# Busan eel restaurant: eel four ways plus maguro sashimi, Shunsaikubo - By Yeji Bahn (https://superchart.com/en/@millak-dusk-sikdang/) - Written Sep 14, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Buk-gu, Busan - Sponsored: This visit and meal were provided by the restaurant. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@millak-dusk-sikdang/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@millak-dusk-sikdang/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/index.md) ## In short Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong is a Nagoya-style hitsumabushi (grilled eel rice bowl) restaurant on Yangdal-ro in Hwamyeong-dong, Buk-gu, Busan. One hitsumabushi costs 39,000 won and the maguro akami sashimi 26,000 won, and the eel is eaten four ways — plain, as unatama, with yakumi, then as ochazuke — alongside a 9,500 won Kirin draft beer. Since a Michelin Guide mention brought waiting lines to Shunsaikubo, booking ahead is the better plan. ## Good to know - **Address**: 1F Geumsaem Building, 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan - **Hours**: 11:30 - 21:00 (break 15:00 - 17:30) - **Hitsumabushi (one whole eel)**: 39,000 won - **Maguro akami sashimi**: 26,000 won (Atlantic tuna, 10 pieces) - **Kirin draft beer**: 9,500 won - **Reservations**: Naver Reservation, Catch Table (waits on weekends and at mealtimes) - **Parking**: Hwamyeong Public Parking Lot; 1 hour covered with orders over 50,000 won - **Set course includes**: Salad, sweet potato chips, Japanese tempura, chawanmushi, matcha pudding - **Price reference**: ₩39,000 ≈ $29 · ₩26,000 ≈ $19.5 · ₩9,500 ≈ $7 (2026-09-15) *as written by the visitor on Sep 14, 2026* ## What kind of restaurant is Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong? Shunsaikubo is a pretty long-running Japanese restaurant in Hwamyeong-dong. My place is literally right around the corner, so I knew about it way before it got famous for its eel rice bowl. Actually, Shunsaikubo wasn't originally an eel rice bowl place! Back in the day it was more of an izakaya-style Japanese restaurant where you could enjoy sashimi and various dishes, and at some point the Nagoya-style eel bowl, hitsumabushi, became the main menu item. ![Exterior of Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong, a hitsumabushi specialty restaurant in Hwamyeong-dong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-01-cpnbj-900.webp) I used to just call ahead whenever I felt like it and pop in if there was a seat... but these days, with a Michelin Guide mention and way more people looking for it, I made sure to book ahead this time :) ## Location, hours and reservations at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong - 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, South Korea - 11:30 - 21:00 (break time 15:00 - 17:30) - Reservations available via Naver Reservation or Catch Table Weekends and mealtimes tend to have a wait, so book ahead if you can! ## What is the dining room like? Walking in, the overall vibe is calm and clean! The wood tones give it a warm feeling, and the tables were spaced pretty generously. It has a strong Japanese dining feel, so it seemed good for a date or family dinner too ~ ![Calm wood-toned table seating inside Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-02-1f1a4-900.webp) ![Dining hall at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong with generously spaced tables](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-03-1s2qs-900.webp) There was a slightly more private space in the back, and rows of Japanese sake bottles lined up by the window, so a bit of that old izakaya feel still lingers. ## What we ordered at Shunsaikubo and what it cost ![Hitsumabushi menu listing at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-04-fnzvj-900.webp) ![Menu composition guide at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-05-z7wff-900.webp) ![Sashimi menu listing at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-06-11uwm-900.webp) ![Meal menu listing at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-07-99vk4-900.webp) ![Alcohol menu listing at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-08-3goac-900.webp) ![A page from the Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-09-rt0ox-900.webp) ![Instructions for how to eat hitsumabushi at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-10-l84re-900.webp) ![Instruction card on the table at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-11-24fpc-900.webp) The signature dish is hitsumabushi, but we also ordered maguro akami sashimi alongside it :) Hitsumabushi (1 portion) ₩39,000, maguro akami sashimi ₩26,000. ## Side dishes and starters in the set course While waiting after ordering, the side dishes started coming out one by one ~ ![Starter salad served at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-12-1jrig-900.webp) First, a light salad to start! It was good for perking up the appetite before the mains arrived, though the vegetables gave it a slightly bitter finish ~ ![Sweet potato chips served as a side dish](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-13-1v6hy-900.webp) Sweet potato chips came out too. Not so much crispy as quite firm in texture, with a subtly sweet taste! Good for picking at before the eel arrived, and it went well with the draft beer too. Kirin draft beer ₩9,500. ![Kirin draft beer paired with the sweet potato chips](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-14-1svnm-900.webp) ![Draft beer and side dishes set on the table at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-15-1q0sn-900.webp) And then the pre-meal Japanese-style tempura! Eggplant, lotus root, sweet pumpkin, all perfectly crispy ~ The curry salt that came with it was so full of umami that I kept dipping the tempura in it again and again... ![Pre-meal Japanese-style tempura