4 Best Nightlife in Busan, South Korea

Appropriately named, this rollicking Western bar is indeed the headquarters for expat nightlife in Busan, though it also attracts a significant Korean clientele. With quality drinks, live music, amazingly good pub grub, and a million-dollar view of the Gwangan Diamond Bridge, HQ is always a hoot. It's also the best place in town to watch sports, and the staff and owners are as friendly as it gets.

Set up like an old English pub, this dark, chilled-out bar offers nice beers on tap, solid cocktails, and a great selection of jazz and blues on vinyl. The owner clearly understands the power of atmosphere, and the music alone makes Savoy a true gem in a sea of bars where K-pop (though a fun choice) is usually blasted at deafening volumes.

Forming a U-shape in the streets behind the Lotte Hotel, Seomyeon Pojangmacha Street is dedicated to the disappearing art of old-school Korean tent drinking. Most always staffed by tough, no-nonsense older women, these covered carts offer a simple bench or stool at a tiny counter, where you can nosh on side dishes whipped up on the spot and wash it all down with cold beer, makgeolli (rice wine), or bottles of soju. The food at a pojangmacha is usually good, so much so that it's often the star of the show. And the camaraderie you form with other patrons while eating and drinking together in such cozy environs is something you'll take with you long after your hangover is gone.

Before its current incarnation as a hip restaurant and bar, the cave that houses Yong Ggum was in fact a bomb shelter. This is the perfect place to try a variety of Korean liquors, including dongdongju (rice wine).