Community, espresso and remote work at Poool Sapporo
November 3, 2023
Food and cafe experiences near Nampo Station
Cosmopolitan Gwangbok-ro, outside Nampo Station.
Outside Nampo station, you will find the buzzing cosmopolitan road of Gwangbok-ro. It is filled with international fashion brands and is a shopper’s paradise. There are parallel laneways buzzing with restaurants and cafes.
Keep walking and you will find tourist highlights such as Gukje Market, BIFF Square, and the vibrant outdoor pojangmacha eating stalls. Here are restaurants we’ve been to that are near Nampo station.
Seoul Kkadugi
10 Gudeok-ro 34beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
The must-try dishes here are seolleongtang (ox bone soup), gomtang (beef bone soup) and yangjitang (beef brisket soup). The pieces of beef have just the right amounts of fat attached to make it memorably satisfying and flavourful. The interior is refined and if you’ve finished your side dishes and want more, you can ask for it.
A Twosome Place
40 Gudeok-ro, Nampo-dong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
A spacious cafe with tables designed for study or work. They even have table-specific USB charging outlets! Great for a solo date or if you want to chat with friends, you can sit in the chic common area.
할매집회국수
25-3 Nampo-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
Well-known for serving hoeguksu, this restaurant has pictures of dining customers on its exterior. Hoeguksu is a popular delicacy in Busan, consisting of cold, sesame-oil coated noodles mixed with vegetables and raw fish (often stingray). You mix it with spicy sauce and gulp down hot soup while enjoying. The taste is refreshing and if you like it, you’ll likely come back for more hoeguksu.
Yukjeon Milmyeon (육전밀면 남포점)
5-1 Nampo-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
Milmyeon actually originated from Busan, and is considered a variant of naengmyeon (another type of cold noodle soup). This restaurant is in one of the many busy lanes of Nampo-dong (just off the main Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street). The cold meat broth is refreshing and the mandu dumplings are compact and juicy.
남포설렁탕 (Nampo Seolleongtang)
5 Gudeok-ro 34beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
If you’re looking for a late-night feed, this restaurant serves hot beef soups with consistent quality. There is a self-serve condiment station which isn’t short on tasty kimchi, radish and onion.
제일돼지국밥
49 Nampo-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
A mum and pop hidden gem close to Lotte Department Store that serves dwaeji-gukbap for affordable prices (around 8,000 won for the platter below). This is another one of Busan’s representative dishes. Dwaeji-gukbap is broth boiling with pieces of pork and noodles. It’s served with a medley of ingredients including fermented fish.
Samik Sikdang
20 Nampo-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
A homely, family-style restaurant run by a couple and specialising in grilled pork (bulgogi) and meat dumplings. In fact, these are the only two types of dishes served. It’s super worth it. For around 10,000 won, your bulgogi set comes with unlimited banchan side dishes. You must have the grilled pork wrapped by the lettuce (and filled with kimchi and garlic). This method ensures maximum satisfaction. The bulging bulgogi dumplings are scrumptious too.
생활맥주 남포중앙점
8 Gwangbok-ro 97beonan-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
A casual, western-style eatery a short walk away from The Coffee Bean cafe on Haegwan-ro. They serve chicken in different flavours and ways of preparation. You can enjoy chicken that’s very spicy or chicken that’s boneless. A vibrant place for Friday night drinks and quality comfort food.
Seoul Samgyetang Nampo-dong
36 Nampo-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
This restaurant has a prominent presence and shares that it was established more than 60 years ago. Their Samgyetang is nourishing and served with sides that include an interesting little bottle of alcohol (it tasted nice together with the soup). Samgyetang is a traditional Korean dish featuring a chicken inside a soup that has ginseng, garlic, rice and jujube. It is known for its health properties.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
1 Haegwan-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
Google Map link
This big cafe is part of a chain and is located across the road from Lotte Department Store. It’s a favourite place for locals to catch-up over well-made drinks and a favoured spot for couples to chat away a few hours. If you’re looking for a cafe for remote work, there are a decent number of tables with power outlets.
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