Hongeo samhap at Namcheonjip, an old-school bar in Haeundae, Busan

Namcheonjip

Words, photos, video: Undae

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When you go looking for old-school spots in Haeundae, you start noticing places with a different kind of charm than the clean, trendy new restaurants — the ones with real history. This time I went to Namcheonjip, a place where you can enjoy Korean-style drinking food in a relaxed atmosphere. Out of all the menu options, what I ordered that day was hongeo samhap (fermented skate ray combo). If you're around Jung-dong in Haeundae and want a proper Korean dish to go with your drink, this is a great place to head to — personally, I wanted to introduce it to anyone looking for an old-school Haeundae restaurant.

Where is Namcheonjip, and what about parking and hours?

• 🏠 부산 해운대구 중동2로 21 1층 남천집
• ⏰ Daily 16:00 - 24:00 (last order 22:45)
• ✔ Group seating, takeout, Wi-Fi, delivery, reservations, parking

Namcheonjip is close to the Haeundae-gu Office, so it wasn't hard to find, and the location has a distinct neighborhood feel that's a bit different from the busy atmosphere around Haeundae's beach area.

If you're driving, there's parking space right in front of the restaurant, which is convenient. That said, it's not a large parking lot, so how easy it is to park can depend on when you visit. If you're taking public transit, you can get there from Haeundae Station or Jung-dong Station, so accessibility is pretty decent too.

What is the inside of Namcheonjip like?

The inside of Namcheonjip has that old-school feel but is very clean, and the tables are well separated from each other. If you'd rather focus on the food and conversation than fancy interior, this is a place where you can feel that particular charm of an old-school Haeundae restaurant.

This place has been visited by everyone from former Haeundae-gu district chiefs to famous celebrities!

What is on the menu at Namcheonjip?

Looking at the Namcheonjip menu, there's a wide range of Korean dishes — different kinds of samhap (three-way combos), boiled pork, assorted pan-fried jeon, grilled fish, and stews. There are a lot of dishes especially suited to drinking, so it felt more like a place for a meal-plus-drinks session than a regular dinner spot.

There's also a review event going on :)

Braised hairtail: side dishes worth a drink on their own

One of Namcheonjip's charms! These banchan (side dishes) right here. Even before the main dish arrives, you could have a whole drinking session with just these — you can really taste the homemade touch in them.

The braised hairtail in particular is genuinely delicious! I think the gim (dried seaweed) came out because I ordered the hongeo samhap!

Hongeo samhap: skate wing with boiled pork belly

This hongeo samhap is truly generous. The wrap vegetables come out in a huge pile, and both the skate ray and the boiled pork are plentiful too. You know skate ray is expensive, right? But it came out so generously that I was really happy :)

The skate ray had a great color, and I was even happier that it was all wing-cut meat. The boiled pork also came with the skin on, so it was really chewy — pork belly boiled pork, so the flavor and texture were both great.

Since I came here for the skate ray, I tasted that first. The color looked great, and the smell was really good too! And it's chewy. The first bite always has to be dipped in just chili powder.

And then the samhap: skate ray, boiled pork, aged kimchi, all eaten together. Ahh... it's really delicious. The skate ray isn't fermented too strongly, so even beginners can eat it without much worry.

And I enjoyed it in all different ways. There's a good variety of wraps and side dishes, enough that you can savor each bite carefully — everything was delicious!

It was all wing-cut meat, so the texture and flavor were even better, and the thickness was just right! As someone who really loves skate ray, I wished it were fermented a bit more, but it was still really delicious!! Even just the boiled pork alone makes Namcheonjip worth it.

Who will enjoy Namcheonjip in Haeundae?

Namcheonjip suits people looking for a relaxed spot to enjoy a variety of Korean drinking food, rather than a flashy new hotspot. It's especially worth visiting if you're after something like hongeo samhap — a dish that's hard to make often at home and is best properly enjoyed over drinks.

If you're visiting with a group, ordering one hongeo samhap and adding other jeon, boiled pork, or soup dishes to share seems like a good approach too. Personally, I felt this was a good old-school Haeundae restaurant to think of when you want to step a bit away from the touristy main strip of Haeundae and feel the relaxed atmosphere of a local neighborhood spot. Recommended :)