Busan Gukbap
“Soondae(blood sausage)
Great texture and flavor that scream quality.”
“My hubs hometown is Daegu, where they are known for dae ji gook bap.”
“The spicy chicken stew with potatoes is a favorite and it sells out fast.”
Busan Gukbap
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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We discovered this place about a year ago when it was relatively new and still unknown, before the word got out. It was one of those truly authentic hole-in-the-wall gem of a place that you hoped people would never find out about. Only a few months later, the secret was out and it got harder and harder to get a table there, especially during peak dinner hours.
Over the past year since we discovered this place, we have been there dozens of times.
But over the last few months, there have been a lot of changes. The servers were all replaced and the quality of the service has dropped off noticeably. But most importantly, the taste and quality of the food has really dropped off to a disappointing, uninspiring level.
The last few times that we went, they had bulk boxes of DASHIDA (instant beef soup stock — i.e., MSG) just sitting around the serving area! If you went today, I'm sure that they are using some of these empty boxes to hold things on their shelf. Real smart.
The last time that we went, we went for the soondae but were told by the new servers that they were out and asked to order something else, which we reluctantly did. About 20 mins later, one of the other tables (who sat and ordered long after us) were served soondae! WHAT?!?! We confronted her about it and were told some BS about how they just made some more. COME ON!
YEAH, so we agreed that we won't be going back again.
Went for Dinner
Food – 5/5. The Pork Soup is absolutely delicious. You can definitely taste all the slow cooking of the pork bone and aromatics with how deep the broth's flavors are. The pork itself is tender and goes great with the spicy saeujeot. Kimchi and kkakdugi taste fresh and the rice is fluffy with a good bite.
Service – 4/5. Friendly and fast. It is a small restaurant so they need quick table turnovers but despite me taking up a large table they never rushed me.
Price – 5/5. Korean soup dishes in the area are most often in the mid to upper two figure price range but Busan Gukbap offers their Pork Soup and Sundae Soup for exactly $10. The broths are absolutely delicious so I definitely recommend.
Parking – Private Lot (Free)
This is your go to place for gukbap, bossam and whatevers on their menu. It is a small quaint little place with barely room to sit or even stand around, but their food is definitely worth every penny.
The broth is rich and thick and yet it doesn't give you the yucky msg full feeling afterwards. We ordered the soondae guk bap and soojaebi with bossam and all of it was definitely a total hit.
The only bad side is the limited parking space and the location. It isn't in the most convenient place so not the best place to go to if you're planning a family dinner out. They only have one highchair and the limited space makes it difficult for any kind of movement. So if you have kids get take out and for big parties not recommended.
Very small Korean restaurant with very limited seating and a relatively limited menu of about just 12 items. Be wary coming for a late lunch…they will run out of certain dishes. The menu is mostly soups and stews, with two relatively plain meat dishes, but oh my, the ones I tried were tasty…and the one I really wanted to try wasn't even available anymore. Definitely an authentic taste and feel to this place.
The kimchi served here is also very legit!
Ummm, you guys. This is on some next level shit for real.
This is just how I remember tangs to be in Korea. I have eaten at countless Korean restaurants in NJ/NY/LA and none of them compare to this spot. Tastes like grandma's cooking, drooool.
Everything on their menu is solid. I esp love how their food has a fiery kick. I am a die hard fan of their spicy pork stew; JUST GET IT. DOOO IT. Slurp out all that good meat from the bone crevices like a real man and get some soondae on the side for good measure. Don't forget to bring soju to wash it all down!
Delicious, authentic, BYOB, Korean service. By "Korean service" I mean the ladies will speak to you as if they've known you for years and won't bother with the formalities. They keep it real. Do not come looking for ambiance. Come for the food!!!
THE BESTTTTTTTT EVERRRRRRR. I really cannot explain how good this place is. THE BEST place for traditional Korean stews. Literally everything here is amazing. especially if you love spicy foods, get the chicken potato stew, its fucking to die for. seriously.
The pork stew is fantastic better than regular old suhlongtang.
You better believe they past the kimchi test. you know the place will be good if they got their kimchi down pat!
The service… is slow. always one or two old Korean ladies running the place. maybe 5-7 tables. depending if they combine any. Its definitely a hole in the wall but I prefer it that way!! It adds to the experience of eating here. feels like Korea lol
I also tried their pork potato stew & kimchijigae. both great. but the BEST AWARD WINNING DISHES!? are the chicken potato stew and the pork stew (white broth). bomb. dot. mf. com.
I recommend ANYONE who enjoy good quality Korean food to get their asses over here and try their food.
They accept CC despite how small and mom&pop-ish it looks lol 🙂
Nom Nom Nom. It helps if you are Korean or if you go with someone who can speak and/or read it. The clientele is predominantly Korean and the restaurant itself is so freaking tiny. I am giving it 5 stars on a dish that wasn't even their most popular, their go to dish is a chicken stew. So if I was so blown away by their second best dish, I am very curious to find out how their best dish is. The menu is written all in Korean but there are pictures. Their banchan is pretty basic since they only give you two items. The Kimchi has really good flavor but it has a pretty aggressive kick like how it is in Korea. The radish kimchi is very aggressive, I enjoyed the flavor but it was kung pow in my mouth.
The food:
Gamjatang- It is a very popular Korean dish and is basically a pork spine soup. The pork was insanely good, it basically melted in my mouth. The kimchi in the stew was excellent, the potato was not over cooked and the broth was exploding with flavor. It was spicy but it was a good kinda of burn. The order comes on a table side burner and is served in a huge pot. It was $30 for the dish but it was easily enough for four maybe five people. I think they might serve this as an individual dish as well, I am not sure. This is easily the best Gamjatang I ever had. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Just like the gukbaps I ate growing up in Korea. They taste just like the ones my grandma used to make. As soon as you walk into the restaurant, I get reminded of the cold winter times in the 90s, just getting back home from a playground after hours of playing jump ropes and hopscotch with friends. Nothing warms me up the most than the smell of my grandma's gukbap.
The service is fast and take outs are even faster if the order is placed at the non busy times. I placed an order on the phone and the lady told me to come in 10 min. I came 5 min earlier and my gukbap was already all wrapped up, ready to go. But during the busy times, I've seen orders getting backed up and people waiting outside for 15+ min to pick up their orders.
This place is BYOB. I see people brining in soju all the time. Very classic, remind me to Korea even more!