9 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Busan, South Korea

The local favorite serves full-course traditional Korean fare, with entrees 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 wines) 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. 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 the 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.

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. 

Just a quick walk from the main gate of Tongdosa Temple, 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.

Serving many styles 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.