There is no doubt that South Korea has become a global leader in influencing trends at the moment. With the surge of the Korean wave and the increasingly widespread consumption of Korean pop culture you’d be hard-pressed to find someone you know who doesn’t follow k-pop, indulge in Korean television dramas, religiously cook Korean food, or some combination of all three. More and more now, the world’s close eye on what’s hot in Korea has also extended to what they’re cooking – and in both the iconic, traditional dishes and its trends.

Still, South Korean food isn’t the same throughout the country. Despite its size, regional dishes exist whose food arises from variations in resources, exposure to foreign cultures, or by some sheer stroke of genius by a single chef that spurred a whole neighbourhood of copycats. These local specialities can be found in any city you visit, and while a couple of dishes have snuck its way into other cities it’s still an experience to try it where it began.

Busan is famous both locally and amongst Korea’s foreign visitors as the city to visit for foodies. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for locals to take a weekend trip down for the food alone. Thanks to its location near the sea there is an abundance of fresh seafood, especially if you venture into the world-famous Jagalchi Fish Market (자갈치시장). As a port city, its influence from China, Japan, and America has also developed much of Busan’s incredibly varied local cuisine, which is what attracts so many to indulge until they’re fit to burst.

We’re no exception to this – as self-described gastronomists we put in efforts where necessary to hunt down the tastiest food and the must-try local dishes. During this, we learn just how much the Korean War – and accordingly, international influence – has seeped into the heart of Busan’s food scene to create the colourful dishes that we can enjoy today.

Pufferfish Soup BokGuk (복국)

Pufferfish, also known commonly by its Japanese name fugu, is commonly envisioned as the daredevil fine-dining experience of eating slices of sashimi possibly laced with traces of poison as diners crane their necks in anticipation for the consumer’s wellbeing. This may have been the case once upon a time – and rightly so, as fugu is the second most poisonous animal after the golden arrow frog – but nowadays it is widely consumed by both households and in restaurants after improved practises have significantly increased the safety of its consumption.

We won’t talk about just how poisonous this funny little sea creature is, but it’s certainly important to discuss how far it has come since the start of its consumption possibly thousands of years ago. Nowadays, highly-trained chefs can process the fish to remove the poisonous organs, and Japanese farms have also learned to farm non-poisonous pufferfish by controlling its habitat.

In fact, nowadays it’s such a common ingredient that it’s pretty widespread throughout both Korea and Japan. In fact, you can even buy fresh fugu in certain supermarkets in Japan. So, despite some lingering anxiety about the idea of falling fatally ill, we paid a visit to a 24-hour pufferfish restaurant to try bokguk pufferfish soup (복국), Korea’s most popular way of serving this delicacy.

HalMae BokGuk (할매복국)

There are different types of pufferfish available at this humble little restaurant, which is served as either a plain soup (복국) or a spicy soup (매운탕). We decided to order the two cheapest pufferfish soups in the non-spicy versions: eunbok-guk (은복국) at a very reasonable ₩8,000 (US$6.70), and the slightly more pricy milbok-guk (밀복국) at ₩13,000 (US$10.85). Our decision to go with the mild versions was so we could taste the soup better, and if we needed we could always add chilli later as it was provided as a condiment.

The milbok-guk was a very light soup that was not seasoned very strongly to allow the sweetness of the vegetables and the gentle meatiness of the fish to shine through. The pufferfish came in large chunks, with a firm, fibrous, meaty texture very similar to cooked chicken breast. It’s hardly as strange as the thought of eating a poisonous animal – it is simply a firm, white-flesh fish that is light in flavour and meaty in texture.

The eunbok-guk was surprisingly very distinct from the milbok-guk, though not in a bad way. The soup had a decidedly stronger fish flavour, and the meat of the fish even more firm, bordering stringy, much more similar to an overcooked chicken breast. It surprised us how different the two varieties of pufferfish were, with the more expensive one being better, so we would recommend forking up a little more as it seems that the texture does improve with the price. Still, it’s a very reasonable price for a meal that is both warming and satisfying, and we also have the added bonus of bragging rights in eating pufferfish.

Pork Soup with Rice DwaeJi GukBap (돼지국밥)

Soup is a common meal in Korea, and in Busan there is a famous pork soup called dwaeji gukbap (돼지국밥) whose origins stem from the unlikely source of the US Military. The milky-white pork soup is made by boiling the pork bones provided by the US Military, and the resourceful local chefs boiled it down to rich, concentrated soups to serve with rice and slices of pork. It is commonly eaten by mixing in rice, allowing it to soak up the flavour before consuming.

