Busan pork soup restaurant with miso broth: Sanbandeul

I visited Sanbandeul (산반들), a good restaurant near Jeonpo and Seomyeon in Busan. It was a place where you could have a meal at a great price, whether dining or drinking alone. From the unusual miso soybean-paste pork gukbap to mul milmyeon and bibim milmyeon, everything was delicious, so I recommend it.

Sanbandeul location and visitor information

• Location: 43 Jeonpo-daero 209beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Subway: 336 m from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station, Line 2
• Hours: 11:00–20:30
• Break time: 16:00–17:00
• Parking: Use Ssangyong Parking Lot — ₩1,000 for the first 30 minutes / ₩1,000 per additional 30 minutes / ₩10,000 daily maximum

Interior seating near Jeonpo Café Street

It was near Jeonpo Café Street and also close to Seomyeon, one of Busan’s hottest areas.

Right by the entrance, there were counter seats, making it a restaurant where you could dine or drink alone.

There were regular tables farther inside, too, so it was nice for a date or a visit with friends.

Prepayment kiosk and menu

You could order at the kiosk set up in front of the entrance, and payment was made in advance.

There was a wide range of dishes, from gukbap to milmyeon. It was a distinctive restaurant that uses French traditional cooking methods instead of head meat, so the menu was varied and unusual too! 🫪

They also had alcohol, from creamy draft beer to soju and beer, so you could enjoy a drink with your meal.

Side dishes and table water

The basic side dishes were kimchi, seasoned ssammu (pickled radish wraps), and seasoned chives.

Water was set on the table, and I thought it was neat that it came out only when you pressed the pump.

What does the miso pork gukbap taste like?

The first dish I chose was the miso soybean-paste pork gukbap. The meeting of doenjang and gukbap was so unusual.

It came topped with bean sprouts and pork, and the meat had absolutely no unpleasant odor, so it was easy to eat.

It felt like miso ramen reimagined as Korean food. There was an option to add fresh noodles, and I found myself thinking it would have been even better if I had added them! 🥹

Mul milmyeon, bibim milmyeon, and sikhye for dessert

They also had mul milmyeon (cold wheat noodles in broth) and bibim milmyeon (spicy mixed cold wheat noodles), both great for hot weather.

The mul milmyeon seemed to come already mixed with mustard and vinegar, and when I took a spoonful of the broth, it had great savory depth.

The bibim milmyeon had a little broth in it too, which made it easy to mix. I actually cannot eat cold meat because of its odor, but the meat in the milmyeon here had none at all! Perhaps that was because selected pork neck and foreleg were made into tender jambon, refrigerated for over a day, kept in a special brine for at least three days, then cooked at a low temperature for 12 hours. 😳

They also served each of us a cup of sikhye (sweet rice punch) for dessert, and without exaggeration, it was the best sikhye I have ever had in my life!

As it turned out, it was traditional house-made sikhye, available at a special discounted price of ₩5,900.