Brunch café in Gwangalli, Busan: boiling seafood dinner at Marento

Marento in Gwangalli: hours, location and parking

Marento is a brunch restaurant in Gwangalli at 17-9 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 344beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, 1st floor, Unit 101, and it's an unusual spot where you can get boiling seafood from 5 p.m.

• Location: 17-9 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 344beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, 1st floor, Unit 101
• Hours: Sun 11:00-21:00, Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat 11:00-24:00, closed Tuesdays
• Last order is 1 hour before closing
• Parking: Millak Waterside Park public lot (₩1,800 per 60 minutes, with ₩1,000 of parking covered per table)

Why we went for boiling seafood in Busan

Marento is a Gwangalli brunch café and restaurant that looks cute and pretty even from the outside. We were visiting Busan and heard they sell boiling seafood, something a bit different, so we dropped by. You can get it from 5 p.m.!

On a Busan trip people usually go for raw fish, grilled shellfish or pork soup with rice (dwaeji-gukbap), but we'd recently loved Burger King's new boiling seafood burger and got curious, so we gave the real thing a try!! It's not food you come across easily, so we were extra excited. To cut to the chase: if you like seafood, I think this is worth trying at least once.

What is the atmosphere like at Marento?

The moment we walked into Marento, the American Southern vibe stood out. It's casual and lively, so I think it would suit a meetup with friends or a date.

Marento menu and boiling seafood price

Marento's boiling seafood is ₩48,000 and is served from 5 p.m. The menu had brunch items, set menus and specials,

and there were dishes available from 5 p.m. too! The boiling seafood we chose is ₩48,000.

They also have plenty of Western dishes such as pasta, pizza, risotto and pilaf. There are café drinks and bingsu (shaved ice dessert), plus a good range of alcohol like wine and highballs, so it seems like a great place to visit.

The self-serve corner had jalapeños and pickles.

How does Marento's boiling seafood taste?

Ta-da!! The star of the day: boiling seafood. Our order came loaded with shrimp, mussels, scallops, crab and more, plus corn and broccoli. The spicy garlic aroma spread across the table, and just looking at it made my mouth water.

The shrimp had a springy, plump bite, and the mussels and clams were clean and mild with no fishy taste. The spicy, rich sauce soaked into every piece of seafood, so we kept reaching for more.

You eat boiling seafood by hand in disposable gloves, which made it fun. It felt a little unfamiliar at first, but that actually made it a different kind of experience, and I think it's a great dish to enjoy while chatting with whoever you came with.

What is boiling seafood?

Boiling seafood is an American seafood dish where shrimp, crab, crawfish, clams and the like are boiled whole and tossed in a spicy sauce! The Cajun style, which started in Louisiana in the American South, is apparently the famous one. At specialty restaurants it usually comes with the boiled seafood and vegetables tossed in sauce and served in a plastic bag. You spread plastic or paper on the table, tip the bag out, and peel everything by hand in gloves!! Marento served it neatly on a tray instead!

How to use the sauce and pick a spice level

At Marento you can pick mild-spicy or spicy. We ordered mild-spicy and it was still pretty hot! The sauce is seriously good. Mix it into rice and top it with crab meat and it's amazing!! Dipping the corn in the sauce was a treat too, and we never got tired of it right to the end.

Who should try Marento's boiling seafood?

I'd recommend Marento's boiling seafood to anyone who loves seafood, of course, and also to people who want to try something new instead of the usual Busan dishes. I'm curious about the other menu items too, so I'd like to go back. The owner is very kind as well!