First meal off the KTX at a Busan Station restaurant: Yeongdong

First meal after arriving at Busan Station: Yeongdong Milmyeon & Dwaeji Gukbap

The first meal of the Busan trip. Coming from Seoul, we arrived at Busan Station right around lunchtime, so we decided to eat before heading far. Since we'd come all the way to Busan, we figured the first meal should be Busan through and through. We went to Yeongdong Milmyeon & Dwaeji Gukbap Busan Station Branch, where you can have both pork soup and milmyeon at once.

Close to Busan Station, food comes out fast, and you can settle both signature Busan dishes — dwaeji gukbap and milmyeon — in one stop. As a first meal right off the train, the logistics were excellent.

Where is it? Main branch or the Busan Station branch

Yeongdong Milmyeon & Dwaeji Gukbap Busan Station Branch Hours | 10:00 - 20:30 / last order 20:10 7-8 Jungang-daero 214beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan, South Korea

This Busan Station favorite for dwaeji gukbap and milmyeon actually has two locations near Busan Station. The main branch requires crossing the road from the station plaza, while the Busan Station branch we visited is on the 2nd floor of Asti Hotel Busan.

Inside Yeongdong Milmyeon: a wide hall that fits your suitcase

If you're planning to eat right before boarding a train or right after arriving at Busan Station, the location of the Busan Station branch is very convenient.

We had already sent our luggage ahead through a luggage-delivery service and moved around light, but given that this is Busan Station, it's a place you could easily visit with a suitcase in tow.

Leaving Seoul and arriving in Busan around noon, we needed to head straight to Yeongdo after lunch, so we deliberately looked for a restaurant close to Busan Station. Walking into this Busan Station favorite for dwaeji gukbap and milmyeon, the hall turned out to be much more spacious than expected.

The tables are generously spaced and quite large themselves. When we visited, we were seated immediately with no wait. Dwaeji gukbap isn't a dish that takes long once ordered, either, so it's great for a quick meal. The interior overall has a clean wood-tone look.

Rather than the old-school, worn-in feel of Busan's long-running gukbap joints, this place feels more like a clean, comfortable restaurant. The atmosphere is comfortable enough for solo dining too, so it seemed like a good option if you're on a business trip or traveling alone and looking for somewhere to eat by yourself near Busan Station.

Menu and prices at Yeongdong Milmyeon & Dwaeji Gukbap

You've come all the way to Busan — do you eat milmyeon or dwaeji gukbap for your first meal? At this restaurant, you don't have to choose.

• Mul milmyeon (small) ₩8,000 / (large) ₩9,000
• Bibim milmyeon (small) ₩8,000 / (large) ₩9,000
• Dwaeji gukbap ₩10,000
• Sundae gukbap ₩10,000
• Suyuk baekban ₩13,000
• Suyuk (small) ₩29,000 / (large) ₩39,000
• Hand dumplings ₩7,000

What we ordered: milmyeon, gukbap and hand-made dumplings

Even the basic side dishes are properly done for a gukbap restaurant: napa cabbage kimchi, diced radish kimchi, and dried radish strips.

A spoonful of dwaeji gukbap followed by a crunchy piece of diced radish kimchi — honestly, what more do you need?

Mul milmyeon with icy broth

Coming to Busan, you can't skip milmyeon either. The mul milmyeon arrives in a broth with slushy ice that looks refreshing just to look at.

The noodles are bouncy and chewy. The combination of the cold, icy broth and the chewy milmyeon is, as always, great.

It was that in-between kind of weather — not quite midsummer, but not the dead of winter when you crave hot soup either. So I stood there mulling over the menu for a while. Once I actually tried the mul milmyeon, though, the cool broth went down cleanly, slurp after slurp. Felt like summer wasn't quite over yet.

The bibim naengmyeon-style noodles also had great savory depth — a really good way to wake up your appetite as a first meal after a long train ride.

You want milmyeon, but you also want gukbap. When you've come all the way to Busan, giving up on either one is hard, right?

Dwaeji gukbap you season with chives and dadegi (chili paste)

And speaking of Busan, it has to be dwaeji gukbap. One spoonful of the broth and it's not sharp or heavy at all — clean and mild.

Start by trying it as is, then add chives and garlic to taste.

Adding a generous amount of chives brought more aroma into the broth and made it even tastier. Since you can adjust the flavor within a single bowl to your own taste, I'd recommend starting mild and then adding chili paste (dadegi) or salted shrimp later on.

Sundae gukbap with both pork and blood sausage

Busan means dwaeji gukbap, but personally I like sundae gukbap a bit more. Why? Because you get the bonus of eating sundae (blood sausage) along with your pork soup.

Meat and sundae both. If you're torn between the two, I'd go with sundae gukbap.

Being able to enjoy sundae separately alongside the soup made the meal feel a bit more substantial.

The surprise hit: hand-made dumplings

And then the unexpected highlight — the dumplings!!! This is secretly a dumpling restaurant too...!!!

Definitely, definitely add these as a side. A choice you won't regret!!!

Verdict: an easy stop at the start and end of a Busan trip

This Busan Station favorite, Yeongdong Milmyeon & Dwaeji Gukbap, was a great fit for starting our trip since we didn't need to travel far from Busan Station. It's just as convenient a stop for your last meal before leaving Busan.

• Close to Busan Station, a great spot for the first meal of a trip
• Convenient to reach right after arriving at Busan Station
• Both dwaeji gukbap and milmyeon available in one place
• Spacious hall with generously sized tables
• Clean atmosphere, comfortable even for solo dining
• Mul milmyeon with icy broth and chewy noodles is delicious
• Starts mild, then turns spicy with added chili paste
• Even better with chives and garlic mixed in
• If you want suyuk too, the suyuk baekban is recommended
• Food comes out fast, saving time while traveling