Halmae Bokguk at 1 Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil, Haeundae-gu is one of Busan’s 31 designated folk restaurants and has served clear pufferfish soup (bokjiri) since 1986.
Halmae Bokguk Busan: What This Pufferfish House Is Known For
| Order the signature dish | Bokjiri (복지리), the clear pufferfish soup — the dish named in the city’s official listing |
|---|---|
| Want spicy instead | Bok maeuntang, the hot spicy pufferfish soup, also a listed signature item |
| Pick a time slot | Order by 2:00 PM for lunch, or come 5:00-8:30 PM for dinner; skip 3:00-5:00 PM (break) |
| Combine it with a walk | Pair it with the 4.8 km Mipo-Songjeong coastal trail, Daritdol Observatory or the Sky Capsule |
| Searched the name and got two results | Make sure it is No. 1 Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil, not Park Okhee Halmaejip Wonjo Bokguk at No. 28 |
Halmae Bokguk is known for bokjiri, a clear-broth pufferfish soup, and for being the best-known pufferfish house in the Mipo area of Haeundae.
Per the city guide, it is one of 31 designated folk restaurants in Busan, and the Mipo stretch around it is nicknamed "pufferfish village."
The listing credits the soup’s clean broth and generous pufferfish fillets.
The house opened in May 1986 by the Mipo shore, moved to the current site in September 2009, and received its Busan folk restaurant designation in 2011.
If you want one pufferfish meal in Haeundae backed by an official city listing, this is the address to start from.
What to Order at Halmae Bokguk
Bokjiri is the signature: pufferfish soup in a clear broth.
The menu goes well past it, so a group can split several dishes:
- Bokjiri — clear pufferfish soup, the dish the city listing names first.
- Bok maeuntang — hot spicy pufferfish soup.
- Boksuyuk — sweet and sour pufferfish, as the city’s listing describes it.
- Bokjuk — pufferfish rice porridge.
- Bok bulgogi and bok jjim — marinated and steamed pufferfish.
- Agwi-jjim — braised spicy monkfish, if someone in the group skips pufferfish.
The menu also separates fish types: Hwinmilbok bokjiri (smooth-back pufferfish) and Kkachibok bokjiri (yellowfin pufferfish), plus a spicy Hwinmilbok maeuntang.
Collagen jelly made from pufferfish skin is listed as a local delicacy.
On this street, clear pufferfish soup is eaten with a dash of vinegar stirred into the broth, and the fish and bean sprouts dipped in vinegared chili paste — asking the staff for the dip is enough to get it.
If it is your first pufferfish meal, bokjiri plus a shared spicy dish covers both ends of the menu.
Halmae Bokguk Hours: When to Go
Per the visitbusan.net city listing (September 30, 2026), Halmae Bokguk opens at 07:00, closes at 21:30, takes a break 15:00-17:00, and takes last order at 14:00 and 20:30.
It is open all year round, with no listed closed day.
| Source | Hours | Break / last order |
|---|---|---|
| visitbusan.net city listing (2026-09-30) | 07:00-21:30 | Break 15:00-17:00; last order 14:00 & 20:30 |
| TRIPPOSE / K-TRIP TIPS (older listing) | 06:00-23:00 | None listed |
The two sources disagree on opening and closing times, and this post follows the newer city listing.
The practical rule is the same under either set of hours: order by 2:00 PM for lunch or come between 5:00 and 8:30 PM for dinner, and do not show up mid-afternoon.
Reservations are by phone at +82-51-742-2789 or +82-51-742-2790, and the 1330 Travel Hotline (+82-2-1330) helps in English, Japanese and Chinese.
The restaurant is non-smoking, with restrooms inside.
How to Get to Halmae Bokguk
From Haeundae Station (Busan Metro Line 2, Exit 1), take bus 39, 100, 139, 141 or 200 and get off at Mipo Moontan Road entrance stop.
The restaurant sits midway between Haeundae Beach and Dalmaji Hill, so it is walkable from the beach end too.
About 10 minutes on foot from Jung-dong Station (Line 2) also gets you there.
- Ride the bus to the Mipo MoonTan Road entrance stop.
- Cross behind Dongbaek Church.
- The restaurant is on the left of Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil — building number 1.
