Best Food in Busan, Top 10 Must-Try Dishes for Travelers

Pork Rice Soup (Dwaeji-gukbap)

All over Busan · ₩7,000-9,000

Whether you just landed on an early-morning flight or had one too many drinks last night, a steaming bowl of Dwaeji Gukbap is the perfect way to start your Busan adventure. The milky pork-bone broth is served with rice, and every table comes loaded with condiments, chive kimchi, salted shrimp paste, and spicy red pepper paste, so you can customize each bowl to your own taste.

Wheat Cold Noodles (Milmyeon)

All over Busan · ₩7,000-9,000

You cannot find this anywhere else in Korea, Milmyeon is Busan's own cold noodle dish, born during the Korean War when refugees substituted wheat flour for buckwheat. Choose between "mul-milmyeon" (served in a chilled broth) or "bibim-milmyeon" (tossed in a sweet-spicy sauce). Locals always finish a raw fish meal with a bowl of Milmyeon, it's the signature Busan combo.

Most popular in summer, but locals eat it year-round

Cold Raw Fish Soup (Mulhoe)

Jagalchi Haean-ro · ₩18,000

A tangy, sweet, ice-cold broth brimming with freshly sliced sashimi straight from the tank. On a sweltering Busan summer day, one bowl of Mulhoe at the Jagalchi Haean-ro restaurant wipes out the heat instantly and revives your appetite. At ₩18,000, it is an incredibly affordable way to taste the ocean without committing to a full sashimi course.

Mulhoe season runs April-September; peak flavor in midsummer

Soy Sauce Marinated Crab

Nampo-dong Waterfront · From ₩30,000

Raw crab marinated in a house-made soy sauce that is rich, slightly sweet, and deeply savory. Scoop rice into the shell, mix it with the roe and sauce, and you will understand why Koreans call this dish "bap-doduk", the rice thief.

Best in spring-summer (April-August) when roe is fullest

Seed Hotteok (Sweet Pancake)

BIFF Square · ₩1,000

Snack time in Busan. At the BIFF Square street stalls, freshly fried pancakes come out crispy on the outside and oozing with a filling of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and mixed nuts. At just ₩1,000, this is a Busan-only street dessert you will not find anywhere else in Korea.

Grilled Live Hagfish

Near Jagalchi Market · From ₩60,000

Start with lightly salted grilled hagfish to appreciate its natural flavor, then let the kitchen toss it in a secret spicy sauce, and finish with fried rice cooked on the same griddle. This three-stage experience, salt-grilled, sauce-stir-fried, then fried rice, is a Busan classic.

Dongnae Green Onion Pancake

Dongnae District · ₩15,000-20,000

Step off the beaten tourist path and take the subway 30 minutes to Dongnae, Busan's historic hot-spring village. The Dongnae Pajeon here is the king of all Korean pancakes, layers of scallions, seafood, and beef, fried until golden and crispy. Dip a piece in soy sauce, chase it with a cup of makgeolli (rice wine), and feel the travel fatigue melt away.

Gijang Anchovy Wrap Rice

Gijang Daebyeon Port · ₩12,000-15,000

Head to Daebyeon Port on Busan's eastern coast for a meal that will change everything you thought you knew about anchovies. Plump seasonal anchovies are wrapped in leafy greens with ssamjang (dipping paste) and garlic. You also get raw anchovy sashimi on the side, a revelation for first-timers.

Spring (April-May) anchovy festival season is peak time

Octopus, Tripe & Shrimp Hot Pot

All over Busan · ₩13,000-16,000

When your second evening in Busan calls for something fiery, Nakgopsae delivers. Octopus, beef tripe, and shrimp bubble together in a blazing red chili broth. Finish by adding ramyeon noodles or having the staff make fried rice in the leftover sauce. Born in Busan and copied nationwide, this is the original spicy hot pot.