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Cafés, restaurants and places in Busan, written by bloggers who went there.
Bollywood Indian Restaurant is an Indian restaurant on the second floor of a building on Gwangnam-ro 130beon-gil in Suyeong-gu, Busan, near Gwangalli Beach. For lunch, Bollywood's tandoori chicken and coconut shrimp curry came with naan, and the coconut-and-cream curry was the most memorable — not spicy at all, just mild and smooth. A good pick when the usual lunch options feel boring.
Salmon Brothers is a salmon specialty restaurant on the second floor near the Gwangalli intersection in Suyeong, Busan. On a Saturday lunch visit for two, the order was a half raw salmon and half tataki sushi plate, aglio e olio and a sangria 7% red wine, and the sushi came far thicker than at a typical sushi shop. With a bar table for solo diners, Salmon Brothers works either way, and one sushi plate plus one pasta was just right for two at lunch.
Lounge Mokhwa Dongnae Branch is a Hong Kong-style Chinese bar on Myeongnyun-ro 129beon-gil, a short walk from Dongnae Station in Busan. The new avocado cream shrimp came with fist-sized shrimp and hwajuan (steamed flower buns) for dipping in condensed milk, served alongside fried dumplings and an Earl Grey highball. The Chinese bar snacks at Lounge Mokhwa Dongnae Branch are good enough for both a Dongnae date and a big group night out.
Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong is a Japanese restaurant in Hwamyeong-dong, Buk-gu, Busan, serving Nagoya-style hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice). The half portion costs 27,500 won and is eaten three ways — eel and rice plain, then with toppings, then with broth poured over like ochazuke — and the meal also includes a mixed tempura platter and green tea pudding. The eel at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong was tender and the sauce restrained, making it a clean, easy-to-finish meal.
Geumrang Hoetjip Gwangalli Main Branch is a sashimi restaurant on the 6th floor of Marin Rich in Suyeong, Busan, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Gwangan Bridge. The day after an away baseball game at Sajik Stadium, the writer ordered the special course set with one bottle of Cheongha, and the side dishes kept coming — sea squirt, abalone, live octopus, mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and corn cheese filled the table before the main sashimi arrived. If you like the side dishes as much as the sashimi, Geumrang Hoetjip is worth going to without a second thought.
Misikga-ui Udon Daeyeon Direct Branch is a Japanese restaurant right outside Exit 6 of Daeyeon Station in Nam-gu, Busan, where izakaya dishes such as yakiniku and seasoned dried pollack can be ordered even at lunch. Bar table seating makes solo dining comfortable, and the Jumbo Set (buckwheat noodles, tonkatsu and egg curry rice) costs 14,500 won with unlimited rice and curry. Good prices and good food make Misikga-ui Udon an easy pick for a lunch gathering near Daeyeon Station.
Sanseong Sikyukjeom Jeonpo Direct Store is a Korean BBQ restaurant a 250m walk from Exit 8 of Jeonpo Station in Busanjin, Busan, where staff grill the meat at your table. The 54,000 won set of nuruk pork neck, pork belly and special cuts came with doenjang sul-bap (soybean paste rice with a splash of liquor), plus free pork skin during the 4:30–6pm happy hour. The shiitake wasabi sauce and the egg yolk oil sauce with soybean powder stood out most, making Sanseong Sikyukjeom a solid Jeonpo spot for drinks and group dinners.
Riverside is a spacious pasta and risotto restaurant on the Ilgwang beachfront in Gijang, Busan. The writer visited with her second baby in a stroller, parked it at the window-end table, and ordered abalone risotto, rose pasta, and a brownie with vanilla ice cream. With stroller access, four baby chairs, and dessert and coffee after the meal, Riverside makes eating out with a baby easy.
Almond Eyelashes is a lash salon on the second floor at 156 Beomil-ro in Busanjin-gu, Busan, near the jewelry arcade of Jungang Market, and it stays open until 10pm. The writer dropped the baby off with her mom during a childcare break, talked through the options with the salon director, and had the nogeulo protein lash lift for 40,000 won, with a lash comb given free after the treatment. Almond Eyelashes left her eyes looking more defined and is easy to reach even late in the evening.
Mandali To Go Ilgwang Branch is a two-floor brunch café and bakery on Ilgwang-ro in Gijang-gun, Busan. Arriving early on a weekday with a friend and waiting about 20 minutes, we ordered the arugula jambon-beurre sandwich at 12,000 won, the mushroom confit grain salad at 15,000 won, two kinds of ciabatta and americanos, then ate by the second-floor window. The sandwich tasted clean and fresh and the grains made the salad filling, so Mandali To Go is a place worth returning to whenever brunch in Ilgwang comes to mind.
Moshi Moshi PNU Branch is a sushi restaurant in Geumjeong, Busan, a one-minute walk from the NC Department Store. Booked through Naver Reservations as a lunch before a movie, the hoehansang (sashimi-and-sushi platter) came with 8 pieces of sushi, 8 pieces of sashimi, tempura, udon, vegetable salad and tofu salad, and the tofu salad was refillable. With one hour of free parking beside the restaurant, Moshi Moshi PNU Branch is an easy lunch stop to pair with shopping and a movie.
Buheongsanjang Busan Suyeong branch is a two-floor Korean dining pub about 2-3 minutes on foot from Exit 5 of Suyeong Station in Busan. Cutting the cheese potato pancake with scissors sends mozzarella pouring out like a waterfall, and the Suyeong branch's signature onari-jjim (steamed squid, 18,000 won) comes with a whole squid under a pile of minari (water dropwort), bean sprouts, baby napa cabbage and oyster mushrooms, so it stays light. With yakgwa ice cream (Korean honey cookie with ice cream, 5,500 won) to finish, Buheongsanjang works equally well for dinner with a drink or a late second round.
