Our pal Bethan visited Busan lately, and whereas there she explored among the greatest cafés town has to supply. Should you’re planning your personal go to and wish some inspiration for the most effective spots to seize a espresso, a sandwich, or a scrumptious pastry – learn on under!
When planning your first journey to Busan, you may need to match some cafes into your itinerary. Korea is the land of attractive cafés, so I extremely advocate café-hopping in any Korean metropolis, together with Busan. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re sticking to extra tourist-focused locations on your first journey to Busan, discovering well-priced, unbiased cafés could possibly be barely harder than the much less well-known areas of town. I’ve chosen 5 hidden gems which you’ll be able to simply slip into your jam-packed sightseeing itinerary, and can assist you to keep away from these franchise cafés – so these are the most effective cafés in Busan!
(We’ve additionally included a useful Google Map under that will help you discover these gems.)
And Espresso, Haeundae
Haeundae is likely one of the hottest areas in Busan for vacationers – Haeundae seashore is an ideal trip spot, and the road markets and recent seafood that this space is understood for convey hordes of vacationers to Busan yearly. It’s really a must-visit for anyone visiting Busan for the primary time – as a Brit, seeing the skyscrapers alongside the beachfront at night time really blew my thoughts!
Nonetheless, since Haeundae is such a well-known spot, it might probably typically be tough to search out an unbiased café that provides a comfortable ambiance, an honest worth for meals and someplace to sit down. That’s why I used to be so comfortable to search out And Espresso!
This café is massive and welcoming, and affords a brunch menu in addition to quite a lot of waffles and drinks. This was the right spot to cease at for breakfast, and the inside felt heat and pleasant. We ordered a hen panini and roasted vegetable salad between us. The meals was properly ready and scrumptious; my panini got here with a Korean gochujang-based sauce which went completely with the hen and apple sandwich filling, whereas my pal’s salad got here topped with blueberries which tasted nice. Attention-grabbing ingredient combos are a staple of Korean Western meals and is all the time an expertise, whether or not good or unhealthy – my favorite to this point being egg mayonnaise and strawberry jam sandwiches – so experiencing Korean-style Western meals when you are here’s a must-do. Should you go to within the afternoon, you may as well seize a chilly beer after a day of sunbathing.
Only a brief stroll from the beachfront, this café is the right place to begin your seashore day. We arrived round 11am, and the café rapidly obtained busy after that, so I like to recommend visiting within the morning if you wish to sit in and eat.
Deal with: 317, Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan 48095
Avant Garde Café, Gamcheon Tradition Village
In Gamcheon Tradition Village, you’re spoiled for selection with regards to cafés, and the rows and rows of vibrant homes cascading down the mountainside make a implausible backdrop for cafes and eating places. Nonetheless, for the reason that buildings in Gamcheon are very previous, and weren’t initially constructed for tourism, they don’t essentially capitalise on the view. However there was one café that we got here throughout on our journey to Gamcheon that subverted this – Avant Garde.
From the surface, it appears to be like like several common café – the tables nonetheless have the watermarks from a franchise café chain which should have been right here earlier than! Nonetheless, what sells this café as a hidden gem is the view. If you’d like to have the ability to sit and drink espresso while surrounded by the colorful village on all sides, that is the place to go. There’s an indoor seating space, in addition to window seating the place you may get pleasure from looking to the coast. There’s additionally a decking space the place you may sit exterior and really benefit from the view you travelled all the way in which there to see. The costs at this café are commonplace (round 6,000W per drink), the espresso is sweet and there are some muffins on supply too. So, if the view is crucial factor for you when travelling to Gamcheon, this café is ideal for that!
Deal with: 121, Okcheon-ro, Saha-gu, Busan 49365
Yao Tea Gallery, Gamcheon Tradition Village
Should you would like someplace with a bit of extra character in Gamcheon, Yao Tea Gallery is the right place. An important different to sitting down for one more espresso, this tiny tea café is a superb place to sit down and be taught in regards to the artwork of tea ceremony. The proprietor speaks English and might clarify in regards to the totally different teas, and there may be data on the partitions as properly to remind you. Should you share a pot of tea, it prices solely 8,000W per particular person – which is a superb worth, contemplating the time the proprietor takes to show you about tea ceremony and find out how to put together the tea. Between two folks, one pot of tea was greater than sufficient.
We ordered puerh tea, a fermented tea originating in China, and have been fortunately guided upstairs to a tiny seating space with simply two tables. If you’d like a quaint and cosy ambiance, this teeny tiny café is ideal for that. The tables are each going through small home windows too so you may get pleasure from a view of the village while sipping your tea. The proprietor got here and confirmed us find out how to brew and pressure the tea, and offered us with a conventional Korean confection known as yanggaeng, comprised of crimson beans and mungbeans. You can even purchase conventional fashion paintings that’s been hand-painted by the proprietor, which might make a implausible memento from Korea.