Thanks to the richness of the soup and the nutrients from the bone broth, it’s a popular meal to eat with drinks, but also fed to women who are recovering from childbirth. There are plenty of restaurants in Busan that serve this simple dish, so it’s great as a light meal, or to warm you up on a cold day.

SuYeong BonGa DwaeJi GukBap (수영본가돼지국밥)

We ordered the plain dwaeji gukbap (돼지국밥) which comprises of thin slices of pork served in a milky soup for ₩7,000 (US$5.85), as well as the modeum gukbap (모듬국밥) or “mixed” soup, which comes with pork slices, some offal, and blood sausage sundae (순대) for ₩7,500 (US$6.25). Once more, we ordered it mild, so that we could taste the soup at its barest.

We recommend ordering it without spice! Without the seasoning paste, we could taste the full richness of the pork broth that was neither greasy nor cloying. It did require a little bit of salt as lacked the salty seasoning, which we added in the form of the brined shrimp that is provided as a condiment. The shrimp didn’t contribute any discernible seafood flavour though the saltiness was welcome.

The pork slices were plentiful, incredibly tender, and accompanied by just the right amount of melty fat. The offal was also incredibly tender, with only a light chew that allowed us to bite clean through the pieces against the grain. The soondae blood sausage was also delicious, peppery and meaty without any gamey flavour, and the use of glass noodles in the sausage also made it tender. Overall, an incredibly delicious, satisfying meal that was perfect for the cool, drizzly day of our visit.

This is Nom’s Pick as a dish to try in Busan. Order the dwaeji gukbap if you’re not too keen on offal, but the mixed soup is also a great experience for a variation in texture and flavour. We really enjoyed this restaurant, but we encourage not going out of your way and visiting a dwaeji gukbap restaurant that’s convenient for you.

Cold Busan-Style Pigs’ Feet NaengChae JokBal (냉채족발)

Pig’s trotters are not a common cut of meat in western cooking, but it’s enjoyed throughout the world. It’s prized for its high gelatine content, which thickens soups and melts in the mouth after long braising, though can be a rich meal as it has very little muscle meat.

In Korea, pigs’ trotters are usually cooked by simmering in aromatics and soy sauce, called jokbal (족발). Once cooked they are served in thick slices with a variety of side dishes and condiments, often in large portions meant for sharing. Thanks to the greasy flavour, it’s considered a great drinking food.

In Busan there is a unique style of serving pigs’ trotters that is said to have originated in the BuPyeong area called naengchae jokbal (냉채족발), or chilled pigs’ trotters. The braised pigs’ trotters are served in cold, thin slices with a sauce of mustard on a bed of jellyfish and sliced, chilled vegetables. As is common in Korea, the interest in this Busan-style of jokbal resulted in many restaurants in one area serving the dish, giving rise to Jokbal Alley (족발골목). We paid a visit to one of the restaurants along the street to sample this Busan speciality.

HongSo JokBal (홍소족발)

This restaurant, like many others on the street, specialises in jokbal, and has a menu in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian for ease of ordering. We ordered the small size of naengchae jokbal (냉채족발(소)) for ₩30,000 (US$25), which was more than enough for the suggested 2 people. The way the meat is sliced doesn’t give away that it’s part of the pig’s foot, so it isn’t off-putting to those who may not be so adventurous. There were plenty of sliced vegetables and strips of jellyfish, in a mustard-based dressing. There were also a number of side dishes including salad, wrapping leaves, kimchi, and an assortment of condiments.

The meat was tender, and despite the thick layer of what appeared to be fat, it wasn’t greasy nor cloying but rather gelatinous in texture. The dressing made for a delicious accompaniment, sweet and sour with just enough mustard to add flavour without burning the sinuses. The jellyfish added texture thanks to its crispy, collagen-like texture.

Though pigs’ trotters can easily be a rich dish, the Busan style of serving makes for a much more refreshing meal. We recommend playing around with the different condiments to get any combination of sweet-salty-spicy-fresh-crisp texture and flavour explosions. If you’re not picky about which part of an animal your meat comes from, we recommend trying out this unique dish. And if you’re in Jokbal Alley, HongSo JokBal is a great place to stop for it.

