Gwangalli brunch café on a cloudy Chuseok morning: Working Holiday

A Chuseok morning at Working Holiday Minrak, a Gwangalli sea-view brunch café

Working Holiday Minrak is a brunch café on the 7th floor of a building in Minrak-dong, with Gwangalli Beach spread out right in front of you. Meokdori (the writer) went down to Busan for Chuseok (Korean harvest festival), had some spare time in the morning, and dropped by to heal over a tasty brunch.

With its atmosphere, great view, delicious food and friendly staff, this is a place I'd happily recommend any time for a family outing or a date.

What's special about the signature dishes at Working Holiday Minrak?

Look

This café has a seriously well-equipped kitchen. Since they cook a wide variety of dishes themselves, the whole look of the place makes you expect something tasty, and the view down over Gwangalli Beach through the big windows is fantastic!

Taste

The panuozzo is packed with salty jambon (Korean-style cured ham), and the bread outside has a chewy texture. A savory yet mild sandwich that goes so well with coffee for brunch! It totally hit Meokdori's taste buds, exactly my kind of thing!

Recommended combo

Bolognese pasta, the mild panuozzo sandwich, and a cup of coffee on top: a perfect brunch combination!

What are the opening hours and parking like at Working Holiday Minrak?

Working Holiday Minrak is open daily 09:00–22:30, with last order at 22:00. It's on the 7th floor of a building in Minrak-dong with Gwangalli Beach in full view, so it's a great view spot to come to on a date!

• Hours: daily 09:00–22:30
• Last order: 22:00
• Parking: the building's underground car park is available
• Parking support: 1 hour per ₩10,000 spent in the café

You'll most likely spend over ₩10,000 anyway, so you can park comfortably and relax at this view-worthy café.

Gwangalli Beach and Gwangan Bridge through the 7th-floor windows

Working Holiday Minrak sits on the 7th floor of a tall building.

The moment you step inside, the whole front wall is windows looking down on Gwangalli Beach and Gwangan Bridge. Having come back to Busan after a long time, I totally understood why looking at the sea makes you feel so healed.

A big interior and a solid kitchen

The café is quite large, so it works well for group gatherings and family visits.

For a café the kitchen is huge and really solid, so even with such a variety of dishes, you trust they can make them all.

They're serious about coffee, too.

There are even cute little goods on display, so there's quietly a lot to browse, which I liked.

A sea view that clears your head, even on a cloudy day

But above all, the biggest strength of Working Holiday Minrak is that the sea unfolds right before your eyes, a true sea-view hotspot!

It was a slightly cloudy day, but looking out at the wide sea still felt refreshing and healing.

Sea in front of you, a cup of coffee in hand! You have to admit this is a brunch spot with a great view.

What we ordered and prices: panuozzo, bolognese pasta, americano

• Panuozzo ₩17,000
• Bolognese pasta ₩20,000
• Americano ₩5,500

I loved the pasta seasoning, but the panuozzo was even better than I expected, so I'd really recommend trying it too.

Jambon panuozzo sandwich made with pizza dough

First, the jambon panuozzo sandwich, with a name that was new to me! I liked that it's packed with jambon, and the bread is made with pizza dough, so it's a sandwich that keeps a wonderfully chewy texture.

It's baked in a high-heat wood-fired oven, so even the bread alone is crispy outside and chewy inside! The chewy texture is really good.

Soup also comes with the panuozzo when you order it!

Bolognese pasta with a rich meat sauce

The bolognese pasta's rich sauce is the star!

It's a strongly meaty pasta sauce made mainly with minced meat, which suited Meokdori's taste perfectly.

Overall the food quality was so good that it tasted better than expected. Working Holiday Minrak is a brunch hotspot, and the view is definitely one of its unmissable strengths!

Can you work on a laptop or have wine in the evening at Working Holiday Minrak?

Working Holiday Minrak also has plenty of outlet seats where you can work on a laptop.

They sell wine in one corner too, so in the evening it seems even better for a date with drinks and a nice mood.

Meokdori's overall verdict

I had a delicious brunch at Working Holiday Minrak, a Gwangalli brunch café in Busan!

The food was so delicious overall that I was very satisfied, and with its sea view looking right down on the water, it's an easy recommendation for a visit during a trip to Busan.