Busan bar in Hwamyeong-dong: 8-kind jeon platter and strawberry

Today I want to introduce a bar in Hwamyeong-dong 💛 It's a Korean-style pub that also serves craft makgeolli (rice wine), and I visited this time craving a mixed pancake platter with a bowl of makgeolli — and it was genuinely delicious! A couple runs the place, so there's real homemade flavor 👍 Best of all, they cook everything to order, so you get your savory pancakes (jeon) piping hot right away — a true must-try-the-food kind of bar!! Both the food and the makgeolli were so good I left completely satisfied. Here's my honest review of the Hwamyeong-dong bar 'Gwibinjeon' 💛

Gwibinjeon Hwamyeong hours, location and parking

• Open 17:00–01:00 (daily), last order 23:30
• Group reservations available
• Parking available (paid)

Finding Gwibinjeon: the storefront

Gwibinjeon has great vibes and sits near Hwamyeong Station Exit 2 🍶 It's right across from the Hwamyeong-dong Lotte Mart, so it's easy to find and very accessible!

I was looking for a Korean bar that day and the moment I saw the mixed pancake platter, I knew this was the place haha. The pancake platter's visuals are honestly on a different level from other bars ><💛

What is the interior of Gwibinjeon like?

The outside is pretty, but the inside is even prettier ✨ It has that emotional café-like feel, so even though it's a bar, the atmosphere is really nice. It's a great space to chat with friends or a partner while enjoying tasty food.

Group visits are possible too — there was a group reservation that day! Since they have Korean dishes, various pancakes, and makgeolli that anyone of any age would enjoy, it seems like a popular spot for gatherings and company dinners 💛

Since the food here is mainly Korean-style bar snacks, the interior has a strongly traditional feel too. The wood-toned space with mother-of-pearl (jagae) accents gives it a quiet yet emotional atmosphere ✨ Even the lighting feels carefully thought out.

Gwibinjeon menu: why the two-dish set meal is the best value

⭐️ If you like eating generously, I recommend the 'set meal' (hansang-charim)! ✔️ It comes with a choice of 2 main dishes, and it's ₩3,000 cheaper than ordering à la carte, so it's better value. Main dish options include the mixed pancake platter, single pancakes, pork bossam, Korean beef tartare, kimchi hot pot, and whelk noodle salad, plus they also sell simple side snacks and craft makgeolli 🍶

How does the strawberry craft makgeolli taste?

I ordered the strawberry craft makgeolli. The visuals alone are amazing, right?! Even the glass came out beautifully, so I couldn't not take a photo 💛

You're supposed to stir it well before drinking, and the moment I took a sip, that real craft-makgeolli feel hit!! The strawberry flavor is strong, like fresh strawberry juice, sweet and tangy — total girl's-taste bait 💗 It tasted like the kind of thing that would make me want to come back just for the makgeolli! There are 3 flavors — honey pear, strawberry, banana — and you should definitely try the fruit craft makgeolli ⭐️

Free side dishes at Gwibinjeon

I really love bars that serve barley tea as water >< It gives such a warm, homey feeling in these small details! The basic side dishes were fried filefish, mung bean sprouts, and radish salad, and since we ordered pancakes, they also brought out a special dipping sauce.

The fried filefish turned out to be a surprisingly perfect drinking snack! Crispy and sweet, it's the kind of thing you keep reaching for. The mung bean sprouts and radish salad were clean and tasty too, with that homemade-food kind of flavor ☺️ Even the basic sides were totally my style~~

The mixed jeon platter and Korean beef tartare set

I ordered the set meal with the mixed pancake platter + Korean beef tartare! I mean, once you see the visuals of that pancake platter, how could you not order it?🥹 It came out so neatly and generously arranged that my jaw dropped the moment I saw it ><

The Korean beef tartare (yukhoe) portion was also quite generous, so as people who always order plenty of food, we were very satisfied! Surprisingly, the hot pancakes and the chewy beef tartare paired really well together. It was also a perfect match with the makgeolli!

What's in the 8-kind jeon (savory pancake) platter?

The mixed pancake platter has a whopping 8 different kinds of pancakes, so it's fun to pick and choose which to try first. There's even pickled scallions in the middle — a nice touch to cut through any greasiness!

They say the ingredients are sourced fresh directly from the Banyeo agricultural and fisheries market, Gupo Market, and a Cheolma beef shop. Since everything is cooked to order, all the pancakes came out piping hot 💛

I tried the shrimp pancake first — pancakes can easily get greasy, but this one wasn't greasy at all, just light and savory, so I kept reaching for more! The meatball-style pancake (donggeurangttaeng) also felt handmade. It tasted noticeably different from store-bought versions, which made it feel even more special!

My personal favorite was the zucchini pancake!! The zucchini was cut into thick slices, moist and soft on the inside — so good! They don't sell it as a single item, so please, chef, make it an à la carte option too 🤎

The meat pancake (yukjeon) was tender and moist and delicious. Eating it with the pickled scallions added a tangy note that was just right! Getting to enjoy everything from the mixed platter to the meat pancake made it perfect for pairing with makgeolli 💛

The perilla leaf pancake (kkaennipjeon) was packed with a meat filling like the meatball pancake! The perilla leaf's aroma paired nicely with the meat filling. Even people who don't like vegetables could probably enjoy this without any hesitation!

The dipping sauce for the pancakes wasn't just plain soy sauce — it had finely chopped onion and chili mixed in. Dipping the pancakes in it added a crunchy texture from the onion and chili plus a sharp kick, making it taste even better.

Korean beef tartare (hanu yukhoe)

Freshness is everything with Korean beef tartare, and since they source it directly, you could really feel that freshness. The pear was also cut into thick pieces, and eating it together with the tartare gave it great texture — so good!!

Pop the egg yolk and take a big bite — the rich, smooth yolk blends with the chewy tartare, and a deep, savory flavor spreads through your mouth.

Add in the sweet, crunchy pear and a dab of wasabi, and the sharp kick makes it disappear in no time haha.

Finishing with seafood ramen

Since we weren't quite ready to go home, we finished with a bowl of ramen 🍜 It had shrimp and blue crab in it, so the visuals alone were full of seafood aroma!

Even the finishing ramen was delicious — a bar where everything, from the mixed pancake platter to the beef tartare to the craft makgeolli, was satisfying. Great atmosphere, plenty of tasty Korean food options — a perfect spot for drinks with friends or a partner. Gwibinjeon, the Hwamyeong-dong bar I'd want to visit again whenever I'm craving good pancakes and makgeolli — highly recommend it if you're looking for a Korean pub near Hwamyeong Station or a good restaurant in Hwamyeong 🤎