Beef Intestines Yang GopChang (양곱창)

We’ve already sampled a variety of offal while in Korea from stewed cow hooves to grilled pork intestines and Korean-style fried chicken giblets. Korea’s war-stricken past has made their chefs highly resourceful, adopting a nose-to-tail, minimal-waste attitude that is only just becoming more popular in the west. Nowadays, all sorts of non-muscle cuts of meat are enjoyed all throughout the country, and even prized for its rich flavours and dense nutrition.

Perhaps less healthy than it is tasty, beef intestines is a prime example of a treat meal that many indulge in for its texture and its decadently greasy flavour. In fact, its widespread enjoyment has seen its price increase, often higher than traditional muscle meat. Delicious off-cuts? There was no way we’d miss out!

DaeYang Yang GopChang (대양양곱창)

Not many people can afford to splurge on the luxury of seafood at the Jagalchi Market, so we recommend taking a trip a few minutes’ walk from the world-famous seafood complex to pay a visit to a famous beef intestine restaurant. Equally luxurious though much less expensive, beef intestine is even suggested to have become popular after sailors craved something besides seafood. That was good enough reason for us veer away from the extravagant king-crab prices.

This little restaurant is run by locals, so expect brusque service. Their menu is very simple: small, medium and large portions (₩30,000, ₩40,000, ₩50,000 / US$25, US$33, US$42) of various cuts of beef offal either seasoned in salt (구이) or a spicy yangnyeom seasoning (양념), or a hotpot of intestines for ₩30,000 (US$25). We asked if they could prepare us a half-and-half of salt and yangnyeom grilled offal, which they huffily refused, though served us anyway as a special. Don’t expect the same service – we suspect we just got lucky on a quiet dinner service.

Several offal was served and despite the “salt” description on the menu, turned out to be dressed lightly with garlic and sesame oil also. The yangnyeom portion, despite its bright red colour, was only lightly spicy with an accompanying sweetness and fragrance from the red pepper.

We started with the beef heart, whose light seasoning of salt was enough to bring out its surprisingly light, beefy flavour. The gopchang tripe is satisfyingly tender and chewy, not dissimilar to a nicely-cooked squid or octopus. By far the most decadent is the daechang (대창) large intestines, which looks like a white tube of sausage bursting with white pockets of fat, and its texture is very similar to that exactly – a chewy elastic lining with mind-blowingly melting, flavourful fat that just coats the throat in the most delicious manner.

The mushrooms mixed in with the offal while grilling soak up any residual fat, and the charcoal briquettes used to cook made for an undeniably superior smoky flavour. Thanks to the richness of the cuts of meat, it’s best eaten in a lettuce wrap with any of the accompanying pickles and condiments, whose saltiness or refreshing sourness can help to offset the offal. If you’re adventurous or love off-cuts, this is definitely the meal for you. Pay a visit if you’re nearby the Jagalchi Market and are looking for an alternative to the pricy seafood meals – you won’t regret it!

Busan-Style Seed-Filled Sweet Pancakes Ssiat Hotteok (씨앗호떡)

You can’t visit Korea without trying one of their special stuffed pancakes, and you certainly can’t leave Busan without trying the local version which many say is even better. Hotteok (호떡) is a Korean pancake made of a dough that is stuffed with fillings and fried on a griddle with plenty of grease to golden, crispy-chewy perfection.

It can have any variation of fillings, with the most common being savoury glass noodles or sugar, nuts, and seeds. This sweet version is known as ssiat hotteok (씨앗호떡) or seed pancakes.

Busan’s style differs to the rest of Korea in that the pancake dough is coated in sugar and fried while empty. The sugar forms a caramel-like crust and once cooked, the pancake is split open like a pita bread and stuffed with a mix of sugar, cinnamon, seeds, and nuts. This pancake is found all over Busan, with many vendors gathered wherever you’ll find street food carts, such as BIFF Square.

There’s no saying which vendor makes it better than another, as each differs slightly – crispier or chewier, large or small, thick or thin, sugary or more nutty – to know what we mean, we suggest sampling as many as you can! Busan is a place for eating, and this delightful treat is perfect for a snack or dessert.

Busan-Style Cold Noodles MilMyeon (밀면)

Korea loves their cold noodles, varying from lightly-seasoned chilled soups to burningly-spicy, bright-red saucy noodles. Commonly, Korean cold noodles are made with wheat flour for a tender noodle, or buckwheat for something chewier. Naengmyeon (냉면) chilled-broth cold noodles are suspected to have been introduced to South Korea by North Korean refugees. The dish has now been adopted and adapted into variations that are widely consumed throughout the country, most famously as an accompaniment to barbecued pork belly as a classic hot-cold pairing.

