16 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Busan, South Korea

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 in the little village around Hakdong Beach, this popular eatery serves up an array of seafood prepared in different ways. Roasted or braised galchi (belt fish) is popular, and the servings generous. While they're set up to serve groups, it's also possible to order dishes for just one person, a luxury not always available at seaside joints in Korea.

Just a short walk from city hall, Dongin-dong Jjimgalbi Alley is packed with restaurants perfecting the art of braised beef short ribs, a Daegu specialty. Bongsan Jjimgalbi is considered to be one of the best of the bunch, delivering a knockout punch with bowls full of spicy goodness. If you appreciate chili and garlic, this place is for you, though the kitchen staff will happily oblige if you request that they turn down the heat.

This local institution is known for its Pyeonyang-style mool naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), topped off with slices of thin pork. Once occupying a tiny house in the alley, the restaurant has now moved into a much larger brand-new hanok on the main road, and is the perfect antidote to the blazing heat of Daegu summertime.

This award-winning café not only features terrific coffees and desserts, but also spins classic jazz, soul, and other oldies on vinyl. They roast their own beans, and whip up a mean cream latte that may have you coming back for more. 

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.

Situated in a large, hanok-style house, this restaurant serves the hot coal-grilled hanu beef bulgogi for which Eonyang is famous. The marinated meat is tender and both sweet and savory, and the traditional surroundings only serve to add to the flavor. It's the most popular eatery in town, so be prepared to wait. 

Nestled in bucolic Seori Village, this wonderful restaurant specializes in boneless duck meat grilled at your table with a pile of assorted mushrooms. Diners can choose between a mild or spicy marinade, accompanied with side dishes made from fresh, local vegetables.

This great fried-fish place sits in the row of restaurants just opposite the Oedo Cruise Terminal in Gujora Village. They also offer jaeyuk deopbab (spicy fried pork), donkas (breaded pork cutlet), and gyaeran mari (rolled egg with green onions) if you're not in the mood for seafood. Just make sure to get there early, as they close up shop at 5 pm.

While ggulbbang (honey bread) can be found all over town, this is probably Tongyeong's most famous (or at least most conspicuous) purveyor of the sweet treat. The building housing the bakery sits next to the main harbor and is done up in the shape of a giant orange sea pineapple, the marine creature that's also a delicacy in these parts.

Located on a side street off the main concourse of Eonyang Alps Market, this genuine hole-in-the-wall serves up bowls of gomtang (beef bone soup) nearly overflowing with succulent, thin slices of Korean beef. Add a bowl of rice to accompany the soup and you have an ultranourishing meal.

This extremely popular local joint specializes in the Korean--Chinese dish jjambbong (noodles in spicy red broth) piled high with heaps of fresh seafood. Diners are given the option of 1–3 on the heat scale, though there is a mild version (Hayan jjambbong) for the chili-adverse. Unlike a lot of the old-school eateries in town, this place is bright and immaculate, bucking the notion that truly delicious Korean restaurants need to be a little run-down in appearance.

Located in Tongyeong Jungang Market, this down-home seafood joint specializes in raw sashimi, along with maeuntang (spicy fish soup) and hoe deop bap (raw fish over rice). Eating in a bustling Korean market is always an experience worth pursuing, and being so close to the source you're guaranteed that everything will be as fresh as can be.

Serving many styles of dumplings since 1972, this celebrated local joint sets the standard in town. Their house specialty is meat-filled gun mandu (fried dumplings), oil-crisped so thoroughly that the set of ten arrives at your table fused together.

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.