Busan: Small-Group Evening Street Food Tour｜South Korea

Busan is a cinematic landscape where towering mountains collide with a restless industrial harbour. It’s where the grit of the East Sea port meets the glitz of the International Film Festival (BIFF), harbouring a culinary world of street eats that have survived for generations. When it comes to food, while Seoul is a K-drama, Busan is a blockbuster.

At BIFF Square, watch the wrapping of plump mandu pork dumplings, before they are steamed to a silken finish. In this city, eomuk fish cake skewers are legendary; a visit to the small museum reveals the iron-willed spirit of port workers and post-war refugees. Explore humble family vendors that that have anchored this local community for decades.

Don’t miss world-famous Jagalchi Market*, and photograph the sci-fi display of marine life; writhing spoon worms and octopuses, with crates of shimmering hairtail fish. Later, seek out the food hero ajummas for a bowl of kalguksu, a knife point ballet as dough is sliced into thick tangles of noodle soup. We’d rather not spoil the surprises, but a sneak peek of our 10+ tastings include some firm favourites in store.

Weave into the labyrinthine "Tin Can Alley" of Bupyeong Kkangtong Market, once a smuggling haven for American canned goods. Tackle the iconic tteokbokki, red chewy rice cakes bathed in a gochujang red glaze. Sit for dwaeji gukbap, a bone-deep pork rice broth, followed by gimbap where rice is rolled tightly with succulent pork belly.

Our evening tour edition features old-fashioned Korean fried chicken, golden and twice-crisped for maximum crunch. Your guide will show you the "soju bomb" cocktail mixing ritual, a blend of beer and Korean spirits. Burn off the adrenaline with a classic Korean "King of Hammer" activity - a local rite of passage for a definitive night out in Busan.

Stroll through Bupyeong Jokbal Street, past plastic tent eateries which mark the favourite gathering spots for locals. Every great film needs a memorable final cut, and ssiat hotteok pancake is it. Sliced open with melted sugar, and stuffed with a crunchy riot of sunflower seeds and nuts.

Our food discovery offers an understanding of a city that other tourists just don’t experience. This is the ultimate crash course in the dishes beloved by locals in Busan.