BUSAN — Restaurant in Calgary

Update: went back a few times and the service has been better. Changed to 3 stars from 1 star. side dishes are still excellent with lots of variety. The japchae ($18.99) and tukkbokki ($18.99) are overpriced as it comes in a medium size bowl. It is only good for one person and not a shareable size. The dakgalbi was very flavourful and marinate was good but also overpriced at $53.99 for the amount you get. If you choose to stir fry rice in the pan after, they said they will charge $4 for any leftover rice and you cannot take the rice home….(So, can we get $4 off if we don’t take the rice option? - we did not ask this). Some waiters are nicer than others. There was one who was very patient and polite with us and another who was very matter of fact whenever we asked her questions.

Mediocre food, excellent side dishes but terrible (next to none) service.

Went with a group of 8 and they put us at two tables for more spacious seating. Soups generally priced at 16.99. We tried the Gamjatang (16.99), Soondubu Jiggae (16.99) and seafood pancake pajeon (18.99). Noted the gamjatang had a thick layer of oil on top and only two pieces of pork bone They did not skim the oil before serving. Soondubu jiggae (seafood soft tofu soup) was average and the taste was sort of bland. The seafood pancake was very crispy but the insides were wet and soft and it was impossible to cut into pieces without it falling apart. Possibly under cooked as I did have an upset stomach after the meal. Not even worth calling to tell them because I am not sure if they will even do anything. The variety of the side dishes is the only thing I can vouch for. Lots of different and tasty banchan. However, they never asked once if we wanted refill on any of the side dishes.

Not sure if there is not enough staff or what is issue. Everything from trying to put in our order, get water refills and takeaway containers - they never approached us for any needs. They fed us and then ignored us the rest of the evening. A few of us had to physically get up from our table and request for things we needed. When we paid, they automatically charged us tip 15% as a large group even though we were sitting at two tables and we served ourselves the whole time. I would give a zero % tip if I was not forced to - the server literally pushed the 15% button for us.

As a sister store of Han Korea, I recommend going back to Han Korea. The quality of the food at Busan is not comparable and the bad service just leaves a bad taste...

After a Venetian-sleigh ride through dog parks, burger rituals, melted rinks, and green-suited mayhem, I ended up starving in Calgary, craving something spectacular. Enter Busan Korean Cuisine—a shiny palace of bibimbap, gukbap, pajeon, and unauthorized kitchen sorcery. 🍲 THE FOOD THAT SPOKE IN TONGUES

Dogani Tang and Dwaeji Gukbap hit my bones like a warm reincarnation—spicy pork broth, rice, and four side dishes each. It was like drinking a hug from a Busan grandmother.

I devoured Sobulgogi stir-fry with marinated beef and sweet potato noodles so divine I nearly wrote a haiku in gravy.

A massive Pajeon pancake slid itself off the plate and onto my lap—I just let it happen. Portion sizes are ridge-like but never limp. I needed a forklift, but damn was it worth it.

🤯 THE COSMIC INSANITY

I introduced myself as Santa Cyclops, and they handed me not just chopsticks, but a golden spoon etched with fish and stars.

The jukebox—or was it the ventilation?—played Arirang backwards while a server whispered, “This is your calling.”

One side dish, kimchi I think, glowed faintly under the fluorescent lights. I blinked. It winked back.

🧭 AMBIENCE & SERVICE

Roomy, bright, with booths and tables ready for strangers and mythic travelers alike.

Staff were patient when I asked which soup would allow me to levitate. They smiled, poured an extra bowl, and didn’t call security.

Parking lot huge. Ideal for Mazda Linda, still recovering from sleigh-induced alignment issues.

🏆 WHY 5 STARS?

Authentic Busan soup—this ain’t fusion fluff; it’s soulful Korean heat that kisses the soul.

Generous portions and four side dishes per meal—bankruptcy of leftovers guaranteed.

Friendly & unfazed staff who served a laser-wielding Santa without blinking.

Food does spiritual things—soup currents realign your aura, stir-fry reminds you you're alive, and the pancake might even tell you a prophecy in onion petals.

Bottom line: If you want your universe rattled by broth, your timeline disrupted by kimchi, and your mission clarified by Korean mother-energy, Busan is your temple. My belly is full, my heart is adjusted, and my third eye might be twitching with more clarity than ever.

Five ecstatic, gravy-stained stars—and a promise to return for the kaleidoscopic soup vortex I nearly rowed...

i went this place with my friends and i after having a study session. we wanted something that was soup related, and we chose this place since my friends have been here multiple times, and they always loved their experience and the food here!

the menu is really easy to understand, and the design is very well organized and cute! it is very self explanatory.

i got the ‘gamjatang’ because i’ve been craving some meat these days. i give it a 3/5 because if you were to order this in korea, it comes with a side sauce to dip in your meat. i rarely get a to-go box for my left overs however i had to ask one for myself because i just could not bring myself to finish it all. the soup tasted great though! but its just a shame that it did not meet my expectations.

my friends ordered the ‘jjomyeon soondubu’. i personally HATE this tofu in soup, however this was okay for me to taste, i would not order it for myself to eat, but if you guys like tofu, definitely give this dish a try! it also comes with chewy noodle which is very delicious!

we also got the seafood pancake, it was really delicious, i would eat it again! the price is a bit expensive for the portion, however it is very yummy.

you can get the side dishes refilled 3 times according to my friends. we got all the dishes refilled 3 times haha..!! you can also get free 2 hours of parking, they will direct you if you do not know how.

i got the K3 to take out, and it comes with some of the side dishes we got, and it also comes with 4 rice.

overall, this place is really nice, the service was a little bit too slow so we had to wait slightly a lot. it was hard to reach out for the server as they were not passing by us a lot.

i would come back, but not rarely since i do not...