Busan locals start their day with breakfast here—how a renowned pufferfish restaurant became a breakfast choice for Busan residents

▲ If you don’t want to order individual dishes or just have pufferfish soup, the full pufferfish course is also a great option. (Photo /Jinsu Pufferfish official website, all the following images are from)

Reported by Li Jiaying / Compiled report

A local breakfast spot in Haeundae, Busan, “Jinsu Pufferfish,” which has been around for nearly fifty years, sees many locals coming early for this unique breakfast. As a coastal city, Busan offers a variety of distinctive seafood dishes, and even the usually hard-to-find pufferfish has its own specialty shop here. Jinsu Pufferfish, which has been in business since 1970, not only serves high-end pufferfish cuisine but also offers an affordable set meal for just 15,000 KRW. It’s such great value that the place gets long queues during mealtimes.

▲ Pufferfish sashimi

The restaurant is divided into the first and second floors. The first floor mainly sells affordable pufferfish dishes and local specialties. Open 24 hours, every table on the first floor will have customers ordering pufferfish soup. One reason why even drinkers come here for breakfast is the belief that pufferfish soup helps with hangovers. Pufferfish soup comes in various types of pufferfish, portion sizes, and side dishes, with prices varying accordingly. In Korea, ordering soup automatically comes as a set meal, which includes a table full of side dishes, steamed rice, and water—all essential components of the meal.

▲ Pufferfish soup comes in different prices and flavors, and ordering it includes complimentary side dishes and steamed rice.

▲ Grilled pufferfish slices

Besides the commonly seen pufferfish sashimi, there are also many special pufferfish dishes here, such as pufferfish tempura and pufferfish nigiri sushi. At the checkout area, you can even buy whole dried pufferfish to take home and enjoy slowly.

▲ Pufferfish tempura

▲ Pufferfish nigiri sushi

The second floor serves more expensive pufferfish dishes, and unlike the Western-style seating on the first floor, the second floor has private rooms and uses traditional Japanese-style seating. Since the dishes offered here differ from those on the first floor, the second floor only starts serving food at noon and closes in the evening. Many corporate gatherings and friendly meetups are held here, so there are also non-pufferfish dishes for guests who don’t eat pufferfish, such as pork dumplings.

▲ Pork dumplings

If you’re visiting Busan, don’t miss this special local favorite hangover breakfast.

Jinsu Pufferfish
Address: 23, Haeundaehaebyeon-ro 154beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Business hours: 1st floor 24 hours; 2nd floor 11:30–22:00 (you can still order sashimi and other dishes on the 2nd floor, but they’re also available on the 1st floor)