Jeonpo pasta restaurant with morning white wine: Odd Bird Oliver

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Why a couple headed to a Jeonpo pasta restaurant after a hospital visit

Odd Bird Oliver, a stop my husband and I made for lunch in Jeonpo, Seomyeon. We'd just come from a hospital appointment that day and were both a little worn out, so instead of just heading straight home, we wanted something delicious to lift our mood.

We both happened to be craving pasta, so I looked around for somewhere good in Jeonpo, which led me to Odd Bird Oliver. Jeonpo has no shortage of great restaurants, but that day we specifically wanted somewhere we could eat comfortably from 9am while also enjoying a nice atmosphere. That's how we ended up here.

Odd Bird Oliver location and opening hours in Jeonpo, Busan

📍 Odd Bird Oliver 📌 Address: 33 Dongseong-ro 15beon-gil, 1F, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea ⏰ Hours Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 21:00 Break time 16:00 - 18:00 Last order 15:00 / 20:00 Closed every Tuesday

Odd Bird Oliver is close to Jeonpo Station Exit 2 or Exit 4. It's open from 9am to 9pm Monday through Sunday, and closed every Tuesday! There's a break time from 4pm to 6pm, so keep that in mind when planning a visit. Last order is at 3pm and 8pm.

Odd Bird Oliver sits on the first floor right below Your Type in Jeonpo. The vintage awning and brown window frames alone gave off a not-so-ordinary vibe, haha. Walked in feeling a bit excited~^^

Stepping inside, the atmosphere felt upscale yet cozy and comfortable — I liked it immediately. The moment we walked in, a subtle smell of delicious food drifted out, which only raised my expectations for the meal.

We arrived around 9:30am, and at that point only one table was eating. We started our meal at a relaxed pace, and as we ate, customers gradually trickled in until about 3-4 tables were filled.

Odd Bird Oliver menu and prices

On the menu, there's a note explaining that "odd bird" means an unusual, quirky, or eccentric person — a name meant to reflect a stubborn, eccentric devotion to food, making eccentric dishes with unusual care. At first I thought it was just a fun bit of copy, but once I actually tasted the food, I got why they'd describe themselves that way.

Compared to typical brunch spots, there's a different structure and level of detail here — it really did feel like a place making "eccentric dishes" true to its name.

Pasta and risotto menu

• Roe Bottarga Aglio e Olio — ₩18,000 · An oil pasta blending the umami of bottarga (fish roe) with garlic and olive oil
• Pistachio Jambon Pasta — ₩19,000 · A butter-based pasta with nutty pistachio sauce and homemade jambon
• White Ragù Pasta — ₩18,000 · Slow-simmered ragù sauce served over cavatappi pasta
• Jamón Mushroom Risotto — ₩19,000 · A creamy mushroom risotto with salty jamón and chewy pearl barley

Main, brunch and sandwich menu

• Chipotle Roast Chicken — ₩29,000 · Crispy roast chicken with a spicy, smooth Mexican chipotle sauce
• Peppercorn Sirloin Steak — ₩39,000 · Juicy sirloin steak with french fries and peppercorn sauce
• Bismarck Focaccia Sandwich — ₩16,000 · House-baked focaccia with homemade jambon, ricotta cheese, poached egg, and truffle aroma
• Green Bean Open Sandwich — ₩15,000 · An open sandwich topped with fresh green beans and fragrant herbs
• Jamón French Toast — ₩17,000 · Sweet-and-savory french toast with jamón, ricotta cheese, and banana brûlée

Salad, soup and stew menu

• ABC Salad — ₩17,000 · Apple, beet, and carrot with pecan candy
• Ricotta Caprese — ₩16,000 · Fresh caprese with homemade ricotta cheese and tomatoes
• Salmon Citrus Salad — ₩17,000 · Salmon salad with homemade labneh cheese and orange
• Romaine Chicken Salad — ₩15,000 · Romaine caesar salad with sous-vide chicken breast and focaccia crumble
• Paprika Tomato Stew & Focaccia — ₩17,000 · Paprika and tomato stew paired with rich burrata cheese
• Butter Carrot Soup & Focaccia — ₩10,000 · A smooth butter carrot soup made so it doesn't taste like carrots

What stood out most was that they even make their own focaccia in-house. The posters scattered around the space also looked homemade — cute and edgy in a way that caught the eye. From the food down to the smallest props filling the space, every corner felt like it carried the chef's personal care and devotion.

What comes in the 63,000 won Signature Set for Two

Thanks to all that, there was plenty to look at around the restaurant while waiting for the food. What we ordered that day was the Signature Set for Two (₩63,000). It included ricotta caprese, roe bottarga aglio e olio, and chipotle roast chicken — covering pasta, salad, and a main dish all in one set. Ordering the set also comes with 2 complimentary pieces of house-made focaccia.

Korean melon ade, 7,500 won

For a drink, we ordered the seasonal fruit ade (melon) for ₩7,500. You need to stir it thoroughly all the way to the bottom to really taste the melon flavor properly.

It tastes something like melon mixed with tonic water — the melon's distinct aroma rises subtly through the refreshing carbonation. At the end, the melon's sweetness really comes through, giving it a more refined, upscale flavor than the melon drinks you'd typically expect.

The presentation had its own detail too. Instead of peeling the melon skin off completely, they left some patches on to preserve its natural look, which I found fun. It was a drink where care went into the small details, not just the flavor.

Ricotta caprese

And then the ricotta caprese! One of the standout dishes of the meal. It grabs your attention visually right away.

Red, yellow, and orange tomatoes come together with fresh green leaves and pure white ricotta cheese, all finished with olive oil and other oils drizzled on top. Such a colorful array packed onto one plate — the moment it arrived, just looking at it lifted my mood.

