Restaurant Guide

Raw Fish Restaurants (Hway Jib)
These restaurants often have their fish on display in fish tanks for passersby to see. The best way to eat them is wrapped in leaves with sauce, garlic and other vegetables. There are usually many side dishes accompanying the fish. Usually people drink soju with the meal but beer (maekju), cider, or cola is also available. It's also common to have coffee and ice cream after the meal. Prices range from about w25,000 to w40,000 per couple.

Small Traditional Korean Style Restaurants
Many small mom and pop shops litter the streets of Pusan. They generally house only a few tables and chairs, and the dishes are of the ordinary traditional Korean style. The wide variety of dishes and prices usually range from w2,500 to w5,000 per person.
Bi Bim Bop: mixed rice and vegetables. Don't forget to mix it all together before eating. This is very popular with foreigners.
There are a number of different kinds of Korean soups, such as: Chigay, Guk, Tongue, Jeon-gol. Ingredients can include kimchi, mandoo, meat, bones, and vegetables. Hae jong guk is a valued soup for treating hangovers. I recommend Cone na muel hae jong guk, which helped me New Years morning. Also, Yuek gay jong is a nice hearty beef and vegetable mixture that will satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. Also, don't leave Korea without eating sam gi tan or ginseng chicken soup. This soup is reputed to help give you strength in the very hot summer months.
*Also, yes, some Koreans do eat dog meat (kae gogi) soup named Bo Shin Tongue.
Bo Keum Bop: this is a fried rice mixture that can contain a variety of tasty ingredients including Kimchi, vegetables and/or seafood.
Juk: a Korean style gruel that is good for the sick or weak.

Poh Jang Ma Cha
"Soju Tent" is the best way to describe this kind of bar/restaurant. In addition to soju, these collapsible restaurants offer fresh sea food, including live octopus, and an atmosphere that is at once informal and intimate. You will see these orange tents in various locations in and around Pusan. In particular, each night, the shores of Haeundae are lit up with the orange soju tents.

Barbeque Restaurants
Bul (barbeque) kogi (meat) restaurants are a favorite among many foreigners, even those of the less adventurous bent. Various kinds of meat, including beef (so bulgogi), beef ribs (so karbi), pork (Sam Gip Sal), and pork ribs (desi karbi), are prepared before your very eyes on a barbeque set into the middle of your table. Abundant side dishes of vegetables and delicious sauces make this an exquisite treat. Some of the more modern fusion restaurants also serve "wine sam gip sal". Prices range from about w8,000 to w15,000 per person.

Korean Chinese Style
These restaurants don't offer authentic Chinese food from what I'm told. Rather, they provide a Korean version of Chinese food. Ja ja myun consists of thick noodles in a black bean sauce and sells for about w3,000. Tradition has it that you eat ja ja myun on black day if you don't have a boyfriend or girlfried on Valentine's day. Another Chinese favorite is Tong su you, deep fried, breaded pork with dipping sauce.

Japanese Style Pork Cutlet
For between w3,000 and w10,000 you can enjoy a dish that is popular with young people in Korea. Pork cutlet (Don Kass) is usually topped with a sweet sauce, served with rice, and accompanied by a cup of Japanese style Deng Jong Guk (Mi so shi ru).

Western Food

Pizza Restaurants
These restaurants are easy to find and the pizza is quite good. It may be a bit pricey, but it is worth it, especially when you are longing for the taste of home. Pizza prices vary but you can expect to pay between w10,000 and $20,000 per pizza. Cheese crust pizzas are becoming more popular and some places offer a local twist with Bulgogi pizza.

Spaghetti Restaurants
These are fairly cheap and very good. For prices between w3,000 to w6,000 you can fill up on spaghetti. Spaghetti restaurants offer a selection of both sauces and noodles. Often, the spaghetti is served with complementary pickles.

Foreign (western) Style Family Restaurants
Many western style family restaurants are popping up all over Korea. They include TGI Friday's, Outback Steakhouse, and Bennigan's. You can expect to pay about w20,000 per person for a basic meal. If you have drinks and appetizers with your meal, you could get hit for about w35,000 to w50,000 won per person. Also, a precious few Thai and Indian style restaurants do exist, but are difficult to find.

Fast Food Restaurants
McDonalds is everywhere! It's difficult to escape the golden arches, but their w300 ice cream cones are good in the hot summer. Also, it shouldn't be too hard to find KFC, Popeye's or Burger King. Also, there is a Korean fast food chain called Lotteria. For prices under w5,000 per person you can fill up quick and easy, western style.

This Guide was prepared by Craig Lutzer

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