Sajik-dong in Busan is not one of Busan’s top destinations or a hot place for foodies. However, it offers a good and long list of restaurants, and quite a few of them are worth visiting. If you have a chance to see Busan One Asia Festival at Asiad Stadium or a Lotte Giants game at Sajik Baseball Stadium, consider stopping by one of these restaurants in Sajik-dong.
- Sunjinhan Kalguksu (순진한 칼국수)
- Ssangdungi Dwaejigukbap (쌍둥이 돼지국밥)
- Eojeong (어정)
- Gogaok (고가옥)
- Okdangbunsik (옥당분식)
- Kimkina Wonjo Jangeogui (김기나 원조장어구이)
- Ryugane Deodeok Samgyeopsal (류가네 더덕삼겹살)
Sunjinhan Kalguksu (순진한 칼국수)
Food Type
Korean Food – Kalguksu and Chungmu Gimbap
Location
13 Sajik-ro, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
> 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. (weekdays – break 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. / weekend – no break time)
> Closed: Mondays
Direction
Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 1 > Then walk 300m (about 1,000 feet)
Contact
Phone: +82-51-505-0300
This restaurant opened in 2019. Although it is a relatively new-kid-on-the-block, its kalguksu menu has already created a good reputation. Its kalguksu has a deeper taste because it has meat-based soup (the picture above). You can order spicy kalguksu as well (the picture below). The restaurant offers seasonal kalguksu such as kalguksu with soybean-based soup.
If you want to know more about kalguksu, read this post about Korean noodles.
If you are not in the mood for noodles, you can have Kkomaengi Gimbap. It’s basically the same as Chungmu Gimbap but in a different name. In a regular gimbap, every ingredient is wrapped inside of the gimbap roll. But, in Chungmu Gimbap, gimbap is only a roll of rice with seaweed, and sides like radish kimchi and spicy squid are served separately.
You may not expect a McDonald-like self-order kiosk at a small local restaurant, but it’s here. Yes, we are definitely living in the 21st century.
Ssangdungi Dwaejigukbap (쌍둥이 돼지국밥)
Food Type
Korean Food – Dwaejigukbap (pork soup with rice)
Location
147, Asiad-daero, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
> 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
> Closed: Sundays
Direction
Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 1
Contact
Phone: +82-51-502-0995
Dwaejigukbap (돼지국밥/pork rice and soup) is one of Busan’s most popular local dishes. You can definitely call it the soul food of Busan. Ssangdungi Dwaejigukbap in Sajik-dong is the second location of the restaurant after one in Daeyeon-dong.
The menu includes regular dwaejigukbap (돼지국밥), sundaegukbap (순대국밥, soup with blood sausage), naejanggukbap (내장국밥, offal and rice soup), seokeogukbap (섞어국밥, rice soup with various parts of pork), and subaek (수백, boiled pork slices and rice).
Reviews of Ssangdungi Dwaejigukbap
Eojeong (어정)
Food Type
Japanese Food – Sashimi and Sushi
Location
8, Sajik-ro, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
> 5:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
> Closed: Sundays
Direction
> Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), get off at Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 1
> Bus: No. 10, 44, 50, 57, 80, 111, 111-1, 131, 189, 210, or 1002. Get off at Sajik Baseball Stadium (사직야구장) bus stop
Contact
Phone: +82-51-715-3868
This small Japanese restaurant may have limited seating space, but the menu covers quite a range, from sashimi and sushi to fish soups and scorched rice soup. Please, keep in mind that it opens only for dinner.
Gogaok (고가옥)
Food Type
Korean Food – Various Beef Soup and Thistle Bibimbap
Location
16-5, Sajikbuk-ro, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
> 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
> Closed: Sundays
Direction
> Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), get off at Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 3 > Walk 600 meters (about 2,000 feet)
> Bus: No. 80, 131, 189, or 1002. Get of at Sajiksageori (사직사거리) bus stop. Or, No. 10, 44, 46, 57, 111, 111-1, or 210. Get off at Sajik Baseball Stadium (사직야구장) bus stop
Contact
Phone: +82-51-505-3222
Although Gogaok is not a household name in Busan, it is quite popular for many local residents in Sajik-dong. Thistle bibimbap is its signature dish and side dishes served along with it are delicious as well.
