Dish guide · Seafood
Bokguk
복국
Pufferfish soup
A clear, clean soup of pufferfish with bean sprouts and minari (water dropwort). It's a Busan specialty and a well-loved morning-after meal.
What it is
- There are different pufferfish, such as eun-bok and kkachi-bok. Soup comes clear (jiri) or spicy (maeuntang).
- Pufferfish contains a dangerous toxin, tetrodotoxin, so only licensed chefs may prepare it in Korean restaurants.
How to eat it
- 1Taste the broth first. Add vinegar or the sauce on the table, and mix in rice.
History
- Busan is known for its pufferfish restaurants, and the first licensed pufferfish chef in the city is said to have founded Chowon Bokguk. Its use as a hangover cure is a popular belief, not proven.
Allergies and diet
Usually contains
- Eat pufferfish only at a licensed restaurant. Never try cooking or preparing it yourself.
Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.
🗣️ Allergy card for the staff
Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.
📍 Where to try it
- 🐡
Geumsu Bokguk (Main) 금수복국 본점
Home-style meals · Haeundae & Gwangalli · Since 1970
The Haeundae house credited with the first pufferfish soup served in a ttukbaegi (hot stone bowl). A clear, bracing broth comes loaded with bean sprouts and minari (water dropwort), and the first floor runs around the clock, so it works as breakfast or a hangover cure after a night out.
Try: Eun-bok guk (silver pufferfish soup)
Short wait - 🍜
Gommak Sikdang 곰막식당
Noodles · Jeju City & North Coast
A big seafood noodle house on the coast at Dongbok, between Hamdeok and Gimnyeong. Try hoe-guksu, cold noodles with raw fish in a sweet-spicy sauce, or seongge-guksu with sea urchin. It's a good lunch on an east coast drive, with plenty of parking and sea views.
Try: Hoe-guksu (noodles with raw fish)
Locals' pickShort wait
Sources
We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-31.