If you are coming from Seoul, the fastest KTX takes 2h 11m from ₩41,400 (first train 05:13, last 22:40 per the TAGO schedule for 09/30), while the fastest express bus takes 4h 00m from ₩26,700 to ₩52,600 (first 06:00, last 24:00).
KTX saves about 1h 49m and costs about ₩14,700 more at minimum (₩41,400 − ₩26,700).
What Else Is Nearby on the Mipo Coast
The restaurant sits next to the Mipo-Songjeong coastal trail, a 4.8 km path built on the old Donghae Nambu railway line and walkable in both directions.
Along that trail are Daritdol Observatory (opened 2017), the Sea Sound Gallery (opened January 2022) and the Haeundae Blueline Park Sky Capsule, which runs between Mipo, Cheongsapo and Songjeong stations.
The area was also a filming location for the K-drama "Now, We are Breaking Up," and Haeundae Beach is a short walk away.
I would aim for a 5:00 PM dinner seat after walking the trail from the Mipo end, because the 3:00-5:00 PM break makes a mid-afternoon visit a wasted trip and last order is 8:30 PM.
For map and menu-word help, koreankorea.com keeps a Haeundae dining page with a menu-words decoder and a Busan sights-and-restaurants map.
Halmae Bokguk vs the Lookalike Next Door
Two pufferfish restaurants with near-identical names sit on the same short street, and they are separate businesses.
| Halmae Bokguk | Park Okhee Halmaejip Wonjo Bokguk | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 1 Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil | 28 Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil |
| Status | City-designated folk restaurant | Google ★4.2, not on the city designation |
| Opened | 1986 | — |
Before anything else I check which of the two houses an article or review is actually about, then which hours source is newer — the name is easy to mix up at No.
1 vs No.
- For context, other long-standing Busan pufferfish houses include Chowon Bokguk (50 years, with a cook licensed in pufferfish cuisine) and Geumsubokguk, credited as the first to introduce blowfish soup in Korea.
If matching the official city-designated list is what matters to you, the one at number 1 is the listing; if you only have a map pin, check the building number before you sit down.
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Sources
- No readable prices in any source — visitbusan signature menu (visitbusan.net)
- K-TRIP TIPS: est. 1986, 54 seats, no on-site parking, fish-t (ktriptips.com)
- world.nol.com
What to Remember
- Bokjiri (복지리) is the dish to order; bok maeuntang is the spicy alternative.
- Order by 2:00 PM for lunch or come 5:00-8:30 PM for dinner — the kitchen breaks 3:00-5:00 PM.
- Bus 39, 100, 139, 141 or 200 from Haeundae Station Exit 1; or a 10-minute walk from Jung-dong Station.
- Confirm the address is 1 Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil — No. 28 is a different restaurant.
- Pair the meal with the 4.8 km Mipo-Songjeong coastal trail or the Sky Capsule.
FAQ
Q. What is Halmae Bokguk in Busan known for?
Bokjiri, a clear-broth pufferfish soup. It is one of Busan’s 31 designated folk restaurants and the best-known pufferfish house in the Mipo area, established in 1986.
Q. What should I order at Halmae Bokguk?
Bokjiri first. Bok maeuntang (spicy soup), boksuyuk, bokjuk, bok bulgogi, bok jjim and agwi-jjim are also on the menu, and the jelly made from pufferfish skin is a listed delicacy.
Q. What are Halmae Bokguk’s hours?
Per the September 30, 2026 city listing: 07:00-21:30 with a break 15:00-17:00 and last order at 14:00 and 20:30, open all year round. Older tourist listings show 06:00-23:00.
Q. How do I get to Halmae Bokguk from Haeundae Station?
Line 2, Exit 1, then bus 39, 100, 139, 141 or 200 to the Mipo MoonTan Road entrance stop; cross behind Dongbaek Church and the restaurant is on the left of Dalmaji-gil 62beon-gil.
Q. How much does bokjiri cost?
No recent source publishes per-bowl prices for this restaurant, so no figure can be quoted here — check the menu board or call +82-51-742-2789 before ordering a set budget.
Does it have parking, and how much does bokjiri cost? Both vary by source and none of the recent pages give a firm number, so call +82-51-742-2789 or ask at the door — do not plan a driving trip around a parking figure from an old listing.
Cover photo: AI-generated illustration (pufferfish soup) — AI-generated image, illustrative only
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