General, this was a vastly stress-free expertise, which left me with some new cultural information and a refreshed thoughts after consuming heat tea and admiring the view in a comfortable, peaceable café. This café is hidden away up some winding staircases but when you’ll find it, it’s properly definitely worth the go to.
Deal with: 1, Gamnae 2-ro 119beon-gil, Saha-gu, Busan 49363
madame, madame, Nampo
Busan Tower is one other must-visit spot in your first journey to Busan, so if you happen to’re in search of a spot to relaxation up after your go to, madame, madame is the right place.
I heard this café earlier than I noticed it, after a brief stroll by means of Yongdusan Park, the world surrounding Busan Tower. Traditional Christmas songs have been taking part in as we approached, and the café was decked out in traditional crimson and inexperienced decorations, which I actually loved! This café is nestled alongside certainly one of many exit staircases on the outskirts of Yongdusan Park, and the way in which it’s so secluded made it really feel like a cottage from a fairytale or a Ghibli film. Aesthetically, this café is simply actually fairly and pleasant. Madame, madame has really embraced the European cottage aesthetic, offering an ornamental kitchen space with pretend meals and dim lights which additionally give this place a romantic feeling. I imagine this café turns into a restaurant at night time, however through the day, it affords quite a lot of comfortable pretzels and pretzel sandwiches. We opted to sit down exterior on the decking, to benefit from the view of the café and the Christmas decorations.
The pretzels are scrumptious and we each ordered scorching chocolate, which was among the greatest scorching chocolate I’ve had in Korea – very creamy and candy. Provided that it’s simply exterior of the park, it’s the good spot to cover away and calm down for a bit, making it top-of-the-line cafés in Busan. In addition to, the cafe comes with a cat – so what extra may you ask for?
Deal with: 30-18, Gwangbok-ro 67beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan 48949
Offo, Gijang
One of the vital underrated areas in Busan for cafés is Gijang, a largely residential space on the outskirts of Busan. Whereas there will not be as a lot to do in Gijang as different bustling areas like Haeundae, Gwangalli or Gamcheon, what this space does completely is ocean-view cafés. There are cafés dotted all alongside the shoreline right here, and it’s price travelling exterior of central Busan to expertise it.
Of all of the cafés alongside this shoreline, my favorite must be Offo. You’re greeted with fashionable structure and loads of area so that you’ll make sure you have someplace to sit down after making an extended journey. Whereas the primary attraction of this cafe is the ocean view, the bread and pastries served listed here are as scrumptious as they’re fairly, and never overpriced regardless of the situation and the ambiance being certainly one of an costly café. There are additionally brunch choices if you would like a heartier meal. You’ll be able to select to eat indoors or exterior, the place there are tiered seats and tables going through the ocean. Since we visited in December, the café offered blankets for visitors, which made sitting exterior with a cake and a scorching drink much more cosy. There are additionally tent areas exterior the place you may sit round a heated desk in colder climate. The picnic bench setup and tented areas make this cafe an amazing place to go to as a household with youngsters or a gaggle of mates.
Nonetheless, my favorite factor about this café is that there’s entry from the cafe to the rockpools and ocean under. While I really like traversing rocks alongside the seafront in any climate, I can think about this to be an amazing place to dip your toes within the summertime. General, this café was a comfortable place to sit down and benefit from the sea breeze, and a part of me wished I had introduced a ebook together with me to actually really feel like I used to be on trip!
To get to Gijang, you may simply take the subway to Gijang station – nonetheless to achieve the coast, I’d advisable to rent a automotive or take a taxi. Taxis are additionally comparatively low cost in Korea in comparison with many different nations so, particularly for a gaggle of individuals, a taxi could be one of the simplest ways to journey. Why not make a day of café-hopping alongside the coast in Gijang?
Deal with: 860, Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan 46078
The Bonus Café: Magnate, Nam-gu
I needed to embrace this café, regardless that it is a bit more on the well-known facet. Magnate is owned by the mother and father of BTS’s Jimin, so it’s a well-known spot amongst Ok-pop followers. Nonetheless, to those that know nothing about Ok-pop, this café nonetheless stays a hidden gem.
The café isn’t BTS-themed in any respect, that means it may be loved by everybody – and it ought to be. The shining stars of this place are the pastries, which aren’t solely extraordinarily scrumptious, however stunning to have a look at too. Whilst you munch on a croissant or cheesecake, you may benefit from the industrial design and attention-grabbing paintings adorning the partitions. This café is cosy, the vibe is chilled, and there’s even a tiny out of doors backyard the place you may sit and luxuriate in iced espresso in the summertime. It’s the right spot for a date or espresso with mates, and top-of-the-line cafés in Busan.
Deal with: 135, Jinnam-ro, Nam-gu, Busan 48448
