Songjeong Korean restaurant with cream abalone innards sauce pot rice

Today I visited Songjeongok, famous as one of the best Korean restaurants in Songjeong, Busan. It's known for its abalone pot rice, so I went in with high expectations.

Songjeongok's location, hours, and parking

Songjeongok, a Korean restaurant famous in Songjeong, Busan, is located at 54-1 Songjeonggwangeogol-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan. It's a standalone hanok-style building with two floors, and there's a parking lot right in front, making it convenient to visit.

It's also a 5-minute walk from Songjeong Beach, so it's easy to reach. Hours are daily 11:00–22:00, with a break time from 15:00–17:00.

The hanok atmosphere on the 1st and 2nd floors

You can feel the traditional Korean-restaurant mood right from the entrance of Songjeongok, right? haha

As soon as I stepped into Songjeongok, I felt the calm, traditional Korean atmosphere. I visited a bit after dinner time and it was still full of guests. Since it's famous for delicious Korean set meals, most of the guests were families having a meal together. They even have baby chairs!

The warm hanok atmosphere all around just naturally puts you at ease.

Let's head up to the 2nd floor!

The 2nd floor of Songjeongok is also decorated in hanok style. Since it's a Korean restaurant in Songjeong, Busan famous for tasty abalone pot rice with a strong hanok-style atmosphere, it seems like a great place to bring your parents for a family meal.

Songjeongok's menu and ordering

Songjeongok's menu includes the abalone pot rice set and the abalone seafood hinoki set. If you order the abalone seafood hinoki set, you can enjoy a variety of seafood along with abalone pot rice and bossam. Today, we ordered the abalone pot rice set (₩19,000) for two.

Gabrisal bossam and a table full of side dishes

Gabrisal bossam and various side dishes arrived first.

I first tried the shrimp salad, perfect for before the meal. The yuzu dressing gave a refreshing, sweet-tart flavor that went well with the fresh vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and shrimp.

Next was the gochujang (red chili paste) squid stir-fry! It's technically a rice side dish, but I was curious and tried it first — the plump squid with the spicy-sweet gochujang sauce was honestly a total rice thief.

And then, the gabrisal bossam! It comes with cabbage kimchi, cockle salad, seasoned crab, spicy radish salad, and baek-kimchi (white kimchi), all great side dishes to eat alongside the bossam. Fresh lettuce wraps and a doenjang (soybean paste) stew packed with tofu also came out, and I loved that they refill any side dishes you run out of.

What does the cream abalone innards sauce pot rice taste like?

The abalone pot rice arrived right after. Finally, Songjeongok's abalone pot rice set was complete!

I had already heard that Songjeongok's abalone pot rice was delicious, so I was excited from the moment I ordered.

The visual alone — abalone pot rice piled high with cream innards sauce — was already so appealing.

After mixing it thoroughly, you scoop the contents of the abalone pot rice into the provided bowl, then fill the pot with seafood broth so you can enjoy a hot nurungji (scorched rice) after the meal.

Finally, I took a bite of the abalone pot rice. True to Songjeongok's signature cream innards sauce made with fresh abalone innards, the savory flavor of abalone innards spread through my mouth the moment I took a bite. Eating the smooth, savory cream innards sauce together with the chewy abalone, I understood exactly why Songjeongok has such a reputation for abalone pot rice!

I also tried the gabrisal bossam. Since it's gabrisal, it was much more tender and moist than regular bossam, and it went down easily. Pairing it with green onion kimchi, baek-kimchi, cockle salad, spicy radish salad, and cabbage kimchi doubled the flavor.

On top of that, true to its reputation as a Korean restaurant in Songjeong, Busan, the light tofu, spicy-sweet seasoned crab, and rich doenjang stew rounded out a satisfying meal from start to finish.

Who should visit

If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Songjeong, Busan that's great for family meals, or if you're after the best abalone pot rice in Songjeong, Busan, I recommend giving Songjeongok a try!