Busan izakaya with free corn salad refills and spicy champon: 12.24

It's been a while since I made it out to Jeonpo!!! I stopped by with friends for drinks and passed a place with such a good vibe that I walked in without thinking twice. Here's my review of 12.24 — clean, great atmosphere, and the side dishes were delicious✨

Where is 12.24 Seomyeon Branch, and what are its hours?

12.24 Seomyeon Branch is at 225 Jeonpo-daero, 1F, Busanjin-gu, Busan, and it's open daily from 17:00 to 02:00.

It was easy to find — it's near Aloha! You can see the interior clearly from outside, so you get a sense of the vibe right away, and there are even chairs outside if you need to wait.

There's a menu board outside too, so you can browse and decide what to order without any pressure. I already had my heart set on the mackerel bong-sushi (seaweed-wrapped pressed sushi) before I even walked in haha

What is the atmosphere like at 12.24 Seomyeon Branch in Jeonpo?

The inside of 12.24 Seomyeon Branch is completely dressed for the holidays. Even though it's September, the year-end vibe somehow doesn't feel out of place hahaha — though honestly it felt less like Christmas and more like a warm, cozy izakaya feeling! There are counter seats too, so it works for solo drinking, and it's also a great spot for a date 💛

Lots of little figurines and cute decorations everywhere. It's fun just to look around — so cute ㅠ

Free corn salad starter with unlimited refills

The first thing you get at 12.24 Seomyeon Branch is the complimentary side dish!!!! Sweet potato sticks, corn salad, and cabbage. The corn salad was so good I think I refilled it three or four times. I was too shy to ask at first, but I wanted more so badly that I finally caved… hahaha

What we ordered: mackerel pressed sushi and nagasaki champon

You can order easily through the tablet at 12.24 Seomyeon Branch. From set menus to soups, sashimi, futomaki (thick rolled sushi), fried dishes, sides, and more — there were so many good-looking options. In the end we settled on [ mackerel bong-sushi, nagasaki champon + extra spicy ] — those two 🫢 There's such a wide range of dishes that it's perfect for drinking. The yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and salmon sashimi combo was tempting too, but it seemed like too much, so we stuck with these ㅠㅠㅠ Next time I'd love to try the yukhoe and salmon too hahaha

The nagasaki champon (Nagasaki-style noodle soup) came out first! They serve the champon noodles separately. You can order the nagasaki champon extra spicy, so I chose the spicy option! I had a feeling the non-spicy version would be the white-broth style!!

How thick is the mackerel bong-chobap at 12.24?

The mackerel bong-sushi…. 🐟🤍

Wait… is this thickness even real? I've never seen mackerel cut this thick before. The rice portion was small and the mackerel was so thick — total jackpot!! My friends who came with me raved about it too. I tried dipping it in wasabi and soy sauce, and to my surprise there was no fishy taste at all — it was delicious!! The mackerel was fresh and the flesh so tender it melted in my mouth, and the small rice portion made the combination even better. It was such a shame I only got to eat three pieces ㅠㅠㅠ

How spicy is the extra-spicy nagasaki champon?

I scooped up some broth first, then dropped in the champon noodles. There was a ton of stuff inside — bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, bok choy, mushrooms — and ordering it spicy made it quite fiery!!! But it was so deliciously spicy that I kept eating more. There was also woo-samgyeop (thinly sliced beef short rib) inside, and the meat was insanely good. The spicy broth had soaked right into it — absolutely amazing!!!! I was drinking, but somehow it felt like it kept curing my hangover at the same time hahaha. Once I added the champon noodles it got even better.

Is 12.24 Seomyeon Branch worth it for a night out in Jeonpo?

If you're trying to decide on a bar around Seomyeon or Jeonpo, definitely stop by 12.24! The vibe, the food, and the service were all great. I left pretty satisfied. Thanks to this place, round one was a success ~~ 🍻

Highly recommend the mackerel bong-sushi 👍🏻👍🏻 It's clean-tasting, so both mackerel-sushi lovers and first-timers will enjoy it! The staff were super kind too, and the overall vibe wasn't loud, so it was perfect for chatting with each other. It seems like a great place to talk and drink with friends or a partner. I'd love to come back here next time I'm out drinking!