Must eat food in Busan — 10+ best Busan famous food & must try food in Busan

November 16, 2022

Situated on the southern coast of the Korean peninsula, Busan city is known as a paradise for seafood lovers and Korea’s regional delicacies. Busan has increasingly become a popular vacation destination for international travelers. For food aficionados, the city’s fantastic food scene is one great reason to Busan. As for the largest port city in Korea, it is not surprising to see abundant fresh seafood all over Busan. However, what makes a gastronomic trip to the city worthwhile is the new interpretation of Korean cuisine with a local twist.

So, what to eat in Busan (Busan what to eat) and where to eat in Busan? Let’s check out our suggested 10+ must try food in Busan, best food in Busan, must eat food in Busan (famous food in Busan, food to eat in Busan, must eat Busan, must eat in Busan) including best food to eat in Busan, best street food in Busan, Busan famous food, Busan local food, Busan traditional food as well as best places to eat in Busan to find them out!

Visit Busan, you must try the seafood | must eat food in busan

Raw fish variety in Busan cuisine | must eat food in busan

If you are interested in eating like the locals, this guide as the shared post includes details of extraordinary dishes below. Let’s check out what to eat in Busan while visiting this port city of Busan to help you have a perfect trip.

Ganjang Gejang (raw crabs marinated in soy sauce) (#must eat food in busan)

Dubbed the most unique and famous food in Korea with crab marinated in soy sauce, Ganjang Gejang is the first seafood food that is worth a try when you arrive in the Busan coastal city.

Raw crabs marinated in soy sauce | must eat food in busan

Ganjang Gejang (raw crabs marinated in soy sauce) or red chili powder sauce | must eat food in busan

Raw materials are fresh raw crab, absolutely not cooked by heat. After being washed, it will be marinated with soy sauce, soy sauce, and many other spices for three days. Finally, it will be put in the refrigerator to chill before serving diners.

Ganjang Gejang can be served with white rice, which is put in the crab shell, mixed with the crab bricks, and then add a little sauce to absorb evenly. You will feel the wonderful taste of the spicy chili, the sweetness of the crab, and the richness of the sauce while eating. All of this creates delicious food that all diners will love even the most demanding palates

One of the best parts of Ganjang Gejang is mixing your rice into the shells with some of the seasoning sauce, roe, and fat | must eat food in busan

Address: 27 Haeundaehaebyeon-Ro 209 Beonga-Gil, Haeundae-Gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, Monday to Sunday
Phone: 0082- 51-543-4126

Godeungeo Gui (grilled mackerel) (#must eat in busan)

Godeungeo Gui is a grilled mackerel dish that is many tourists’ and locals’ favorite. Grilled fish is enormously popular in Korea in general and Busan in particular. Because mackerel lives in the sea, the meat is firm flesh and delicious. Moreover, the taste the sea is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins, and minerals. The most special feature is how to cook. After washing, the fresh mackerels will be marinated with spices and then grilled just enough. Then it will be braised with some typical spices at just enough to keep its beautiful shape.

Godeungeo Gui before cooking | must try food in busan

Cut Godeungeo Gui into beautiful pieces in shape for more mouthwatering | must try food in busan

With the Godeunggeo Gui salty braised mackerel, you will feel the culinary culture of Korea. Fresh and full of flavor, attractive color, a wonderful dish that is not real. No diner can resist.

Address: 360 Choryang-dong, Dong-Gu Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm, Monday to Sunday

Chueotang (fish soup) (#best food in busan)

This dish is made from the main ingredient is a freshwater mudfish named Chueo, which is typical of the Busan port city. Almost tourists to this place cannot ignore this attractive food. The recipe is very simple. Firstly, you clean and marinate the fish with spices. Then you stew it with bean sprouts, dried turnip greens, dried sweet potato, and cabbage with some other spices to increase the taste and flavor of the fish.

