Sunday date brunch with matcha lemonade, mango gelato: Famous Benny

After Sunday service, a craving for brunch

After Sunday service, there's always that moment of wondering what to eat for lunch. A bowl of rice with banchan or gukbap is fine as usual, but sometimes you want to sit somewhere with a nice atmosphere and eat like it's a date. That's exactly how we felt this time, so we headed to a brunch café in Gwangalli we'd had our eye on for a while — Famous Benny.

Opens at 8am — great for a post-jog visit too

One of the best things about this place is that it opens at 8am. Most people assume brunch cafés only open late morning or around lunchtime, so a place running this early felt a lot more useful. After our visit, we even said, "Next time we should go for a jog in the morning, cool off, and come here for brunch." If you're after brunch in Gwangalli, Busan, it's worth taking advantage of the early hours.

Famous Benny Gwangalli Branch / 📍Hours: 08:00 - 18:00 / 🅿️ Nearby parking — Minrak Sealand Market public parking, Taeyang Officetel parking / 🚨 Dog-friendly

Natural light through the window wall, a relaxed mood

The café is spread across two floors, and as soon as we walked up, the natural light pouring through the window wall was striking. We got lucky and landed a seat right in front of it — talking with that soft sunlight coming in definitely made for a different mood. The whole space felt relaxed and calm, easy to sit and chat in without any pressure, which made it a comfortable spot for a date.

Four orders, signature dish with salmon

We ordered four things in total: Egg in Hell (shakshuka), The Famous Benny, matcha lemonade, and mango coconut gelato. The Famous Benny lets you choose bacon or salmon, and we went with salmon. As the signature dish — salmon, avocado, and a poached egg on a croissant — it looked satisfying from the first glance. The portion was generous enough for two to share, and the vegetables on the side made it feel like a meal that took care of us too. This is exactly why I'd recommend this Gwangalli brunch café as a date spot.

Hearty rather than spicy: Egg in Hell (shakshuka)

The first dish we ordered was Egg in Hell, commonly known as shakshuka. The name alone makes you expect something spicy and intense, but shakshuka is really a tomato-based sauce cooked together with eggs — despite the word "hell" in the name, it's less about heat and more about the deep savoriness of tomato paired with softly cooked egg, closer to a hearty brunch dish.

It comes with bread perfect for dipping into the sauce, so it filled us up nicely for a meal that doubled as breakfast and lunch. If you're expecting something spicy, it might come as a small surprise, but if you want a comfortable brunch, it's actually a satisfying choice.

Signature Famous Benny: salmon and poached egg on croissant

The second dish we ordered was the café's signature, The Famous Benny. You can choose between bacon and salmon, and we went with salmon.

With salmon, avocado, and a poached egg on top of a croissant, you get the crunch of the croissant, the softness of the poached egg, and the salty salmon all in one bite — you can see why this became the signature. The portion was generous enough for two to share, and it came with vegetables on the side, which made it feel like a meal that looked out for our health too. That's exactly why I'd recommend this Gwangalli brunch café as a date spot.

Gelato made with real mango, and a refreshing ade

We didn't order coffee separately, but the matcha lemonade and mango coconut gelato were satisfying enough on their own. The mango coconut gelato especially had a natural sweetness and mango flavor so vivid you could tell it was made with real mango.

The matcha lemonade balanced matcha's gentle bitterness with lemon's tartness, cleansing the palate nicely between the heavier brunch dishes. Still, partway through, I thought, "These brunch dishes would've been even better with coffee," so next time I'm making sure to order coffee too.

Next time, brunch after a morning jog

After this visit, I found myself thinking that a weekend morning jog followed by a light brunch here, then heading home to shower, would make a great routine. Adding a hearty meal to a body refreshed from exercise would make the whole day feel that much fuller. It was a Gwangalli brunch café that works just as well for a date as it does for a relaxed weekend routine.