of eggplant, lotus root, and sweet pumpkin with curry salt](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-16-fe98g-900.webp) ## Maguro akami sashimi, 26,000 won Maguro akami sashimi (Atlantic tuna akami sashimi, 10 pieces) — simply put, this is the red, lean part of the tuna, called akami (赤身) in Japanese. It's not a fatty cut, so it's on the lighter side, but the distinct umami of tuna still comes through clearly. It was well aged, so it had a slightly salty edge along with good umami, and it just melted away in my mouth... ## Hitsumabushi, 39,000 won: how to eat it four ways And finally, the hitsumabushi arrived. It came out with the lid still closed, which got me excited before I'd even opened it!! ![Hitsumabushi with the lid opened, eel covering the rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-17-108o0-1200.webp) Ta-da ✨ Lift the lid and there's the eel, covering the rice completely! It passed the looks test right away 🤎 The glossy eel look alone was already a win. Hitsumabushi isn't just eaten like a regular eel rice bowl — you divide it into four portions and enjoy it in several different ways! The instructions were written out in detail on the table, so we followed along step by step: ### Step 1: the eel on its own First, we tried the eel and rice plain, with nothing added! ![First way to eat hitsumabushi, plain with no toppings](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-18-1b3jo-900.webp) Eating it plain first was, as always, the best way to taste the eel itself ~ The outside was slightly seared and savory, while the inside was soft and moist... The more you chewed, the more that subtle smoky char came through, and the sweet-salty sauce went really well with the rice ~ ### Step 2: unatama with egg Second was unatama! You mix in half a portion of dashimaki tamago (rolled Japanese omelet) with the eel. Adding the fluffy, slightly sweet rolled egg went surprisingly well with the salty eel sauce >_< ### Step 3: with yakumi condiments Third was with yakumi! You add toppings like seaweed, chopped scallion, perilla leaf, and wasabi. Compared to just eel and rice, the aroma really came alive, and the toppings cut through the richness in between bites too. I was pretty into this combination ~ ### Step 4: as ochazuke with broth The last method is pouring warm broth over it and eating it like ochazuke! ![Hitsumabushi ochazuke with warm broth poured over the eel](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-19-1hz56-900.webp) ![Rice grains softened in broth for the eel ochazuke](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-20-in33b-900.webp) Once the broth went in, the rice grains softened up and the rich eel sauce flavor mellowed out too. Personally this was my favorite method — and if you add ginger on top, it's seriously delicious ㅠㅠ It cut through the oily richness of the eel and brought the aroma right back up, making it the cleanest way to finish the dish ^0^ ![A bowl of eel ochazuke topped with ginger](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-21-1u4yz-900.webp) ## Chawanmushi and matcha pudding to finish The set also came with chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard). Soft and jiggly chawanmushi ~ Maybe because of the seaweed on top, it had a subtle nori aroma and good umami — tastier than I expected haha. ![Soft chawanmushi topped with seaweed](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-22-kb8o2-900.webp) Between the salad, tempura, maguro akami sashimi, and hitsumabushi, the table filled up fast... ![Table set with hitsumabushi and maguro akami sashimi together](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-23-1xivf-900.webp) Since we'd also ordered the maguro akami sashimi this time, we tried putting the tuna on top of the rice and eating it sushi-style. It was a nice change from the eel bowl combination, actually pretty fun ~ To finish off the meal, dessert! A matcha pudding, made in-house, came out. It had a soft, bouncy texture with a subtle bitterness from the matcha, and wasn't too sweet, so it made for a clean finish ~ When we paid, they even gave us candy to freshen up with. A small, nice touch right to the end! ## Where to park near Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong If you're driving, it's worth checking on parking beforehand. My place is basically right next door so I walked, but if you're driving, you can use the nearby Hwamyeong Public Parking Lot! You get 1 hour of parking support if your order is over ₩50,000, so keep that in mind if you're bringing a car. ## Is Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong worth a return visit? ![Table at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong after the meal is finished](https://img.superchart.com/images/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro-24-yeznz-900.webp) I was extra happy about this place since I'd known about it for so long :) It had been a while since my last visit, and the hitsumabushi was still just as satisfying, plus I finally got to try the maguro akami sashimi for the first time and it was great too. I especially loved getting to enjoy the hitsumabushi in different ways, and personally, the warm broth ochazuke with ginger on top is still my favorite 🤎 I think I'll come back again whenever I'm craving eel rice bowl in Hwamyeong-dong :) Thanks for the meal ~ ## Where it is - Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong (슌사이쿠보 화명) - 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, South Korea - 부산광역시 북구 양달로4번길 17 금샘빌딩 1층 - 35.2408944, 129.0147104 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%8A%8C%EC%82%AC%EC%9D%B4%EC%BF%A0%EB%B3%B4%20%ED%99%94%EB%AA%85/@35.2408944,129.0147104,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@millak-dusk-sikdang/shunsaikubo-hwamyeong-hitsumabushi-maguro/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt