-dong bar with brisket seafood fish cake stew: Budan Nampo

This time I visited Budan Nampo Branch, a Nampo-dong bar I really, really love!! This visit was sponsored, but I've been coming here since I was 20 and have visited at least 7 times on my own dime — it's a genuine regular spot for me haha🤭

Usually every time I come I order the cheese jjusaewoo (shrimp) and jjapaguri (instant noodles) with green onion kimchi, but this time I wanted to try new menu items so I got the beef brisket seafood odeng-tang (fish cake stew), omokjomok, and even ice cream. But as always, everything at Budan tastes amazing no matter what you order...

Where is Budan Nampo Branch and what are its hours?

Budan Nampo Branch is on the 2nd floor of 6 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan. Hours are Sun–Thu 17:00–02:00 and Fri–Sat 17:00–04:00, with last order at 01:00 on weekdays and 03:00 on weekends. There's no dedicated parking lot.

It's near Bupyeong Jokbal Alley and easy to reach from the center of Nampo-dong, so it's also convenient access when you're looking for good restaurants around Bupyeong-dong or Busan Nampo-dong.

Inside Budan Nampo Branch: room for big groups

Once you step inside, the space is way bigger than you'd expect!! With about 110 seats, it's plenty for a group gathering👯‍♂️ It works well whether you come with a bunch of friends or on a date as a couple, so it suits anyone looking for group seating or a date spot in Nampo-dong😊

There's also a separate smoking room inside! The smoker friends I came with were so happy they didn't have to step outside haha🚬

The restroom is also inside and everything is pretty clean overall — good!!

There's a mirror near the entrance too, great for a quick photo on your way in or out haha🪞

What's on the Budan Nampo Branch menu?

Budan really has a huge variety of dishes! From cheese jjusaewoo, sundubu-dan, jjapaguri with green onion kimchi, to hot pots, stir-fries, sides, and even desserts — it's fun trying something different every time🥰 I used to always get the cheese jjusaewoo and jjapaguri whenever I came🍤🍜 But this time I boldly ordered all new menu items.

The free toast side: my favorite thing at Budan

But what I actually look forward to most at Budan... is honestly the basic side dish haha. They serve toast with whipped cream as a default side, and it's genuinely so good!🤤

Dipping the crispy toast into the whipped cream is basically heaven😇🪽 If it's not enough, you can add more for ₩2,000. This much happiness for just ₩2,000💓 I refilled it 3 times that day haha. I've never been able to resist this toast since I was 20🥪

Beef brisket seafood odeng-tang: the broth that stole the night

My first time trying the beef brisket seafood odeng-tang!! It's loaded with a huge variety of ingredients — crab, fish cake, rice cake sticks, mussels, shrimp — plus beef brisket on top🦪 The portion is already generous, but the broth is what really kills it...

I ate it while drinking, and it felt like it was curing my hangover the moment I tasted it haha. The broth is clean yet deep, so I kept scooping up more!

The rice cake sticks were super chewy too — dipped in the soy sauce that comes with it, they're so good.

The seafood was fresh across the board too,

and honestly I expected the crab to have barely any meat, but it was packed with plump meat inside, so I was way more satisfied than expected!!🦀 Budan really is a great bar-food spot...

Omokjomok, loaded with cheese

Omokjomok is a dish with chicken neck meat, duck meat, and cheese. Cute name, even more powerful visual haha. There's so much cheese in there you never have to worry about rationing it!🧀 Just grab a piece of meat and wrap it in plenty of cheese.

The chicken neck meat was chewy while the duck meat was tender, so the two had slightly different textures and it was fun picking between them🍗 Add cheese on top of that and I'd follow it straight to hell..😇 There was rice cake mixed in too, nice to pick off one piece at a time, and if you love cheese I'd really recommend omokjomok!

Blueberry ice cream to finish

After two rich side dishes my palate was pretty heavy, so I finished with ice cream🍦🍨 There's blueberry on top of the sweet ice cream, and eating them together was sweet yet refreshing🫐 Perfect for resetting your palate after such rich dishes.

Since you can even get dessert here in one place, you probably don't need to go to a café for round two haha. There's a reason I keep coming back!

Is Budan Nampo Branch worth it? Final verdict

Honestly, if this had been my first visit, I'd just say it was tasty and leave it at that. But since I've come here on my own dime at least 7 times since I was 20, I found myself thinking once again — of course Budan delivers😆

Instead of my usual favorites, cheese jjusaewoo and jjapaguri, I tried the beef brisket seafood odeng-tang and omokjomok for the first time, and I was satisfied with both, so I'll try something else next time!! Not to mention the basic toast — with generous portions and so many options, it's a place that's hard to go wrong with when looking for good food or a good bar in Nampo-dong.

It's spacious enough for groups, has good atmosphere for dates, and with a smoking room and indoor restroom, it's comfortable for visiting with a bunch of people. As always, my go-to Bupyeong-dong bar, Budan Nampo Branch — I'll definitely keep coming back haha.