Piling the ricotta and tomato onto the focaccia that came with it, then dipping it deep into the oil on the plate, was genuinely heavenly, hahaha.

At first you get the nutty, smooth flavor of the cheese along with the tomato's light sweetness. Then at the end, the salty richness from the olive oil and salt comes through and ties everything together. It felt light yet quietly addictive — once I started eating, I couldn't stop reaching for more.

While we were eating, the roe bottarga aglio e olio arrived too.

Roe aglio e olio, the dish that called for white wine

I ordered the roe bottarga aglio e olio with some idea of what to expect, but the actual taste blew past my expectations. I mixed it well, added a shrimp, and took a bite — the umami of the bottarga and the richness of the oil spreading through my mouth were far deeper than I imagined.

The moment we took our first bite, both my husband and I thought "this needs wine," and we ended up ordering a glass of white wine right then.

After our honeymoon in Italy, I went through a phase of being obsessed with pasta and hunting down pasta places all over Busan, but honestly, it was hard to recapture that exact flavor from Italy, which always left me a little disappointed. But the moment I tasted the bottarga aglio e olio at Odd Bird Oliver, it brought back the feeling of the pasta I had in Italy. The salty, deep umami blended so well with the oil's richness that it felt like meeting a flavor I'd almost forgotten — genuinely moving, tears and all.

Of everything we ate that day, the pasta was what stuck with me most! Even writing this post now, I want to run right back and eat it again, haha.

I don't remember the exact name of the wine, but when we ordered, the server showed us the bottle before pouring it into our glass. It was clean, neither too sour nor too sweet, which paired well with the food — it didn't compete with the pasta's flavor and instead kept the palate refreshed.

What I personally loved was the attention paid even to the wine glass. Some restaurants pour wine into plastic cups, which always feels a bit lacking because of scuffs or wear. But here, they served the wine in a proper glass wine glass, which made me feel that they cared about the whole experience of enjoying wine, not just the food. A small detail like that elevates the entire mood of the meal.

Chipotle roast chicken with mashed potato

The last dish to arrive was the chipotle roast chicken. It's plated with finely mashed boiled potatoes underneath, topped with roast chicken that's crispy outside and moist inside.

The chicken was light yet still juicy, and the spicy-yet-smooth Mexican chipotle sauce it came with added even more flavor. The combination of crispy chicken, soft potato, and gently spicy sauce made for a completely different kind of appeal from the pasta we'd had earlier.

The mashed potatoes served alongside were pretty memorable too. My husband, who served in KATUSA, took one bite and remarked it was on a totally different level from the mashed potatoes he ate during his service, haha. Cue a wave of nostalgia. Anyone who's a fan of mashed potatoes in general would especially enjoy this one.

Honestly, we were already pretty full just from the caprese and pasta, but the food was so good we ended up polishing off the roast chicken too. We kept saying we were full, but our chopsticks and forks never stopped moving...

And I was impressed all over again looking at the tableware. Odd Bird Oliver's utensils are designed so they can stand upright on the plate — both my husband and I marveled at this detail. To think they put this much thought into even the utensils, not just the taste of the food. That phrase on the menu, "an eccentric devotion to food," really came through in details like this. The more you looked around, the more you could feel the chef's eccentric devotion and delightful madness for detail.

Is Odd Bird Oliver worth it for a Jeonpo date or brunch?

We originally went as part of a sponsored visit to save on living expenses since the hospital bills had us reeling, but we ended up spending more money anyway... Still, it felt like a place completely worth paying full price for again, sponsorship or not! The food was that good, and by the time we left, I was already flipping back through the menu to plan what to try next^^ And if foreigners are eating here too when we're around, that says it all, doesn't it?

Odd Bird Oliver left us very satisfied — a place with great atmosphere to enjoy delicious pasta and brunch, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Jeonpo brunch spot or wanting a relaxed lunch. The space's mood is especially nice, so it also seems like a solid choice for a Jeonpo date or a first meeting where atmosphere matters as much as the food. This was a very satisfying Jeonpo lunch review from a relaxed meal my husband and I enjoyed together, wine and all.

Odd Bird Oliver (Jeonpo, Busan, Korea)

A stylish and cozy brunch restaurant in Jeonpo, Busan, known for its creative pasta, brunch dishes, and thoughtful details throughout the space. The restaurant's name, "odd bird," means an unusual, quirky, or eccentric person. That quirky spirit is reflected not only in the food, but also in the unique tableware and small details around the restaurant.

We ordered the Signature Set for Two, which included ricotta caprese, roe bottarga aglio e olio, and chipotle roast chicken. The pasta was especially memorable — the bottarga aglio e olio reminded us of the pasta we had enjoyed in Italy during our honeymoon. The ricotta caprese was also excellent, with colorful fresh tomatoes, creamy homemade ricotta, and olive oil creating a simple but incredibly satisfying combination.

• 📍 Jeonpo, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea · Near Jeonpo Station Exit 2 or 4
• 🕒 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Closed every Tuesday / Break Time 4:00–6:00 PM)
• Signature Set for Two – 63,000 KRW
• Bottarga Aglio e Olio – 18,000 KRW
• Ricotta Caprese – 16,000 KRW
• Chipotle Roast Chicken – 29,000 KRW
• Seasonal Fruit Ade (Melon) – 7,500 KRW

💡 Tip: The homemade focaccia served with the set is perfect with the ricotta and tomatoes. Also, make sure to mix the seasonal fruit ade well from the bottom to enjoy the full flavor. Odd Bird Oliver is more than just a pretty brunch spot. From the food and wine to the unusual tableware, every detail shows the chef's quirky attention to detail. If you're looking for a Jeonpo brunch spot, pasta restaurant, or a cozy place for a date in Busan, this is definitely a place worth checking out.