Haeundae Banchan Tray · 40 stories

The Side Dish Plate

I write about meals and restaurant visits in Busan and Gyeongnam. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Books & stationery

PlaceYeonje, BusanRestaurants

Pork galbi restaurant in Yeonsan, Busan: 600g for ₩19,800 at Baekyang

Baekyang Sutbul Galbi Yeonsan (백양숯불갈비 연산점) is a newly opened charcoal-grilled pork galbi restaurant in Yeonsan-dong, Yeonje-gu, Busan. The writer had 600g of real marinated galbi, made without pork shoulder or mixed cuts, for ₩19,800, along with mamim-bap (small bowl of rice), a pot of kimchi stew and icy naengmyeon (cold noodles), and two people ate their fill for ₩30,000-something. Baekyang Sutbul Galbi Yeonsan is a good-value galbi spot near Yeonsan Station with a clean dining room and friendly service.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanRestaurants

Korean BBQ with private rooms for 8 in Jeonpo, Busan: Sanseong

Sanseong Sikyukjeom Jeonpo Direct Store (산성식육점 전포직영점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant serving nuruk-aged (Korean fermentation starter) pork belly and pork neck, near Exit 8 of Jeonpo Station in Busanjin, Busan. Two diners ordered the pork belly + nuruk pork neck + special cuts 500g set and Suhyangmi sotbap (pot rice) with staff grilling, and the nuruk pork neck dipped in seaweed salt and nuruk salt and the made-to-order Cheongyang chili egg roll stood out. With rooms for up to 8, Sanseong Sikyukjeom Jeonpo Direct Store is a good fit for team dinners and family gatherings near Jeonpo Station.

Written Oct 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongnae, BusanRestaurants

Sajik, Busan Korean BBQ lunch: seafood pot rice set, Gogigupneunnamja

Gogigupneunnamja Sajik branch (고기굽는남자 사직점) is a pork belly restaurant in Sajik-dong, Dongnae, Busan, that has stayed in the same spot since June 2016. At Gogigupneunnamja we ordered the lunch special seafood pot rice set, plus one extra serving of aged raw pork belly. The set came with pork belly grilled by staff, haemul-sotbap (seafood rice cooked in a stone pot) with mushrooms and hijiki seaweed, and doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). If you want a filling lunch in a spacious dining hall without grilling the meat yourself, Gogigupneunnamja Sajik branch is a satisfying choice.

Written Oct 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, BusanRestaurants

Munhyeon-dong, Busan kalguksu with 2-year homemade noodles: Yunujae

Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu (윤우재 문현샤브 칼국수) is a shabu-shabu and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant in Daerim Munhyeon City Plaza, Munhyeon-dong, Nam-gu, Busan. For ₩11,000 per person, the writer had a 3-step course of red beef-bone broth shabu-shabu, homemade kalguksu noodles said to have taken 2 years to develop, and water dropwort fried rice; the fresh kimchi made daily and the noodles, with a texture between hand-cut kalguksu and udon, stood out most. With 2 hours of parking covered and baby chairs on hand, Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu is a great-value noodle spot in Munhyeon-dong.

Written Oct 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuyeong, BusanRestaurants

Namcheon Station Korean BBQ: aged pork neck, spicy jjolmyeon, Geobugi

Geobugi Dongne Namcheon Branch is an aged-pork Korean BBQ restaurant with a salad bar, right outside Namcheon Station Exit 1 in Suyeong, Busan. A couple ordered 3 servings of aged pork belly and 2 servings of aged pork neck, wrapped the pork belly in giant spicy vegetable jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles), then finished with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), pot-cooked rice and sungnyung (scorched-rice tea). With aged meat at around 5,000 won per 100g and an unlimited salad bar for 5,000 won per table, Geobugi Dongne Namcheon Branch is a good-value Namcheon-dong BBQ pick.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanRestaurants

Busan tonkatsu in Jeonpo with free refills and a 10-stamp card: Hets

Hets Jeonpo Branch (헷츠 전포점) is a Japanese-style tonkatsu restaurant near Jeonpo Station in Busanjin, Busan, that trims and fries its own YBD pork and Jeju black pork. At Hets Jeonpo Branch, the YBD combo katsu (₩17,000) and YBD loin katsu (₩13,000) came out with cotton-candy-soft fillet and chewy, nutty loin. With free refills of rice, soup and salad and a stamp card that gives one free katsu for 10 stamps, Hets Jeonpo Branch is a Jeonpo tonkatsu spot worth visiting often.

