Gwangalli anniversary lunch before the 12:30 rush: Extra Mile, Busan

Where to go for a 3rd anniversary lunch in Busan

As an anniversary gets closer, you always end up with the same dilemma. You want good atmosphere, you don't want to compromise on taste, but you also don't want somewhere too formal.

Extra Mile 📍Hours 11:00 - 21:00 🚨Last order 20:00 🅿️No parking at the restaurant

My spouse and I were hitting our 3rd anniversary that day, so we spent days debating what to eat for lunch. We finally decided on somewhere with real Western food in a nice atmosphere, and that led us to Extra Mile, which has been getting word-of-mouth lately as a Gwangalli pizza spot.

Extra Mile's alley location behind Gwangalli Beach

Extra Mile is close to Gwangalli Beach but tucked into an alley rather than the busy main strip. A lot of people assume a Gwangalli restaurant has to be right on the beachfront to draw crowds, but places set one block in like this actually let you eat in a much more relaxed atmosphere.

As we turned into the alley we thought, "this looks quiet and nice," and once inside, that hunch turned out to be right.

12:30pm at Extra Mile: from one table to nearly full

We arrived at Extra Mile around 12:30pm, and at that point there was only one other table in the whole restaurant. "It's a weekend lunch, isn't it surprisingly quiet?" we thought. But once we started eating, customers began trickling in one after another, and before long the place was almost full. If you want a relaxed weekend meal, I'd recommend arriving a bit earlier, around noon.

If you go in right before peak time like we did, you can grab a seat with no wait and comfortably watch the room fill while your food arrives.

Inside Extra Mile: bright, clean and an open kitchen

Extra Mile's interior is bright and clean overall. It has an open kitchen, so you can watch the cooks preparing food right in front of you — a setup that builds trust on the hygiene side and keeps the wait from feeling boring. Green plants scattered around gave the space a fresher feel, and natural light pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows added a sense of openness.

They say the space is inspired by relaxed American dining in LA, and sitting there, that felt exactly right — comfortable but never sloppy, landing right in between. Near the entrance there was even a spot to hang your coat and disposable aprons ready to go, a thoughtful touch.

Extra Mile's self-bar: water, pickles and the first serve

After we ordered, they first brought out pickles and our Coke. There was also a self-serve station at one end of the bar counter with water and pickles, so we could just go help ourselves whenever we ran low. Having a self-bar like this is actually more convenient, since you don't have to keep flagging down staff.

For reference, Extra Mile cooks everything to order, so it took about 10 minutes for the food to arrive. That means nothing is pre-made and reheated, so a 10-minute wait actually felt like a welcome sign.

What the 42,000 won Classic Combo for two includes

We ordered the Classic Combo, the two-person set menu, priced at ₩42,000. We also added a Coke for ₩2,500. Since the pizza could be ordered half-and-half, we picked Hot Honey Pepperoni and Potato, and for pasta we went with the Bisque Cream Pasta.

Being able to enjoy pizza and pasta together at one table was the biggest strength of this set. For a Gwangalli restaurant, I thought this much food at this price was plenty to fill up two people.

Potato pizza at Extra Mile: crispy potato and truffle

Of the half-and-half pizza, the potato side got the first bite. It was piled high with crispy-fried potato pieces on top, so every bite kept that satisfying crunch. On top of that came the aroma of truffle oil, and that smell was honestly incredible. The clean, savory potato flavor paired with the rich truffle scent kept us reaching for more.

Extra Mile makes its own dough in-house using premium Italian flour and the Biga pre-ferment method, then lets it cold-ferment for a long time — and you could really taste it, with a crust that was crispy outside and chewy inside. If you visit, I'd definitely recommend trying the potato pizza.

Hot honey pepperoni: sweet and salty in balance

The other half, Hot Honey Pepperoni, had a slightly sweet sauce on top. That subtle sweetness met the saltiness of the pepperoni and the balance landed perfectly.

People often assume a pizza with a sweet sauce will taste greasy or get sickening fast, but Extra Mile's Hot Honey Pepperoni kept the sweetness restrained enough that it just supported the pepperoni's savoriness, so we could eat it comfortably all the way through. Add in the nutty flavor of the crust that came through more with every bite, and going half-and-half was absolutely the right call.

Bisque cream pasta, the real star of the meal

Honestly, the most memorable dish that day was the bisque cream pasta. The moment I took the first forkful, the aroma of a sauce packed with concentrated shrimp flavor hit me, and all I could say was that it was amazing.

Staff recommended not mixing in the gim (dried laver seaweed) that came with it, but laying it on top instead — and taking that advice, the rich shrimp flavor and the ocean scent of the gim spread through my mouth at the same time, turning it into a completely different level of dish. It's the kind of tip you'd never know without staff telling you, so if you visit, definitely keep it in mind. We were satisfied enough to scrape the last of the sauce off the plate.

Is Extra Mile worth it for an anniversary lunch?

Extra Mile, where we spent our 3rd anniversary lunch that day, was a satisfying choice with nothing lacking in either atmosphere or taste. From the relaxed first impression of the alley location, to the completeness of dishes cooked to order, to the staff's thoughtful guidance, it was a meal that left us with good memories all around.

If you're looking for a Gwangalli restaurant for an anniversary or weekend date, I'd recommend Extra Mile, where you can enjoy pizza and pasta together in one sitting. We're planning to come back next time and try a different pizza combination.