19 Best Restaurants in Busan, South Korea

This booming barbecue joint near Kyungsung and Pukyong universities offers amazing bang for your buck. The restaurant specializes in thick cuts of water-aged samgyeopsal (pork belly) at low prices. It's no wonder they're always slammed. 

Located off a side street in Seomyeon Market, this is one of the most famous kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) joints in the city. The broth is savory and clean, and the noodles are all made the old-school way: by hand. You can choose between mool (with broth) or bibim (no broth, with chili paste). Look for the line.

This popular chain serves up delicious Japanese-style tonkatsu (pork cutlet), udon, and curry. There are no tables, so just slide onto a stool at the counter and watch the cooks work their magic. The decor and cozy ambience will have you feeling like you just stepped off the street in Osaka. The curry is savory, sweet, and satisfying, and everything arrives in massive bowls.

This perpetually busy restaurant has been serving nakji-bokkum (long-legged octopus) to Busanites for a handful of years now, and has quickly earned a reputation as one of the best joints in town. Customers can choose between three levels of heat (spicy, medium, or mild), as well as add favorites such as saewoo (shrimp), or for more adventurous eaters, gopchang (pork intestines) to the mix. Make sure to wash it all down with an ice-cold bottle of beer for maximum effect.

While Busan is a great food town, it's never been known for its fine-dining scene. This has begun to change in recent years with the addition of establishments such as Lab 24, where chef Edward Kwon dishes out French-inspired plates with gentle nods to Korean flavors. The dining room directly overlooks Songjeong Beach, which serves as a terrific backdrop for an indulgent, leisurely prix-fixe meal.

Mackerel is Busan's unofficial city fish, and this new addition to Haeundae's dining scene serves it a variety of ways for a price that doesn't break the bank. The second-floor restaurant is clean and bright and comes with a self-serve bar, where you can load up on sides and extras.

This little neighborhood spot is all about the silky Korean soft tofu known as sundubu, served bubbling hot in black earthenware pots. They also have meals for two with tasty extras such as stir-fried spicy pork and octopus. It gets slammed at lunchtime, but the home-cooked style food is an outlier in shiny Centum City, so it's more than worth the wait.

Looming on the far north end of the beach, this complex is dedicated to the glory of seafood prepared in its freshest form. The first floor is a cavalcade of tanks manned by strong women who will net the sea creatures you desire and dispatch them on the spot; you're then sent to a restaurant upstairs, where everything is served sliced up on a table, along with classic Korean side dishes and maeuntang, a peppery soup made from the bones and heads.

Perched on the 43rd floor of the Lotte Hotel, the Mugunghwa offers lucky diners sweeping views of the city and the distant hills. This elegant restaurant has five private rooms (for four to fifteen diners) in addition to its light, spacious main room. The cuisine emphasizes traditional Korean dishes, like galbi (grilled short ribs) and kimchi. The menu always offers courses that feature a good selection of local and seasonal fare, like Yeongdeok crab and seasonal fish. There's also an excellent Korean liquor list and a decent selection of wines.

Stroll down the side streets off Haendae's main Gunam-ro to find this popular barbecue joint that will make you feel as if you're sipping soju in a Korean drama. With fresh cuts of both beef and pork, it's guaranteed to please carnivores without decimating their wallets. The tabletop grills also come with side pans for cooking scrambled eggs and kimchi.

The Centum branch of this popular chain just may be the nicest in town. The Party manages to elevate the notion of the buffet by guaranteeing a wide range of delectable, freshly prepared dishes with a dash of class. The food runs the gamut from Korean favorites, Chinese, sushi and sashimi, to Western standards such as pizza, pasta, and grilled-on-the-spot steak.

If you're shopping in the area, this is a solid place to sit down and grab a bite. The Food Hall offers a good range of options: there are 10 outlets serving Japanese dishes such as cold soba noodles and donburi and Korean favorites like bibimbap and cold noodles. Plates are purchased using a meal ticket system—buy tickets at the main cashier to purchase meals at any of the counters. Though the department store closes at 8 pm weekdays and 9 pm on weekends, the food hall stays open until 10 pm.

While dumplings are easy to find in Busan, no one comes close the sublimity of Sinbalwon, a tiny spot on the Chinatown Street across from Busan Station. Whether you like them fried golden brown or tenderly steamed, this popular joint delivers the goods and then some. There is always a wait, so bring plenty of patience along with your appetite.

New York–style slices and pies are served with a sweeping view of the beach and the Gwangan Diamond Bridge at SOL. Easily the best pizza in town, it comes with a whole slew of craft beers on tap to boot.

Nothing says "Busan" more than its signature dish of dwaeji gukbap (pork rice soup), and Ssangdoongi is one of the most popular places in town. Warm your insides with pure savory goodness at this institution, but be prepared to wait, as there is often a line.

This delightful little brewery serves German-style beers and Euro food favorites such as wurst, goulash, and schnitzel, bringing a nice taste of Deutchsland to the beach of Busan.

The Seomyeon branch of this popular beef galbi (rib meat) barbecue chain is both elegant and immaculate, complete with a small stream running through the building. The restaurant specializes in fresh cuts of imported beef (American and Australian), making it slightly easier on the wallet than the places that only serve Korean hanwoo.

This chain specializes in myriad varieties of bibimbap, Korea's healthy mixed-rice dish that has become synonymous with the country's cuisine. For the full experience, make sure to order the dolsot bibimbap, which comes sizzling in a hot stone pot. Vegetarians will also have options here.

This Busan institution is one of the best places in town to satisfy your craving for samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup). The broth is so clean tasting that it's almost medicinal, and the whole rice-stuffed chicken in your bowl is fall-off-the-bone tender. Woosung Samgyetang is located on a side street in the Suyeong neighborhood, just one subway stop away from Gwangalli. Be prepared to wait.