Written Oct 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanRestaurants

Haeundae Western restaurant, abalone risotto with enoki: Bueokgan

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch (부엌간 해운대점) is a European restaurant styled like a vintage British classic hotel, on the 2nd floor of a building on Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae, Busan. At a half-moon table we tried the pastry soup (10,000 won), shrimp rosé pasta and abalone cream risotto (20,000 won each), and the abalone cream risotto with abalone innards sauce and crispy fried enoki mushrooms stood out. With 4 parking options, free corkage for up to 3 bottles of wine and a kids-welcome policy, Bueokgan Haeundae Branch suits both group get-togethers and family meals.

Written Oct 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanCafés

Jeonpo cream pie café, Busan: less-sweet Dubai pistachio pie at Hippy

Hippy (heap.p) is a dessert café in Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan, specializing in cream pies and soft rolls; every pie is made in-store each morning and sold only that day. Paired with a hot americano and a hot matcha latte, Hippy's Dubai pistachio cream pie tasted first of nutty pistachio and crisp pastry rather than sugar, and the café's own house-roasted 'Jeonpo-dong Blend' coffee cleanly cut through the cream's richness. Hippy is a Jeonpo cream pie café where even people who dislike overly sweet desserts can happily finish every bite.

Written Oct 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanCafés

Haeundae café date: matcha cheesecake, then the beach: Geumsong Deokmi

Geumsong Deokmi Haeridan-gil Branch is a cakery café in Haeundae, Busan, on the 2nd floor of a red building near Haeundae Station Exit 4, styled like a modern European hotel. On a Haeridan-gil date, the blogger couple Jjokko Bubu tried the fig earl grey tiramisu, matcha cheesecake, royal vanilla bean latte and matcha choco latte at Geumsong Deokmi. The dense cakes and refined drinks pair well, making Geumsong Deokmi a good starting point for a date walk to Haeundae Beach.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanRestaurants

Seomyeon tonkatsu restaurant with fresh-cooked rice: Katsu Gimseondo

Katsu Gimseondo is an aged tonkatsu restaurant on the first floor of a new building in Busanjin-gu, Busan, about a 7-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station. Two half-and-half tonkatsu sets brought both sirloin and tenderloin, eaten with salt and pepper ground at the table and with dipping sauce stirred with wasabi and mustard. The crisp coating and the glossy, freshly cooked rice made Katsu Gimseondo an easy pick for solo meals and dates alike.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored
ProductThe Law of Housing PricesBooks & stationery

Real estate book on Korea's housing prices: The Law of Housing Prices

The Law of Housing Prices is a real estate book by Kwon Hyuk-jin, who spent 30 years working in Korean housing policy, tracking the past 20 years of Korea's housing market through time-series data. The Law of Housing Prices lays out a 'carriage theory' that compares demand, supply, finance and regulation to parts of a carriage, tests 10 major housing price measures since 2014 against the Seoul apartment sales index and the base rate, and forecasts national housing stock out to 2050. It suits readers who want to read the market with data rather than gut feeling.

Written Sep 19, 2026Product provided
PlaceSuyeong, BusanRestaurants

Kid-friendly Gwangalli seafood restaurant: Hwadeogeuro mackerel set

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Gwangalli Waterside Park Branch is an ocean-view grilled fish restaurant on the second floor at 147 Millaksubyeon-ro in Suyeong, Busan. The meal covered the wood-fired mackerel set grilled in a 500-degree oven and wood-fired handmade tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), plus the self-serve banchan bar and sungnyung (roasted rice tea) for dessert. With no fishy smell and a comfortable dining room, Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo works well for a family lunch with kids.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored