Lemon ginger tea and shakshuka brunch in Gwangalli: Famous Benny

What kind of café is Famous Benny Gwangalli?

Famous Benny Gwangalli Branch is an Australian-style brunch café in Minnak-dong, Suyeong, Busan, right along the line just behind Gwangalli Beach. I had a weekday day off, so I headed to Gwangalli to enjoy the sea view at a leisurely pace and treat myself to brunch. There used to be an old, worn-down building here, but they tore it down and built this pretty brunch café, Famous Benny, in its place.

• Address: 64 Minnak-bondong-ro 11beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea, 1st & 2nd floor (order on 1st floor)
• Hours: 08:00 - 18:00 (open daily)
• Gwangalli brunch café / Australian-style brunch and specialty coffee (Australia's Dukes Coffee) / pet-friendly / no parking

It's located right behind Gwangalli Beach. There are so many good restaurants around here that I'd recommend having brunch here, playing around Gwangalli, and then coming back for dinner in the same area — a full day out.

Famous Benny's menu and Dukes Coffee beans

This is the Famous Benny menu board. There's a wide range of Australian-style brunch dishes. I ordered The Famous Benny, Egg in Hell (shakshuka), an acai bowl, an Americano, and Australian premium herbal tea (lemon ginger).

True to its Australian brunch café identity, they use beans from the Australian specialty brand Dukes Coffee. It was my first time trying these beans, and I was surprised at how good the coffee was. Sipping it upstairs in the sunlight on a lazy morning — it suited the moment perfectly.

First floor or second floor: where to sit at Famous Benny

At Famous Benny Gwangalli, you order on the 1st floor and can use both floors. The 1st floor has more of a café feel than a brunch feel, so it seemed like a good spot for just a quick coffee.

The vibe on the 2nd floor is really great. If this were near my house, it's the kind of place I'd want to come to on every day off. There was actually someone sitting with an acai bowl and an Americano, reading a book — and I thought I'd love to bring a book here myself next time. The sunlight pours in so nicely, it just puts you in a good mood.

The brunch spread: how big are the portions?

Everything I ordered arrived. Funnily enough, I've been thinking about switching out my knives and forks at home, and one of the sets I'm considering, Tramontina, showed up on the table — that made me happy. I was also surprised all over again at how generous the portions were.

Americano and lemon ginger herbal tea

For drinks: an Americano (Dukes Coffee's Market Blend) and Australian premium herbal tea (lemon ginger). The way the lemon ginger tea was served was unusual — the ice and tea came separately, and I got to decide when to mix them and drink it iced. As mentioned, the Americano had a clean acidity along with really nice nuttiness and sweetness.

The Famous Benny (salmon eggs benedict)

The first thing to arrive alongside the drinks was The Famous Benny (salmon). It's Famous Benny's reinterpreted signature eggs benedict with perfect balance, and the harmony between the salmon and the eggs benedict was genuinely excellent. The acidity, cheese, sweetness, the richness of the poached egg, the crunch of the nuts — everything came together beautifully in The Famous Benny.

Egg in Hell (shakshuka)

If you asked me which menu item was the tastiest, I'd say the shakshuka (Egg in Hell). The poached egg itself was cooked just right and delicious, but the umami of the tomato sauce was the real standout. Since I ordered so much, the portions were already plenty and I couldn't add extra bread — but this was the kind of shakshuka where I wished I'd added bread to scrape up every last bit of the remaining sauce.

Acai bowl

Acai berry plus granola makes me feel younger with every bite, haha. The acai berry had just the right slushy texture, which paired wonderfully with the crunch of the granola. Next time, I think I'll order it a bit later in the meal so it's even colder and more refreshing by the time I get to it.

Is Famous Benny Gwangalli worth a weekday morning?

Famous Benny Gwangalli opens early and hands you a proper gift of a morning. It's a brunch café I'd love to revisit whenever I want to start a relaxed day and just soak it in. For anyone traveling to Busan, it also seems like a wonderful spot to take a short break during your trip. If you're after Famous Benny's own take on Australian brunch and specialty coffee, this is a place worth visiting.