Busan standing pub with tebasaki and rock-paper-scissors: Ganppa Beer

Where is Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch, and when is it open?

Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch (간빠맥주 서면 형제점) is at 14 Dongcheon-ro 95beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, 1st floor, about 229 m from Seomyeon Station Exit 6. It is open daily from 18:00 to 02:00 the next day.

• Japanese-style standing pub
• Sapporo draft beer
• You can order draft beer only, without food

I was looking for a place in Seomyeon with a slightly different vibe, so I stopped by Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch.

The exterior already feels like a pub down a Japanese alley. Inside, even the way you use the place is a bit different from a typical izakaya (Japanese pub), which made it fun.

How do you order at Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch?

You pick your menu first, a staff member pours the draft beer right in front of you, and you take the glass to your spot. They also explained the pouring process and the character of the beer step by step.

The lively, upbeat mood the moment we walked in made a great first impression, haha. They don't just hand you a beer, they explain it too 👏👏👏

You watch the beer come together while listening to the explanation, then carry the glass to your spot, so you feel the place's own atmosphere right from the start. You can tell they're pretty serious about draft beer. According to the store notice, the glasses aren't ordinary thick ones but thin 0.9 mm handmade glasses, each blown by a craftsman by mouth.

How does the Sapporo draft beer at Ganppa Beer taste?

The Sapporo draft beer at Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch was really smooth and tasty. The foam was incredibly soft and it went down easily, a different feel from the draft beer I usually drink. It's so good there's no comparison, and I really recommend it, haha.

Sapporo Set for ₩26,900: what's included and how the tebasaki tastes

From the BEST SET MENU at Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch, we ordered the Sapporo Set for ₩26,900. It comes with 2 Sapporo draft beers and Ganppa special tebasaki (chicken wings).

Since the draft beer and tebasaki come together, it's a good way to try the signature items on a first visit.

The tebasaki were fairly big, crispy on the outside and moist and tender inside. The special sauce, salty with a subtle sweetness, made them easy to pull apart and eat one by one.

Looking at the menu, besides tebasaki there were plenty of light Japanese-style dishes to go with drinks, such as yakisoba (fried noodles), gyoza (dumplings) and fried chicken skin.

Can you order only draft beer without food?

The store notes that if you're full, you don't have to order food. If you've already eaten, you can just enjoy draft beer, so it's an easy second stop in Seomyeon.

Ganppa Beer's prize draw and rock-paper-scissors with staff

At Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch you can try a prize draw, and if you land 5th prize, you play rock-paper-scissors with a staff member. Each time you win, the amount goes up by ₩1,000, which stirs up your competitive streak more than you'd think. Ganppa Beer doesn't stop at just eating and drinking.

Going from the draw straight into rock-paper-scissors with the staff was more fun than I expected, haha. The staff set such a cheerful mood that we naturally ended up laughing along.

There was even someone who'd lost last time and came back vowing to win this time, but lost again, boo-hoo...💦 Everyone watching burst out laughing, haha.

But as I watched, the staff member's rock-paper-scissors skills were no joke. Did they plant someone who's good at it on purpose…? 🤔 It got to the point where I suspected the organizers of some trickery(?), because it felt like nobody could win! 😂 I went for the food and got a surprise show of showdowns. Next time I want to go back and try to win too, haha.

Standing pub atmosphere and interior

Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch is standing-style, which may feel a little unfamiliar at first, but the distance between staff and guests is close, so the lively atmosphere really comes through.

Japanese signs all over the place and handwriting from past guests made it feel like stepping into a small standing pub in Japan, which was fun.

I'd recommend it to anyone in Seomyeon who wants a lively, different vibe rather than a quiet izakaya.

It's great for a light draft beer without food after a meal, and ordering the set with tebasaki was an easy, no-pressure option too.

Witty handwriting, drawings and doodle-like touches are hidden all around, so it's fun to look around at the little details. Even the entrance to the restroom is decorated with clever phrases and drawings, and I was impressed that they made even a space you'd just walk past feel lively.

Ebisu and Sapporo draft beer kegs in storage

At the back of Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch, kegs of Ebisu and Sapporo draft beer were stored in bulk. Since keg temperature and care affect the taste of draft beer, it was good to see them kept in a separate refrigerated space. As a place that centers on draft beer, I was impressed that they care about storage too.

Ganppa Beer Seomyeon Hyeongje Branch: my take after visiting

From the moment you pick your menu, through the pour and explanation, to the prize draw and rock-paper-scissors, there's fun the whole way, so it was definitely a different experience from an ordinary beer place. The draft beer was really smooth and tasty, and the cheerful staff made it even more fun, so it's a memorable spot.