In Busan, there is a different style of noodles used in cold noodle dishes called milmyeon (밀면). This noodle uses wheat flour as well as sweet potato starch and/or potato starch to lend it a slippery, chewy texture, supposedly as the more traditional buckwheat flour was difficult to obtain. This dish is found all throughout Busan, so if you’re looking for local specialities, this is a great dish to try.

Myeon Chae-Oom (면채움)

A little out of the way of a lot of Busan’s more visited areas is Myeon Chae-Oom, which we visited because of high reviews and as we happened to be passing through the area. The menu is very basic with small English translations, featuring milmyeon cold soup noodles and bibimmyeon (비빔면) spicy cold mixed noodles, both for ₩6,000 (US$5) each. There are also sides of grilled pork and steamed dumplings. We ordered a plate of grilled pork ribs (정성 갈비 구이) for ₩4,500 (US$3.75).

The milmyeon came with noodles piled high with slices of pork, a spicy seasoning sauce, pickled radish, a half boiled egg, and cucumber in a pool of clear broth. The broth was slightly spicy and very refreshing, pleasantly sweetened to offset the tart vinegar, and very savoury from a meat or fish base. The thin noodles have just enough bite to be satisfying but not overwhelmingly chewy. Eaten with the smoky, hot grilled pork, it is reminiscent of the famous Vietnamese vermicelli salad bún thịt nướng, as there is a combination of textures, flavours, and temperatures which play against each other so well. Super tasty!

The dry bibimmyeon is a great option if the idea of a cold soup is too strange. The spicy-sweet combination of the thick sauce goes deliciously well with the tender-chewy noodles and the grilled pork. There’s no saying which style is better as Noms prefers the dry version and Jos prefers the soup, but when in Busan, both twins agree that milmyeon is a must-try!

Sashimi Hwe (회)

Sashimi is no longer a foreign concept. Raw fish is consumed throughout the world in dishes like ceviche or poke. In the coastal city of Busan, raw fish, or hwe (회) in Korean, is a common delicacy thanks to the abundance of seafood. Traipse on over to the Jagalchi Fish Market, or stop by one of the many restaurants near the fine-sand HaeUnDae Beach and you’ll find fresh seafood on offer served in a variety of dishes. If you’re a seafood lover, it’ll never be a bad idea to take a trip down to Busan.

PeoJuNeun Jib (퍼주는 집)

On the outskirts of Busan’s famous HaeUnDae Beach is a slightly-hidden little restaurant whose ambiguous shopfront is little more than a door and a dark, windowless ominous shed-like extension which houses a couple of fish tanks. This little place may not be so popular with tourists but many locals visit for the fresh fish and abundant, complimentary side dishes. On our early-evening visit, we happened to be the first ones in, welcomed warmly by the auntie in the kitchen who took care of us very well.

The menu is not very complex, consisting of a handful of dishes in various sizes. We ordered the mixed sashimi modeum hwe (모듬회), whose small size (소) was a very reasonable ₩35,000 (US$29). The platter came with a few types of white-flesh fish – though we admittedly couldn’t tell whether it was different types of fish or different parts of one fish. Chewy and very light in flavour, it’s incredibly fresh to the point of almost bland besides a delicate scent of the ocean. Each type has its own distinct flavour and texture, not quite melt-in-the-mouth as a fatty fish like salmon but enjoyable in its own way.

The restaurateurs recommend eating the hwe with the provided soy sauce mixed with horseradish, as well as a vinegared red pepper sauce, a popular condiment with seafood dishes in Korea. The fish is also served with a selection of side dishes such as fresh raw vegetables and pickles. Incredibly, we were also served a cockle soup, a seafood pancake, a small grilled fish, and steamed egg. This last dish we turned down as it was served near the end of our meal, and it was far too much food to take in.

Each dish showcased different seafood, all of them just as fresh as the other. From tender pieces of squid in the pancake to the flavourful oily grilled fish, even ordering just the assorted raw fish can mean a feast of seafood. This restaurant was absolutely delightful, but as per usual we highly recommend visiting a restaurant in your area for fresh seafood.

All this information is relevant to the time of our visit in May of 2019. The prices, menu items, and even shopfronts may have changed since then, so we recommend being flexible to change if paying a visit to any of the restaurants we ate at. For more things to eat in Busan, make sure to visit the BuPyeong KkangTong Market for local and international street food, or head to GeumJeongSan Mountain to sample some unlikely specialities!