Busan pork belly restaurant: 500g pollock roe platter at Wanbeoljip

A while back, right after class, I was craving meat so badly,, so my friend and I went back to Wanbeoljip, a restaurant famous as a go-to spot near Kyungsung University!

It had been a while since my last visit, but true to its reputation, the meat was delicious as ever — especially the pork skin, which was a real standout.

Where Wanbeoljip Kyungsung University Branch is and how long the wait runs

Wanbeoljip sits on the main alley near Kyungsung University. It's on the 2nd floor, but word has already gotten around, so there's a wait even on weekday evenings. When I visited on a weekday evening, it was nearly full and I almost had to wait, but luckily two seats opened up right as we arrived, so we dodged the line haha.

Inside Wanbeoljip: the calm, wood-toned dining room near Kyungsung University

The interior mixes dark brick with walnut-toned wood, lit by warm orange bulbs — a combination that really works. It felt a bit like stepping into an old castle, almost storybook-like. The space was actually bigger and more varied than photos suggest! Since most tables were occupied, I had to shoot around diners, so I could only capture part of it. It's more spacious in person, just so you know!

On the table there was also an acrylic stand introducing how to eat each item best, plus the dessert sorbet and a baby rice dish. Everything looked like a can't-fail combo, which felt reassuring.

Wanbeoljip's menu and what comes on the 500g small platter for two

The menu lets you taste several cuts of meat at once with a small platter (500g), medium platter (700g), and large platter (900g). You can also order aged pork belly, the signature pork skin (seriously good!!!), galbi-marinated pork belly, and pollock roe pork belly separately — order to your taste!

The side menu was full of dishes clearly made by people who know food — kimchi mak-guksu (cold buckwheat noodles), perilla oil mak-guksu, doenjang risotto served with basil pesto, and more, all sounding delicious haha.

The two of us went with the small platter (500g), choosing aged pork belly 200g + pollock roe pork belly 200g + pork skin 100g as our combo!

They also had plum sparkling water, so we ordered that, and later added the doenjang risotto too, eating quite thoroughly haha~

While waiting for the food, I checked out the condiments already set on the table — pink salt, curry powder, and soybean powder for dipping the pork skin were all provided at each table.

The 9 side dishes at Wanbeoljip, including shiitake wasabi

First, the 9 side dishes arrived. The largest bowl in the middle was a salad with lettuce, onion, and a special dressing (it pairs really well with the pork belly!).

My favorite side dish at Wanbeoljip, shiitake wasabi, came out too! Along with it, staples like pickled radish, wasabi, ssamjang, sliced garlic, pickled chili, and wild garlic leaves were all neatly arranged on one platter.

Staff grill the pork belly for you — no cooking at the table

True to its name, Wanbeoljip serves the meat fully grilled already! There's a tortilla laid underneath the meat, and from left to right: aged pork belly, pollock roe pork belly, and the restaurant's signature dish, pork skin.

Fragrant chives and bracken fern top the meat, and there's even a mushroom stamped with the Wanbeoljip logo haha.

Since the meat comes fully cooked, there's no waiting — you can dig right in. It arrives cleanly grilled, which is a huge plus since you don't have to grill it yourself! Pork skin especially tends to splatter a lot of oil when grilling, which can be a hassle ㅠㅠ.

The pollock roe pork belly has the roe attached right to the meat like this. Since the roe was cooked along with it, I was curious how it would taste.

This sweetly seasoned pork skin is my favorite item at Wanbeoljip! Once you've eaten your fill of meat and feel pretty full, dunking this pork skin heavily in soybean powder is genuinely, wonderfully savory.

Best ways to eat Wanbeoljip's aged pork belly

I started with the most classic option, the aged pork belly. In my head, Wanbeoljip has always been the shiitake wasabi and pork skin place, but this time the salad dressing looked so good I thought this combo might work too. And it turned out really refreshing and delicious haha.

Then I tried it with my favorite combo, shiitake wasabi! The shiitake wasabi is slightly sweet and salty, already well seasoned. The sharp kick of wasabi plus the fragrant shiitake makes it genuinely delicious.

If you want an even sharper kick with the shiitake wasabi, adding plain wasabi on top works well too. The shiitake wasabi already has strong umami, so if you like that sharp bite, I'd recommend eating it this way.

Does the pollock roe pork belly taste fishy?

This was my first time trying the pollock roe pork belly, and maybe because it comes fully cooked, there was zero fishy taste — it paired really well with the meat. It was also great with mayonnaise! Personally, I most enjoyed the shiitake wasabi + aged pork belly combo, while my friend loved the pollock roe pork belly with various condiments the most.

How to eat Wanbeoljip's pork skin with soybean powder

The tip with this sweet and spicy pork skin is to dunk it generously in soybean powder!

Coating it almost excessively lets you taste the nutty flavor, the seasoning, and the chewy texture of the pork skin all in one bite haha. This combo was seriously, seriously good ㅠㅠㅠ.

Doenjang risotto with basil pesto at Wanbeoljip

This is the doenjang (soybean paste) risotto we added on when we were about done with the meat! The portion looked like almost 2-3 servings.

It came with basil pesto too, which apparently some pork belly restaurants have been serving lately?! I'd been curious about this combo for a while, so I scooped a bit and mixed it in.

It's genuinely surprising how just a little basil pesto gives it this unique, almost Western-style flavor and aroma haha. Doenjang and basil pesto really do go well together, it turns out.

My friend, who isn't a fan of basil, scooped hers out separately and ate the doenjang risotto plain! It was thick with a slightly creamy texture, and she enjoyed it too.

Free lemon sorbet to finish the meal

After finishing the meat, you can order the dessert lemon sorbet! It comes free, one scoop per person, and it's soft with a slight tang — really delicious haha.

The lemon flavor didn't taste artificial or cheap at all — it had a natural, real-fruit taste, which made it even better! Honestly, it was good enough that I think they could sell it separately and it would do well.

Final verdict on Wanbeoljip, a pork belly restaurant in Nam-gu, Busan

Since everything, from the meat to the pork skin, comes pre-grilled, the whole meal was easy and comfortable from start to finish. On top of that, the shiitake wasabi and pork skin are good enough to be called Wanbeoljip's signature items!! The lemon sorbet dessert I tried for the first time today also left an impression. If you're looking for a good restaurant or pork belly spot near Kyungsung University, I recommend Wanbeoljip~!