Today’s pick: Sogogi-gukbap (beef & rice soup) at “Haeundae Wonjo Halmae Gukbap”, a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Haeundae Station.
December 2021: Haeundae main branch reopened after renovation
The Haeundae main branch reopened in December 2021 after a full renovation!
The post below is from before the renovation, but menu prices have been updated to reflect the current shop.
Haeundae Wonjo Halmae Gukbap (pre-renovation)
The shop is the one with the red sign.
The shop right next door with the black sign is also a sogogi-gukbap specialty shop with “Wonjo Halmae Gukbap” in the name…
Of course, they’re not sister branches — they’re rivals.
Just from the names, you can feel the competition heating up!
The black-sign shop (has since relocated) is also good — but my pick is the red-sign shop we’re covering today.
Right out front, giant cauldrons simmer the sogogi-gukbap broth.
The tables come pre-stocked with
Samdasoo, Jeju Island’s natural spring water.
(Whether the contents are actually Samdasoo is questionable, but Samdasoo is Korea’s most popular mineral water.)
선지국밥 / Seonji-gukbap: with seonji (congealed beef blood)
～따로국밥 / Ttaro-gukbap: soup and rice served separately
～곱배기 / Gobbaegi: large size of any gukbap
소고기국수 / Sogogi-guksu: beef noodle soup
선지국수 / Seonji-guksu: seonji noodle soup
국수사리 / Guksu Sari: noodle refill
소고기수육 / Sogogi Suyuk: boiled beef
★ As of May 2026 ★
In Busan, “gukbap” usually means the pork-based Dwaeji-gukbap. Specialty shops doing beef-based Sogogi-gukbap are actually pretty rare in Busan.
And this is probably the most famous Sogogi-gukbap shop in Busan.
The interior is plastered with celebrity signatures.
The shop got a huge boost when Paik Jong-won, Korea’s most famous celebrity chef and food researcher, featured them.
Walls covered in signed boards from celebrity visitors — clearly a stop on the Korea travel circuit for plenty of TV personalities.
I ordered Sogogi-gukbap (6,500 KRW).
Banchan is self-serve from the pots on the table.
At a glance it looks like an ordinary Sogogi-gukbap, but…
The signature feature: big, generous chunks of beef!
Many places skimp with tiny trim cuts as a token gesture, but not here.
This bowl is “meat first, no apologies”.
And note: beef is genuinely expensive in Korea.
Every bite of beef bursts with umami-loaded juices.
This is a Sogogi-gukbap shop where the meat is the star!
Our rating: ★★★★★
Haeundae Wonjo Halmae Gukbap — reviews & access
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