Kid-friendly Busan izakaya in Myeongji: grilled cuttlefish at Genji

Visited Izakaya Genji in Myeongji, Busan for a Saturday evening family dinner. It runs meals during the day and drinks-and-snacks style dishes at night, so the vibe felt totally fine to bring a kid along~ Friendly service explaining every dish as it came out, a cozy atmosphere, and a clean, tidy menu made this such a satisfying visit. Review, go~*^^*

Izakaya Genji hours, parking and how to find the storefront

Izakaya Genji is open 18:00–24:00, with Friday and Saturday extended to 01:00 the next day, and closed every Sunday. Parking is available in a nearby vacant lot or along the roadside.

Newly opened Izakaya Genji in Myeongji, Busan. The black-based storefront gives off a modern feel.

There's no dedicated lot, but roadside parking right in front of the shop is possible, and the nearby vacant lot is fairly spacious too, so parking isn't much of a worry.

Is Izakaya Genji comfortable with kids? Inside the room

Genji's interior is a cozy space with about 6 tables. The warm lighting and wooden tables make it feel closer to a café than an izakaya.

The interior is a cozy size with about 6 tables. Warm-toned lighting, wooden tables, and cute little frames come together so it feels like you've walked into a café rather than an izakaya. Selling meals by day and drinks-and-snacks by night, this Myeongji, Busan izakaya spot, Genji, has a clean atmosphere that's totally~~ no-pressure to bring kids to^^

One whole wall is a window, perfect for a drink while looking out at the scenery~!^^ The tree visible through the small window looks just like a framed picture~ Every corner of the place has that emotional, cozy feel that makes you relax.^^

The Izakaya Genji menu: lunch and dinner are different

Genji serves tenderloin katsu and cold tomato soba at lunch, and drinking-food dishes like aged sashimi platter, grilled chicken neck meat, and grilled cuttlefish at dinner.

At lunch you can try tenderloin katsu and cold tomato soba, and at dinner various drinking foods like aged sashimi platter, grilled chicken neck meat, and grilled cuttlefish. Since it's an izakaya, pretty much every kind of liquor is available, and the sake selection especially is insanely varied—sake fans would be so satisfied~ㅎ_ㅎ

What we ordered at Izakaya Genji and what it cost

• Aged sashimi platter (for 2) ₩39,000
• Grilled cuttlefish ₩15,000
• Asahi draft beer ₩7,500
• Handmade sherbet ₩2,000

Toriaezu beer first.^^ Felt like it had been forever since I'd had Asahi draft. Asahi draft's clean finish going down the throat is just art~*^^* The basic side dish they gave us was cabbage plus barley doenjang (soybean paste). The saltiness of the doenjang was pretty low, so it was fine eaten plain, but putting it on top of the cabbage—whoa, what a magical combination that turned out to be?!ㅎ_ㅎ Since it was barley doenjang, the texture of the barley grains was really nice too.

Grilled cuttlefish, 15,000 won, served on carrot puree

Genji's grilled cuttlefish is ₩15,000 and comes with carrot puree laid underneath on the plate. The portion is fairly generous for an izakaya.

The grilled cuttlefish came out first. Sitting modestly on a pretty plate, it looked so appetizing~~ For an izakaya, the portion was actually pretty generous~!

Wait wait, I thought it was just cuttlefish on the plate, but there was carrot puree piled thick underneath?! Who knew cuttlefish and carrot puree would go together this well~~ Once you try it, the umami and deep, rich flavor makes it really hard to put your chopsticks down—addictive.ㅠㅠ

The cuttlefish was sliced in nice big pieces too, so the plump, chewy texture was really great, and I ate frantically, dipping it in the carrot puree.ㅎㅎ

Aged sashimi platter for two, 39,000 won, cut thick

Genji's aged sashimi platter for two is ₩39,000. It's plated neatly on a black plate, and after going through refrigerated aging, its defining feature is a soft texture.

Next came the aged sashimi platter (for 2). Neat, tidy-looking sashimi arranged on a black plate. Just looking at it feels like it purifies your eyes somehow.ㅎㅎ For a clean way to eat, I don't think there's any drinking food that beats sashimi.^^

The first thing that surprised me was how thick the sashimi slices were!

After a set period of refrigerated aging, the sashimi has a melt-in-your-mouth softness that's truly art~! Live-caught sashimi has its own plump, springy charm, but aged sashimi's soft texture is really its own kind of appeal. It has almost no fishy smell, so even people who can't handle live-caught sashimi might be able to try aged sashimi.^^

Ending with the handmade sherbet, 2,000 won

The final finish was the handmade sherbet. Made with orange flesh and herbs, there's nothing better to refresh your palate after a meal~~ㅎ_ㅎ The price was so cheap, and it was so good that I ordered a second one.ㅋㅋ

We had a late lunch so we came in for a light dinner, but I ended up completely won over by this Myeongji, Busan izakaya spot, Genji—the clean, cozy café-like atmosphere despite the 'izakaya' name, the friendly service, and the tidy, delicious food. I'll be back to try other menu items~!*^^*