Tidal Sipper · 10 stories

Cafés Between Tides

I write about cafés I visit around Busan and Gyeongnam. · Writes about: Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Restaurants · Beauty products

PlaceGeumjeong, BusanRestaurants

Katsu & pasta lunch near Busan Univ.: vongole cream pasta, Gatjidong

Gatjidong Busan Jangjeon Branch is a Japanese-style katsu, pasta and rice bowl restaurant near Oncheonjang Station in Geumjeong, Busan, close to Pusan National University. On a return lunch, the writer ordered vongole cream pasta (12,800 won), a half-and-half katsu with mini sake-don (salmon rice bowl) set (18,500 won) and a green grape ade (3,000 won); the thick cream sauce and the cheese katsu oozing melted cheese stood out. For good-value katsu or pasta, Gatjidong Busan Jangjeon Branch is worth recommending for both lunch and dinner.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGijang, BusanRestaurants

Ilgwang seaside restaurant: weekday dinner for two at Riverside

Riverside is an Italian-style restaurant in Ilgwang-eup, Gijang, Busan, right in front of Sinpyeong Small Park with an ocean view. After booking ahead, two people visited Riverside on a weekday evening, ordered scallop aglio e olio, sirloin-cap risotto and margherita pizza (₩19,500 each), and finished all three. With a spacious dining room, its own parking lot and a sea view, Riverside is a good-value Gijang pasta restaurant worth coming back to.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeumjeong, BusanRestaurants

Sushi restaurant near PNU, Busan: eel and abalone sets, Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi PNU Branch is a Japanese sushi restaurant near Pusan National University (PNU) in Geumjeong, Busan, serving sushi and sashimi as set meals. The writer booked a weekend lunch and ordered the upgraded sashimi set (₩33,900), the upgraded sushi set (₩23,900) and a small fried shrimp, and the eel and abalone sushi and thick-cut sashimi were clearly better than a typical budget sushi set. Moshi Moshi PNU Branch's upgraded sets are a safe first order for anyone visiting for the first time.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlacePohang, GyeongbukRestaurants

Jukdo Market crab restaurant in Pohang: ₩180,000 set for 3, Gallilli

Gallilli Daegae Hoe Sikdang is a crab and sashimi restaurant inside Jukdo Market in Pohang that has run wholesale and retail together for over 30 years. Because domestic snow crab is under its June–November fishing ban, the writer ordered the Russian bakdal crab set for 3 at ₩180,000, a course of abalone porridge, crab meat gratin, mixed sashimi, seafood stew and crab-shell fried rice. Gallilli Daegae Hoe Sikdang's set was so generous that the table was full before the crab arrived, making it a good pick for family meals and group gatherings.

Written Aug 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongnae, BusanHair & beauty salons

Grown-out roots to chocolate brown at Chamer, a Dongnae hair salon

Chamer is a hair salon in Oncheonjang, Dongnae-gu, Busan, on the 2nd floor of the building right in front of Dongnae Lucky Apartment. At Chamer, a full dye with moisture care turned light hair with messy, heavily grown-out roots into a calm chocolate brown, with drinks, snacks and a massage-chair shampoo along the way. For an autumn everyday brown that is neither too light nor too dark, Chamer's full dye was a satisfying choice.

Written Sep 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGijang, BusanRestaurants

Quiet weekday evening at Gijang outlet: poached egg pesto pasta

Bueokgan Restaurant, Shinsegae Simon Busan Premium Outlets is a Western restaurant at the very back of the NORTH building's 1st floor at the Shinsegae outlet in Gijang, Busan. On a quiet weekday evening the order was rucola prosciutto pizza at 22,000 won, seafood tomato pasta at 19,000 won and basil pesto cream pasta at 18,000 won, and all three plates arrived in about 15 minutes. The basil pesto cream pasta, with a poached egg burst and stirred through the sauce, was the favourite of the three.

Written Sep 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeumjeong, BusanRestaurants

Sushi restaurant near PNU, Busan: seafood yaki udon set, Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi PNU Branch is a sushi and Japanese restaurant on Geumgang-ro in Geumjeong, Busan. On a weekend lunch visit with a reservation, the writer ordered the Udon Han-sang platter at 17,500 won and Set 4 at 58,000 won, paying 4,000 won extra to swap the set's noodle dish for seafood yaki udon. With wide spacing between tables and plenty of shrimp tempura, Moshi Moshi PNU Branch works well for a weekend family meal.

Written Sep 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanRestaurants

Jeonpo tonkatsu after the limited menu sold out: Hets Jeonpo, Busan

Hets Jeonpo Branch is a Japanese-style tonkatsu restaurant in Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin, Busan, a 3-minute walk from Jeonpo Station Exit 7. On a late weekday evening visit with a friend, the limited-quantity menu was already sold out, so the order was the YBD assorted katsu at 17,000 won, Jeju black pork loin katsu at 14,000 won and boneless gara-age (Japanese fried chicken) at 4,000 won, eaten side by side to compare breeds and cuts. For a quiet meal at the bar seats sampling several cuts at once, the YBD assorted katsu at Hets Jeonpo Branch was the right call.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanHair & beauty salons

Busan nail salon September monthly art in black and blue: Jsu Beauty

Jsu Beauty Eyelash & Nail, Seomyeon Branch is a nail and lash salon on Dongcheon-ro in Busanjin, Busan, close to Seomyeon and Jeonpo. On this visit the old gel was removed and one of the eight September monthly art designs — a kitschy black-and-blue set — was applied in a round square shape, taking 20 minutes for removal plus 1 hour of art, 1 hour 30 minutes in total. Both the new shape and the fine detail work at Jsu Beauty were satisfying, making it an easy mood-changing manicure.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanCafés

Busan Centum City cake shop: 29,000-won peach cream Basque, Sijeunikeu

Sijeunikeu Shinsegae Department Store Centum City Branch is a cake shop on the basement floor of the department store in Centum City, Haeundae, Busan, changing its menu each season with fresh seasonal fruit. Visiting during peach season, the writer bought the Peach Cream Basque for ₩29,000, and the peach on top made the Basque cheesecake taste brighter and fresher than the cheesecake alone. A good stop if you need a same-day cake while shopping at the department store.

Written Sep 9, 2026Sponsored
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