Songjeong, Busan rice bowl restaurant: three sets and plum tea, Yuok

I came here once before with Mamijjing and had such a good meal that this time I wanted to treat my older sister and niece haha

A Songjeong, Busan Japanese restaurant favorite: Yuok

Yuok parking and opening hours

Yuok has a parking area on the left side of the building entrance. If it's full, you can also park on the road shoulder — just keep that in mind.

Yuok is open daily from 11am to 10pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm.

The koi pond courtyard at Yuok

Yuok's entrance is so distinctive it feels like a movie set — honestly it reminded me of Spirited Away the moment I saw it. There's a wide courtyard with benches to rest on, and they keep live koi in a pond with a little bridge built over it so you can walk into the restaurant.

Yuok is well known among Songjeong locals as a rice bowl favorite, so there can be a wait on weekends. I'd recommend booking a reservation before you go 😚

Waiting area and pet policy at Yuok

Yuok has a waiting area on the second floor too, but the courtyard is so pretty that most guests just hang out on the first floor taking photos while they wait.

Also, Yuok allows pets indoors if you bring a carrier or stroller, so you can absolutely bring your pup along!! 🚨 One important thing to note — never, EVER let their face show.

Counter seats and four-person tables

Yuok's counter seats stretch long from the front of the store to both sides — really elegant.

Yuok also has three tables that seat a family of four, so if you're planning a family meal or a gathering, I'd definitely recommend booking ahead.

Oishikunare~🎶 Oishikunare~~🎵 kind of reminds me of Tanaka-san haha 😚

What is on the Yuok menu?

Yuok has four rice bowls, a la carte dishes, and sides perfect for a drink in the evening — great for lunch and dinner meals, and at night it works as an izakaya with cold draft beer.

If you order at Yuok, leave a review to get a free beer or soda 🥰

If your order includes the jumbo unaju, tori-don, saba ochazuke, or maze udon, take a look at the recommended way to eat each one before the food comes out.

Jumbo unaju eel set, 28,500 won

Ta-da-da-da~~ Ta-da-da-da-da~~🎶🎶 This is Yuok's signature jumbo unaju eel rice bowl set, ₩28,500

First off, the eel on top of the bowl is genuinely a different size — the word 'jumbo' makes total sense once you see it! When you lift the eel, there's a thick Japanese-style grilled 💛sweet tamago (rolled egg) underneath too.

Yuok's jumbo unaju comes with a mini paddle so you can split it into fourths and eat it like this:

• Try it plain first
• Add a bit of wasabi
• Try it as ochazuke (rice steeped in tea/broth)
• Whichever way you liked best

Saba ochazuke mackerel set, 17,000 won

The second dish at Yuok was the saba (mackerel) ochazuke set, ₩17,000

I ordered Yuok's mackerel rice bowl without a second thought after seeing Deon eat mackerel on I Live Alone last time — it just came to mind.

The mackerel is grilled crisp outside and tender inside, then torched once more for a hint of charcoal aroma, and the rice underneath isn't plain white rice — it's topped with furikake (seasoned rice topping), which makes it perfect for eating as ochazuke 👍🏻

My niece's pick: the salmon rice bowl set

The third bowl at Yuok was the salmon rice bowl set, topped with my niece's favorite — salmon.

They piled on chunky salmon until you couldn't see the rice underneath, and before eating, they generously squeeze on lemon to cut any fishy taste 💛

The salmon bowl can't be eaten as ochazuke, so it comes with shrimp, fried karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken), and crackers with cream cheese as side dishes.

Every set comes with salad, jang-guk (soy-based soup), and fried tofu, and the fried tofu especially is a real treat — you have to try it 😍

We each piled our favorite bowl onto a spoonful and took a big bite — each one had such great natural flavor from the ingredients, and the rice was fluffy and just right, so yeah, this place fully earns its reputation as a rice bowl favorite 👏🏻👏🏻

The mackerel is delicious on its own, but eating it as ochazuke with puffed rice added makes it twice as good — no secret there.

We finished with a refreshing, palate-cleansing plum tea to wrap up a very satisfying round of rice bowls at Yuok.

If you're looking for a place for a family meal over Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), give Yuok a try — a Japanese restaurant favorite in Songjeong, Busan.

Visiting Yuok in Songjeong, Busan

• 📍Location: 47 Songjeonggangbyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan
• 🕖Hours: Daily 11:00am–10:00pm (Break time daily 3:00pm–5:00pm)
• 🅿️Parking: Available
• 🐶Pets allowed indoors with a carrier (no exposed faces, ever)
• ✅Reservations available