If you are more meat-person, you can order sogogi gukbap (소고기국밥, beef and rice soup), chadolyangji gomtang (곰탕, beef bone soup with brisket), and doganitang (도가니탕, ox knee soup). After they moved to this new location, they added seafood pasta and fried rice. I assume those are for young kids who might not be into these soulful Korean dishes yet.
Okdangbunsik (옥당분식)
Food Type
Korean Street Food – Tteokbokki and Eomuk
Location
101, Sajikbuk-ro 28beon-gil, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
> 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Sunday: closes at 7:00 p.m.)
> Closed: First Sunday
Direction
> Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), get off at Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 3 > Walk 400 meters (about 1,300 feet)
> Bus: No. 33-1, 44, 46, 50, 57, 80, 83-1, 111, 111-1, 131, 189, or 210. Get off at Sajik 1 Chian Center (Police Station/사직1치안센터) bus stop
Contact
Phone: +82-10-3561-9386
Every South Korean city has its own must-try tteokbokki restaurants. Busan certainly has many of them, and Sajik-dong carries a few of them. Okdangbunsik is located in Sajik Traditional Market (사직시장), and it’s more like a street food vendor rather than a full restaurant. You can find only a couple of tables.
The unique eating point of its tteokbokki is that it’s a basically multteok with tteokbokki sauce. The tteok (떡, rice cake) is a much bigger piece compared to regular tteokbokki. Odengtuigim (오뎅튀김, fried fish cake) is quite a unique menu as well. To my humble taste buds, both of them are a little too sweet for me, but that would be just me.
Kim Kina Wonjo Jangeogui (김기나 원조 장어구이)
Food Type
Korean Food – Grilled Eel and Eel Stew
Location
3, Sajik-ro, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (break 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
Direction
> Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), get off at Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 1
> Free parking available
Contact
Phone: +82-51-502-3323
Eel dishes have always been one of the top energy-boosting foods among Koreans. Wonjo Jangeogui offers two types of grilled eels: on steel plate (철판구이) and on charcoal (숯불구이). You cook eels for yourself at the table with an option of a charcoal grill. If you choose a steel plate option, it will be served after eels are cooked in the kitchen.
You can also order a meal set (장어정식) with grilled eels. It comes with a full table of side dishes and less amount of eels at a lower price. Jangeotang (장어탕, eel stew) is another signature menu of this restaurant. It has a bit strong prickly ash taste. It could grow on you when you taste them several times, but it might not be the best taste the first time.
Reviews of Ssangdungi Dwaejigukbap
Ryugane Deodeok Samgyeopsal (류가네 더덕삼겹살)
Food Type
Korean BBQ – Samgyeopsal (삼겹살, pork belly) with Deodeok
Location
1213, Yeogo-ro, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Hours
> 3:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
> Closed: Sundays
Direction
Subway: Line 3 (Brown Line), get off at Sajik station (사직/308), Exit 1 > Then walk 400 meters (about 1,300 feet)
Contact
Phone: +82-51-506-1817
If you are a fan of Korean food, you probably already know samgyeopsal (삼겹살, pork belly) – If you want to know more about samgyeopsal, click here to read. What’s interesting in this restaurant is BBQing them with deodeok (더덕), a plant that is indigenous to the East Asia. Grilled deodeok with spicy sauce compliments the oily taste of samgyeopsal. Unless the restaurant is crazily busy, the owner or servers will grill them for you.
Other Restaurants in Sajik-dong
Here is another restaurant in Sajik-dong that I visited a while ago: Gogijeongeojang, Korean BBQ
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