Geumsubokguk, Haeundae Head Store — Restaurant in Busan

🐡 Geumsubokguk, located in the Haeundae district of Busan, is a well-known restaurant specializing in bokguk, or pufferfish soup. It is one of the most famous places in Busan to try this traditional dish, and the Haeundae head store is popular with both locals and tourists.

Here are some things to know before going:

The restaurant is famous for its bokguk, a soup made from pufferfish, known for being a delicacy in Korea. The dish is considered safe to eat as it is prepared by skilled chefs, but pufferfish can be dangerous if not handled properly, which is why dining at a reputable place like Geumsubokguk is recommended.

Besides bokguk, the restaurant offers a variety of other dishes made from pufferfish, including fried pufferfish, pufferfish sashimi, fried pufferfish and spicy stews.

The restaurant is often busy, especially during lunch and dinner hours, so you may want to arrive early or be prepared for a wait.

Prices may be higher than at standard restaurants due to the specialty of the ingredients, but the quality and experience are usually considered worth it.

The atmosphere is traditional and welcoming, providing a good opportunity to experience authentic Korean dining in Busan.

It’s located near Haeundae Beach, so it’s a convenient stop if you’re visiting the area. The restaurant is well-known, so it should be easy to find with local directions or maps.

While some staff may speak limited English, the menu usually includes photos, and it may have some English translations, making it easier for non-Korean speakers to order.

If you're planning to try pufferfish for the first time, Geumsubokguk is a highly recommended and...

Our group of 5 each got the lunch set at 33,000 KRW per person. It’s a beautifully decorated place with beautifully decorated dishes too. The service was friendly. We sat in our own little booth. There was no wait for 1:30pm on a weekday.

I only had pufferfish once as sashimi in Japan so I came into this open-minded and excited. There was a fish salad, a tempura dish, a teriyaki dish, a marinated collagen dish, a soup, and dessert. It was a nice way to enjoy the pufferfish in all its forms.

I enjoyed the teriyaki dish the most! The sauce was addictive. The collagen texture threw me off a little bit. I also enjoyed the salad. The soup was good but it was a bit difficult to pick through the bones to get the fish meat.

The fish had a nice bite in all of the dishes; the texture is a bit lean and chewy. We were missing a piece of fish in our tempura dish though.

Overall this is a really cool Korean pufferfish meal experience and I am glad we did it at least once just to enjoy...

I think it's just a hype. The cost value wasn't what I would think it is for really good puffer fish soup (the fresh one is 25000 won). By the way, I got the fresh fish puffer soup, but I think they mixed half fresh and half frozen. Only one piece melted in my mouth and the other one's didn't. Well it's the cost of doing business I suppose.

The wait isn't really bad - but they are literally busy every single day and they get all kind of customers so I understand the service can be rough.

The amount of rice is small, but I guess maybe they had many instances of people not finishing rice at all. And rice price is getting more and more expensive...so I guess they just give out less rice.

It was filling and the broth was clean and delicious. Side dishes didn't really stand out either. The fish...I can't tell if it's fresh. I also couldn't tell if I got a whole fish. I think I did but the feeling I didn't...