The special feature that makes this fish food more attractive than other fish treats in Busan is that all ingredients will be deeply cooked until they are no longer in shape. However, you will feel the wonderful and unique flavor while eating. Most of the diners who tried it were satisfied with the sweetness and taste of this dish.

Address: 383-19 Deokcheon2-dong, Buk-Gu Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: from 10:00 pm to 12:00 pm, Monday to Sunday

Odeng (fish cake soup) (#famous food in busan)

Referring to Busan will surely make many visitors remember the taste of the sea, and of course, the signature fish cake with the indispensable Odeng fish is from this seafood paradise. As the weather gets colder, this fish cake soup gains popularity as a side meal for the locals here.

Odeng fish cake with a cup of hot soup | famous food in busan

This Odeng recipe is for diners who love the spiciness | famous food in busan

The pieces of fish cakes are fried to a golden brown color that looks very eye-catching and has enough spice when you eat it with your dipping sauce accordingly. You can easily enjoy this dish at carts or stalls on the streets and alleys of Busan. You can find this popular food everywhere in the city.

An interesting point is how to cook and how to preserve which are completely revealed you can see the entire process of cleaning and processing products. Then, you comfortably enjoy the food without worrying about food hygiene and safety.

Odeng food stall in Busan | famous food in busan

Address: All routes in Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: 24h/24h

Jogae Gui grilled shellfish (#what to eat in busan)

One of our favorite Korean dishes is grilled shellfish. A dining experience not to be missed in Busan is grilled seafood at Jogae Gui. With fresh, delicious ingredients freshly caught from the sea, you are mouthwatering with the grilled shellfish.

Busan grilled seafood | best food in busan

Here you can try the grilled shellfish, which are favorites of both locals and visitors such as clams, scallops, snails, and so on. A full seasoning includes butter sauce, onions, garlic, and chili these shellfish. Therefore, the taste is very delicious and rich. In particular, in Busan, when you eat grilled seafood, you try grilling by yourself as an experience. Every cooking step from seasoning to baking is directly done so that visitors can admire and feel safe and comfortable while enjoying.

Address: 595-4 Jung 2 (i)-dong, Haeundae-Gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm, Monday to Sunday
Phone: 0082 51-701-7661

Agu-Jjim (spicy braised monkfish) (#must try food in busan)

Agu-Jjim, also called Agwi-Jjim, is a spicy fish dish made with Agu (monkfish) and Kongnamul (soybean sprouts). The white flesh underneath the red spicy sauce is tender and moist, and the crunchy bean sprouts nicely complement the white fish with a burst of spicy flavor.

If you’re in the mood for some spicy seafood dish in Korea, you should get a big plate of Agujjim | best food in busan

Many diners surprise by the name Agujjim of this food when they come to Busan. The main ingredient is angler fish, which has a strange and scary shape, but the meat is very delicious and nutritious. According to the locals, this fish is also known as the beef of the sea because of its similar taste to beef.

People will add some herbs such as bean sprouts, onions, or some other seafood such as shrimp and squid to increase the flavor and color during cooking. The most attractive feature is the red color and spicy flavor of the typical Korean chili powder. In winter, let’s come to Busan, and enjoying this dish will make you forget the cold feeling of the weather here.

Address: 12-8 Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-Gu, Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Monday to Sunday

Sannakji (live octopus) (#must eat busan)

If you’re a stickler for fresh sushi and have a flair for the dramatic, you may be in for an unexpected and controversial treat. Visit Busan, this food will surely make you have more memorable experiences. Sannakji, is a dish with the main ingredient being fresh, live octopus.

The most special thing is that you will enjoy live octopus. The chefs just chop and season them with spices, like sesame seeds and some types of paprika. You will feel the octopus still squirming in your mouth while eating.

If you chew properly, the sweetness of the octopus meat mixed with the flavors will give you a great feeling. Moreover, we also note that while enjoying this specialty, you should be careful. If you fail to eat it in the right way, you may easily encounter minor trouble. If you are not brave enough, it is best to change to an octopus hot pot instead of a live octopus to ensure your safety.

