Teppanyaki date bar in Seomyeon, Busan: fire show at Teppan King

Looking for a special date-night bar in Seomyeon? Try Teppan King

Teppan King is a teppanyaki izakaya (Japanese-style pub) in Seomyeon. I went with my boyfriend because I wanted a slightly more special date than usual. I wanted to do something different today instead of the usual places. Seomyeon is full of chain restaurants, but it also has a very special izakaya and teppanyaki spot.

Where is Teppan King in Seomyeon, and what are the hours?

Teppan King is in an alley between Exits 4 and 6 of Seomyeon Station, and once you turn in you can spot its brightly lit sign right away. It is run by an owner-chef with 35 years of teppanyaki experience. It was really easy to find.

• Address: 722-4 Jungang-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: Sun–Thu 16:00–02:00 / Fri–Sat 15:00–02:00

True to an izakaya, the soft lighting caught my eye right away. If you come by car, a nearby paid parking lot should work.

Should you book a counter seat at Teppan King?

I reserved ahead, so we were shown to the counter seats where you can watch the cooking right in front of you. Guests streamed in after us, and honestly, this seat was the best spot. Teppan King also runs various events, so I recommend reserving on Naver before you go!

Teppan King set menu prices and what each set includes

There are three sets: A ₩28,000, B ₩49,000 and C ₩59,000, and I ordered Set C. Teppan King's specialty is teppanyaki, with grilled dishes, hot pots, noodles, okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancake) and more, but the set menus looked like the best deal whichever way I looked at it.

• A. Special okonomiyaki + special yakisoba (fried noodles) ₩28,000
• B. Wagyu flap steak + grilled scallop and shrimp ₩49,000
• C. Wagyu flap steak + grilled scallop and shrimp + special okonomiyaki ₩59,000

Cream draft beer with fresh lemon

While waiting for the food, I started with a cream draft beer. Why is this beer so refreshing~? Turns out they put fresh lemon in it. It was a really good lemon draft beer.

The teppan fire show up close: how was it for a couple's date?

At the counter seats, the chef makes the okonomiyaki and steak on the griddle right in front of you, and you even get a flashy fire show. Lately I've really been wanting to go to Japan. The reason? I want to eat good okonomiyaki! And now I can watch it made this stylishly, and taste it, in Seomyeon, Busan. Isn't that amazing?

Watching the dish I'm about to eat being made right in front of me felt so unusual and appealing. And a fire show too ✨ It was our first teppanyaki restaurant as a couple, and we both went "wow" and watched the chef in a daze.

Since he cooks in front of you, you can see for yourself how fresh the ingredients are, and the owner's teppanyaki skill was truly excellent. I was grateful to taste such high-end quality at this price, haha.

Set C grilled scallops, shrimp and wagyu flap steak: how did they taste?

From Set C, the wagyu flap steak and the grilled scallop and shrimp came out first.

The plating at Teppan King is so pretty too. Doesn't it look really classy? It looked so nice that I hated to eat it.

But these are drinking snacks, so I dug into the scallops and shrimp, haha. The grilled scallop and shrimp is so, so, so tender. The shrimp is tasty, but the scallop really melts in your mouth.

Here's the wagyu flap steak, nicely grilled along with a great fire show.

The wagyu flap steak comes with mushrooms and bean sprouts to eat alongside, so the texture was great. The wagyu flap itself is so tender that it's heavenly with just a bit of wasabi on top.

Cheers with a beer alongside the delicious dishes 💗 It feels so upscale, yet you get three dishes for ₩59,000, so I really can't not go to Teppan King..

Teppan King's special okonomiyaki: as good as in Japan?

The special okonomiyaki is included in Set C, and à la carte it's ₩14,000 / ₩15,000. This is the okonomiyaki I'd been looking forward to, and we shared it one piece at a time.

This okonomiyaki is so good it makes you clap 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Seomyeon has a place that makes okonomiyaki this well?! I don't think you need to fly to Japan for okonomiyaki. Just head to Teppan King. And it's only ₩14,000 / ₩15,000 on its own! The special okonomiyaki is generously packed with shrimp, squid and pork, so the texture is great and it's delicious 👍

Teppan King in Seomyeon: final verdict

With prices so high these days that even a drink out makes you hesitate, Teppan King is a Seomyeon bar where I could enjoy delicious teppanyaki at superb value. It's officially my favorite bar in Seomyeon. If you like Japanese okonomiyaki and teppanyaki, I hope you'll stop by. Besides the taste, the owner cooking on the griddle looks so cool, so it was a treat for both eyes and mouth 👍