Myeongji, Busan izakaya: ankimo pâté and grilled chicken neck, Genji

Izakaya Genji in Myeongji: address, hours and parking

Izakaya Genji is an izakaya at 47 Myeongjigukje 5-ro 148beon-gil, Gangseo-gu, Busan. It's open Mon–Sat 18:00–24:00, Fri and Sat until 1am, and parking is in the alley.

• Location: 47 Myeongjigukje 5-ro 148beon-gil, Gangseo-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Hours: Mon-Sat 18:00–24:00 (Fri, Sat until 1:00)
• Parking: alley parking

On a Saturday afternoon after visiting Yubin-tte and Wonderplace, I went looking for an izakaya with good vibes in Myeongji and found this Busan izakaya favorite, 'Izakaya Genji.' Given Myeongji's layout there's no dedicated parking, so you just park wherever there's space in the alley!

Inside Genji: six tables in a small Myeongji izakaya

Izakaya Genji's interior isn't big — about six tables. Once you step in it's clean but there's this distinctly Japanese sense of tidiness? coziness? haha.

With wood tones and warm colors as the main palette, the greenery visible through the square windows adds even more atmosphere.

Sensible little interior touches catch your eye here and there. A triangular mirror reflecting the light above feels like a piece of decor in itself.

The green of the trees outside pairs so well with the red lighting. Instant aesthetic shot.

Lucky for us there was no one else there when we arrived, so I got to photograph the place freely. When we visited, this Myeongji favorite Izakaya Genji was being run solo by a young male owner. His sense and personal style show throughout the interior.

It might seem like nothing, but little framed pieces on the white walls add such a charming touch.

Wait, can the walk to the bathroom really be this cute? The bathroom itself was spotless too, and the walls had that same stylish interior touch going on 🥹

Genji's menu and sake list

Let's take a look at the menu.

Looking at the menu, there's seasonal sashimi, house oden soup, smoked mackerel tataki, grilled chicken thigh, grilled cuttlefish, abalone innard pasta, taro with mentaiko, tenderloin katsu, fried shrimp, ankimo (monkfish liver) pâté, chilled tomato, and lemon sherbet — plus all the drinks you'd want at a Japanese izakaya, like draft beer, highballs, and sours. A true Busan izakaya favorite.

Sake gets its own section, starting with Sekitoba from Kagoshima prefecture.

Satsuma Murasakino Sekitoba — apparently the regular Sekitoba with purple sweet potato added.

Satsuma Sekitoba Tamaakane from the Sekitoba lineup. Said to have a fragrance reminiscent of osmanthus — I'm curious.

Enma, decorated with wildly flashy text. Judging by all the awards listed, it must be a famous one.

Kagoshima Daiyame. Seems like a lot of the sakes here are from Kagoshima.

Kozonoshizuku Junmai. From Niigata, famous for sake, and said to pair well with sashimi and fish dishes.

Miyazaki Madakobori.

Otoshi at Genji: cabbage with barley miso and the first drinks

What we ordered at Izakaya Genji: grilled cuttlefish, grilled chicken thigh, and draft beer. We'd had pizza as a snack beforehand so we weren't starving, so we kept it simple, protein-focused!

First came the otoshi (starter): miso made from cabbage and barley. I think I heard the owner makes the miso himself. First time I'd tried this style of miso, and the nutty flavor of the barley came through, pairing well with the crisp cabbage and salty miso.

Small plate and chopsticks, kept simple.

I'd brought tea so I went with zero-sugar cola 😢 Yubin-tte went straight for nama biru (draft beer) given the hot weather.

Look at that refreshing color and fizz... it happened to be a pretty hot day, so the draft beer tasted even better.

Grilled cuttlefish with carrot purée and tare sauce

First up, grilled cuttlefish. It had a kind of Western-style plating feel. Underneath was what I think they called carrot purée — and it was incredible.

A light drizzle of tare sauce on top of the carrot purée took the umami up another level.

The cuttlefish was so tender and moist, seasoned just right. Cooked to the perfect doneness so the texture was great 😋😋 and that hint of smoky char, so good. The carrot sauce was creamy with a touch of sweetness, and the carrot flavor came through at the finish — a total match with the tare drizzled on top 🥹🥹

Grilled chicken neck with a Suntory highball

Next, grilled chicken thigh. The doneness on this one was also incredible. It kept its texture while staying juicy inside, and paired with the tare sauce, the chicken just kept disappearing into my mouth. You could taste the care put into every dish. Another win for this Busan izakaya favorite.

She's off and running — straight to ordering a Suntory highball. But that stirrer was way too cute ㅠㅠ I'm dead.

Ankimo pâté: is monkfish liver okay for a first-timer?

Then the ankimo pâté arrived. I was nervous since it was my first time trying ankimo (monkfish liver), and it looked like the top had been torched into a crème brûlée-style coating.

So you crack the top open like that to eat it. I'm honestly not a big seafood person, and fish + liver?! Monkfish liver...? sounded like a terrifying combination, but it was surprisingly good — I was genuinely shocked. The texture was incredibly smooth and creamy, and it didn't taste fishy or overly of fish at all. Perfect spread on a cracker. There was a faint katsuobushi-like note at the finish, but it worked. This probably isn't your typical ankimo, so I think it's a good one for beginners to try ⭐️👍

Figured I should try a variety of drinks, so I ordered a lemon sour too! When I lived in Japan, some days I'd crave a sour more than draft beer — I should come back for those next time 🥲

Chilled tomato on the house, tenderloin katsu and a lemon sherbet finish

And then, a treat from the owner — chilled tomato that looked like tomato sorbet! On top was something I first thought was wasabi but turned out to be a scallion cream. A flavor combination I'd never had before. Personally, each element was delicious on its own, but I felt it might've been even better if the scallion part were a touch sweeter! You could really feel the care put into even a single dollop of cream on top.

Next up, pork cutlet. Tenderloin, and just from the color you could tell how fresh and tender it was. Slight exaggeration, but you could practically eat it without teeth ^.^..? The coating outside was crisp while the meat inside was so juicy... tender... you could really feel the owner's cooking skill.

Still not done. Lemon sherbet to finish ㅎ We were full but it was so good we kept spooning it in. The lemon was truly bright and tangy, exactly what you want to close things out!!

As evening fell, the light hit the window and added an extra layer of glow..⭐️