Hagfish grill near Busan Station with a baby: Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo

What is Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo like?

Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo (경북산꼼장어) is a live hagfish (kkomjangeo) grill house in Choryang-dong, Busan, run by three generations of the same family. Hagfish is something I always eat whenever I visit Busan, but I had only ever gone to old-school market spots. This time I tried Gyeongbuksan for the first time and I was totally hooked. All through the meal I kept saying, "Let's come to Gyeongbuksan every time we're in Busan!"

A third-generation hagfish place, so of course it's good, right? But it really was delicious, and the hagfish was properly plump. They prepare the live hagfish right where you can see it, so you can eat with confidence! If you're looking for a great hagfish restaurant in Busan, I'd recommend Gyeongbuksan without hesitation. I almost regret only finding this place now!

How are the wait and the self-serve corner at Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo?

Gyeongbuksan is in Choryang-dong, close to Busan Station, and it seemed like lots of people stop by for that reason. There is a wait here. We just barely arrived early, so we got the one remaining seat with no wait, but the evening rush meant there was still a wait before the hagfish came out! Even so, after eating, it was clearly worth the wait.

They bring out the side dishes first, so eat as much as you like, and the self-serve corner has Korean mint leaves, lettuce and more, so take as much as you want!

The self-serve corner was kept neat and clean, and we took lots of onion, chili peppers and garlic! The owner was so kind that I still remember it. Honestly, I'm not much of a hagfish person and usually only eat a few pieces, but this was so good that I thought, "Maybe I just never went to a proper place before!"

Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo opening hours and hagfish preparation

Gyeongbuksan is open daily from 13:00 to 24:00, and on weekends and public holidays from 11:00 to 24:00. I was curious about how they prepare the hagfish, so I stepped outside to look. Look how lively it is, right? They grill it in a spot fully visible from the street, and the hagfish was so lively that passersby could stop to watch and end up coming in!

How was the medium half salt, half sauce for 3?

At Gyeongbuksan we ordered the hagfish half salt, half sauce, medium size for 3 people. The sauce wasn't very spicy, so it was easy to eat, and the salt-grilled hagfish was so nutty and rich that it surprised me! They give you a salt dip to go with it, and dipping the hagfish in it was a revelation!

There wasn't a hint of fishy smell. How do they make hagfish this good? It's the kind of dish where you simply have to have some soju!

Can you bring a baby to Gyeongbuksan Kkomjangeo?

There was nothing on the menu the baby could really eat, so we bought some seaweed (gim) at a nearby convenience store. But the kind owner noticed there seemed to be nothing for the baby and gave us some seaweed himself T_T Touching, right?

A glass of Busan soju: Busan Galmaegi

Gyeongbuksan has every kind of soju, and I'd never seen Good Day's Busan Galmaegi before. I like to drink local soju when I travel to Busan, so I had the Galmaegi soju ice-cold, and it was so good that I think I'll have to plan another Busan trip just to come to Gyeongbuksan!

Is this Busan hagfish restaurant worth going back to?

Some diners at Gyeongbuksan were visitors from out of town like me, but many were locals too, so it's a long-running favorite. A place that has stayed in the same spot for so long must have the flavor to back it up. I'm saving it as my own must-visit spot for next time in Busan! If you're looking for a Busan hagfish restaurant, I sincerely recommend Gyeongbuksan!