4 Best Restaurants in Gyeongju, Side Trips from Busan

The local favorite serves full-course traditional Korean fare, with entreés like bulgogi (marinated beef), jeon (savory pancake), dwaenjang jjigae (bean paste stew), and fried fish, all accompanied by myriad side dishes. Not only is the food terrific, but the service is top-notch, and the old hanok house the restaurant calls home adds to the charm. Make sure to order a bottle of their locally made dong-dong ju or cheongju (rice wine) to wash it all down, or if tea is more your thing, choose a healthy brew from their expansive list.

Located just one and a half blocks up from the Gyeongju Jungang Market, this popular Chinese restaurant has been in operation since the 1950s. The menu here is much deeper than what you typically find in Korea, with rare treats such as shrimp shumai (dumplings) and Taiwanese beef noodle soup, though you can also find reliable Chinese–Korean classics like jjajangmyeon and jjamppong.

This buzzing bakery and café may just be the hippest place in town, offering top-notch brewed coffee and espresso drinks, along with an array of baked goods created right on the premises. It gets busy on the weekends, but the wait is worth it.

Eating hamburgers may not be the first thing that springs to mind when visiting the ancient capital of the Silla dynasty, but this place dials it in with juicy patties and unique savory sauces. They also do fries, onion rings, and milkshakes that may have you briefly longing for home.