Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hexagonsun]

I'm heading to Busan for the first time this weekend for Saturday and Sunday. My girlfriend and I have our sightseeing destinations planned out, but we're trying to figure out a little nightlife.

We will definitely be hitting up that huge fish market for dinner one night.

Does anyone know of any chill bars and where they can be found? Sometime with a bit of music and good drinks. Perhaps a jazz bar? We're not down on visiting any massively obnoxious bars. Something like Bar 다 in Hongdae if anyone has been.

I checked out Wikitravel. How are these places?

302

Crossroads

Moe's

O'Brien's

Rock and Roll Bar


oh...almost forgot...What about some great places to eat?

I'm completely ignorant about Busan, so any help to make out trip a little bit better would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[simonandmartina]

I went to Busan for the first time last week. Loved it. Pretty much just hung around Haeundae beach, though. One bar I went to was something called Happy Thursdays, or something like that. It was cool, and the people were real nice. Can't tell you how to get there, though, since my tour guide took me there.

[schlotzy]

Check out this old thread:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=182445&highlight=

[Son Deureo!]

There are some nice bars on the street leading from Haeundae subway station to Hauendae beach, but the real center for nightlife in Busan is the Gyeongseong University area.

I only lived in Busan for 6 months, so I'm not familiar with any of the places you mentioned, but some places that I liked are:

Gyeongseong

Kino Eye - Big expat hangout, decent music, W3000 well drinks
Zip Code - Small, friendly bar with flair bartenders and fire shows. They make a mean cocktail.
Monk Bar - Jazz club. The only one I've been to in Busan, but I think there's another near Pusan National Uni.
Ol' 55 - Hit or miss basement bar with exposed brick and a stage. Sometimes they have live music.

Gwangalli Beach

Thursday Party - This is a chain of draft beer bars with cheap cocktails all over Busan, but the one in Gwangalli is especially nice for its view of the beach and suspension bridge. Decent music and friendly place.

Songjeong Beach

Blowfish - This expat owned bar is, as far as I know, the only proper beach bar in Korea. Pricey drinks, but the food is great here and if the weather is nice Songjeong is the best beach in town.

For places to eat, you're definitely right to make the trip to Jagalchi fish market. Check out the places outside for a good grilled fish. I've been to a few, they're all tasty.

Cheongsapo is a small neighborhood near Haeundae that has a lot of seafood restaurants. They're great places to go to get grilled clams 조개 구이 with melted butter and garlic. If they have scallops/가리비 on the menu, even better.

Have fun in Busan, the weather's supposed to be great this weekend.

[InDaGu]

Head to the Kyungsung U area on Saturday and go to Vinyl Underground. There's a great band called Poko Lambro having a CD release party there. There's about a million other bars in the neighborhood too. You won't regret it.

[Rutherford]

http://busanhaps.com/ Here's an expat mag from Busan that has all the info you're looking for.

[sublunari]

The two best places to eat in Busan (that I know of) are called Dolgulae and Bap Sang. Dolgulae is a bit difficult to find as it's located deep in the Gukje Market, on the other side of the Jagalchi Fish Market you said you're planning to visit--but if you can speak a little Korean you should just ask around. Keep your eyes open for the bright yellow sign out on the street/sidewalk/motorcycle death route. Service is the nicest and fastest in the entire country and the Korean food they serve is top notch and incredibly cheap. Bap Sang you can find by going to Seomyeon and walking straight out of exit one for about ten or fifteen minutes--keep your eyes open for the Korean sign on the right side. All the menus at these places are in Korean but even if you order at random you really can't go wrong.