Address: 52 Jagalchihaean-Ro, Nampo-dong, Jung-Gu Busan, 600-044, South Korea
Opening hours: from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, Monday to Sunday

Saengseon Hwe (sliced raw fish) (#best street food in busan)

Saengseon Hwe, aka sashimi, is one of the most sought-after seafood dishes in Busan. Because of its delicious and unique taste, this dish is also located on the famous Haeundae beach in Busan.

Saengseon Hwe is a fresh Korean sashimi | must eat in busan

When you come here, you will have the opportunity to see the vast, beautiful scenery of the sea, enjoy the food and sip a cup of Soju with bold Korean culinary culture. The special thing that attracts visitors is that the pieces of fish are completely unprocessed, only fully seasoned with spices such as onions, garlic, and chili. When you eat this fish, you will be served with raw vegetables and a strong sauce. Spicy from the tip of the tongue, but the taste is great.

It’s natural for fresh seafood to be one of the best local foods to try on any visit to Saengseon Hwe in Busan | must eat in busan

You can believe that the restaurant is so delicious and famous that the walls around the restaurant are covered with the autographs of Korean celebrities, who have visited to enjoy the taste of Busan’s seafood.

Address: 1017-3 Jung 1(il)-dong, Haeundae Busan, 612-010, South Korea
Opening hours: from 12:00 am to 11:00 pm, Monday to Sunday.

Gaebul (#best food to eat in busan)

Gaebul (also has a lovely name as the penis fish) is a thick, fatty marine spoon worm with a unique phallic shape. Most tourists to Busan are curious to enjoy this special dish because it is dubbed by locals as a male enhancement elixir like oysters.

You will see strange-looking seafood like the Urechis Unicinctus, better known as the penis fish

Raw Gaebul will be cut into small, medium-sized pieces by chefs. You should eat this food with green vegetables, dipping sauce or sauce. The plates to place this dish are very impressive, both unique and strange. If you can’t eat raw salad, you should consider this before trying this dish.

Address: 52 Jagalchihaean-Ro, Nampo-dong, Jung-Gu Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday: from 12:00 am to 11:00 pm.

Spicy fish stew (Korean spicy fish soup) (#must eat food in busan)

A spicy fish stew (or soup) is a scrumptious food that has been renowned in Korean traditional culinary culture. Almost visitors to Busan do not miss the opportunity to enjoy this unique dish.

When you come to any restaurant in Busan, you can choose for yourself a favorite fish to try the fish stew. It can be freshwater fish such as red snapper, carp or cod, grouper, and others. They will be cooked by skilled chefs along with typical spices into great bowls of spicy fish stew for you.

Hwangtae, Korea’s national fish, is made into a spicy fish soup with tender, fluffy, and rich in flavor. Hwangtae is Alaska pollock hung from wooden stands in open-air fields and left to freeze-dry over several months | best food to eat in busan

This spicy fish stew, called Maeuntang, is made with a red snapper, which has a firm, white flesh with a mildly sweet and nutty flavor | best food to eat in busan

Appetizing carp fish soup in Busan | best food to eat in busan

Address: 174-15 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 255-25, Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu Busan, South Korea
Opening hours: from 12:00 am to 11:00 pm, Monday to Sunday

An appetizing food collection you must try in Busan | best food to eat in busan

Do not miss visiting the Busan markets for your next trips | best food to eat in busan

The coastal city of Busan always welcomes visitors with the best things from the natural scenery to the attractive and attractive dishes with the flavor of the Korean culinary culture. Hope you have a perfect trip with the seafood treats above. After you leave Busan, you indeed will plan the next trip to Busan again due to the diverse and delicious food here.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Busan you can refer to

Are you looking for more Busan travel guide: Things to do, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out our Busan blog — The fullest Busan travel guide & suggested Busan itinerary on how to spend 3 days in Busan, South Korea.