Michelin-Starred Pork Rice Soup in Busan: A Taste of Tradition at Hapcheon Gukbap
Hello! This is InnoFoodTour.
This post is about my trip to Busan a couple of weeks ago.
On the second day, I visited a restaurant for brunch that's featured in the Busan Michelin Guide: Hapcheon Gukbap, famous for its pork rice soup (Dwaeji Gukbap).
Located in Yongho-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, it's best to call it "Yongho-dong Hapcheon Gukbap" to avoid confusion with similarly named pork rice soup restaurants.
Here’s a summary of Hapcheon Dwaeji Gukbap in Yongho-dong:
① Clean and savory broth
② Tender and non-greasy pork
③ Sundae (Korean sausage) and assorted organ meats that pair perfectly with alcohol
As expected on a Saturday lunch, there was a queue. Fortunately, the line moved quickly because the restaurant has two buildings.
Business Hours: 09:30 AM - 8:00 PM (Break time: 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM)
*Ttaro-Gukbap (soup and rice served separately): ₩12,000
*No parking
Hapcheon Gukbap was selected for the Michelin Guide in 2025.
If you're used to the pork rice soup style from Daegu or Miryang (where rice is mixed into the soup), you can enjoy another Busan-style pork rice soup, where the rice and soup are served separately (Ttaro-Gukbap).
During the summer vacation season, I saw families, three generations dining together, and even foreign tourists enjoying the soup. It was a lively atmosphere.
Here’s the menu for Hapcheon Gukbap in Yongho-dong.
Ttaro-Gukbap includes pork, organ meats, and sundae.
So, how does the Ttaro-Gukbap (₩12,000) at Hapcheon Gukbap in Yongho-dong taste?
Although the restaurant was packed, the soup was served quickly – within 5 minutes!
This is K-Fast Food!
Before receiving the soup, I assumed it would contain just a bit of pork head meat and organ meats, but it was surprisingly generous. I was especially happy to see sundae included!
Hapcheon Gukbap
Since it’s Ttaro-Gukbap, the rice is served separately.
I personally prefer rice served separately rather than the rice being mixed into the soup.
This way, you can fully focus on the taste of the pork rice soup at first.
I started by trying the "sundae" from the bowl.
I usually don’t like the cheap glass noodles sundae in soup.
But Yongho-dong Hapcheon Gukbap uses "blood sundae" (pisundae), which is thin.
What is "blood sundae"?
It's a type of sundae made with pig's intestines filled with congealed pig's blood, vegetables, minced meat, and then steamed.
In the Gyeongsang region, sundae is usually dipped in ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce), while in the Jeolla region, it's dipped in chojang (vinegar-gochujang sauce), and in Jeju, it's dipped in soy sauce.
But nowadays, people eat it with whatever sauce they prefer.
One bite of the sundae and I was hit with the perfect temperature and the moist, chewy texture unique to blood sundae... It immediately made me crave soju!
Or, if they had *makgeolli* (Korean rice wine) like Saeng Tak or Geumjeongsanseong, I would have loved to have a glass.
The broth is clean with a slight savory flavor!
There's also plenty of pork head meat with a good balance of fat and lean meat.
So, I picked out some pieces to eat with chopsticks before mixing the rice into the soup.
See? There's still a lot of meat and sundae left in the bowl, right?
This is what Busan pork rice soup is all about!
I seasoned the soup with salted shrimp, pepper, and salt to my liking.
Then, I mixed in the *dadaegi* (seasoned red pepper paste) that was already in the soup.
Hapcheon Gukbap's "Ttaro-Gukbap" includes not only pork head meat but also organ meats.
I recommend dipping the organ meats in salt.
There were also pieces of meat with a texture like *hangjeongsal* (pork jowl), a good balance of fat and lean meat. These were perfect as a side dish with soju.
The *seokbakji* (radish kimchi) had a strong, assertive flavor, like a true Busan man! It was spicy, sour, and salty, reminding me of the salty air of Jagalchi Market.
The regular kimchi was good, too.
Often, when the *seokbakji* or *kkakdugi* (diced radish kimchi) is delicious, the regular kimchi tends to be of lower quality (like Chinese kimchi)...
But this kimchi held its own.
However!
I've been obsessed with a combination of green peppers and ssamjang or raw onions and ssamjang. I refilled it three times!
It would cost extra in other countries.
I'm grateful for the generosity and hospitality of the Korean people!
And you can’t forget this ingredient for Busan soup! *Jeongguji* = Korean leek! = Buchu! You have to add *buchu*!
I added the rice, I added the *buchu*.
And I stirred it all together with my spoon!
And I dug into the soup, as if I was going to make a hole through the bowl!
That's how I aggressively filled my stomach with soup for brunch+lunch at Hapcheon Gukbap in Yongho-dong.
And then, I left.
The kitchen was still busy.
Customers were still coming in... You can't leave Busan without trying pork rice soup.
Before catching the train at Busan Station, I stopped by a cafe for one last treat.
Wow, it's so big!
I was surprised to see such a large bakery cafe near the port.
It has a panoramic ocean view overlooking Oryukdo Island.
They even have three coffee machines.
There are so many people and it's chaotic.
But (they don't provide free water... They sell bottled water for ₩500 due to hygiene issues. It's a bit disappointing.)
There are too many people, and it's too noisy, so it's hard to have a conversation... I guess bigger isn't always better.
Since I've traveled to Busan twice in the first half of this year, I'm planning to go on a Seoul food tour in the second half!
Thank you for visiting my InnoFoodTour blog today.
I'll be back with another food posting.
"Live deliciously!"
I'll be back with another food posting.
Daegu Pork Rice Soup Restaurants Recommendation!!!
Beomeo Market No. 2 House Pork Rice Soup!
Daegu Shinsongja Shinmasan Restaurant!
Daegu Park Gukbap!!!
Miryang Pork Rice Soup Restaurants!!!
Miryang Dangoljip Pork Rice Soup!
Miryang Dongbu Meat Restaurant Pork Rice Soup!!!
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