Haeundae Wonjo Halmae Gukbap l A Local Favorite In Busan
Looking for a cheap and hearty meal near the bustling beach of Haeundae? This Busan restaurant will hit the spot!
There is an array of local cuisine to choose from in Busan, Korea's second largest city.
Pork rice soup, which is a hearty stew of rice, pork, and vegetables, is a popular dish here in Korea.
Amidst the bustles of Haeundae sits Wonjo Halmae Gukbap, a TV-famous local eatery that does its own variation on this classic dish by making the soup with beef!
This gukbap restaurant has been in business in the city for 48 years now.
The entrance of the restaurant had three large traditional cooking pots.
On the wall, there were still shots from a popular television program called Today that the restaurant was featured on.
The restaurant recently relocated to a new building, which is only five minutes away from the original location.
The exterior of the restaurant is made of stone and gave the building a unique and traditional feel.
Given the popularity of this restaurant, we were worried that there might be a long wait.
But since the restaurant is so big, we didn't have to wait long at all.
The restaurant was very spacious and open.
There are lots of places to sit, so you won't have to wait very long for a table.
We heard that this restaurant is a favorite among locals and tourists.
Even though we came on a weekday, there were lots of customers in the restaurant.
In addition to its food, this restaurant is known for its location in Haeundae, which is where the Busan International Film Festival is held.
There were many autographs from famous actors on the wall.
There were also many photographs of celebrities with the restaurant owner on the wall.
Seeing all these photos and autographs made us realize just how well-known and popular this restaurant is.
Are you curious now to see what the food is like?
Let's take a look at their menu!
The menu here was quite simple and featured two main dishes, beef soup with rice (소고기국밥) and clotted ox blood soup with rice (선지국밥).
We orded both of these menu items.
First, our side dishes came out. The garlic stems with hot pepper paste were so good.
We couldn't stop eating it!
Luckily, there was a self-serve bar where we could get more helpings of side dishes.
We made sure to get more garlic stems before our order arrived!
Our order arrived!
Doesn't it look so hearty and delicious?
Beef Soup with Rice (소고기국밥)
6,000 won
This is the beef soup with rice dish.
It comes with beef, bean sprouts, radish, green onions, and rice in a beef broth.
The rice is hidden underneath the meat and vegetables!
This was our first bite of the beef soup with rice.
Of course, we had to eat it with some of the garlic stem side dish.
We couldn't believe how rich in flavor the broth was.
All the ingredients went so well together.
Even though this a beef soup, there were a lot of fresh vegetables in this dish.
The vegetables added a lightness to this hearty soup.
If you'd like to add a bit of heat to your soup, don't forget to sprinkle some pepper on top.
Beef Soup with Rice on the Side (소고기따로국밥)
6,500 won
If you would prefer to have your rice on the side, there is this option.
It is the same as the beef soup with rice item just without the rice.
We appreciated that this option was available for customers.
Clotted Ox Blood Soup with Rice (선지국밥)
6,500 won
This dish is similar to the beef soup with rice but with added chunks of ox blood.
Similar to black pudding, these chunks are soft in texture and light in flavor.
This dish was loaded with vegetables as well and rich in flavor.
As you can see, we really enjoyed our meal.
We even finished off the broth because it was so good!
Information
Address: 부산 해운대구 중동1로 40
40 Jungdong 1-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Hours: 07:30-20:30
Transportation: 7-minute walk from Haeundae Station (Line 2) Exit 1
How To Get There
This is Haeundae Station on Line 2.
Come out of exit 1.
Walk straight out of exit 1.
With your back to the station, continue walking straight until you see a CU convenience store on your right.
When you see the CU, turn right.
After turning right, walk straight down this road.
You'll see the sign for the restaurant on your right.
The food at Haeundae Wonjo Halmae Gukbap was filling and delicious.
This is a restaurant we'd definitely want to eat at again when visiting Busan.
If you're in Haeundae, be sure to visit this local favorite!