Busan Eomuk (Fish Cake): The City’s Signature Snack — 2026 Guide
Eomuk — Korean fish cake — is Busan’s soul food: a steaming skewer dipped in free broth on a winter street, a croquette that went viral nationwide, and a souvenir locals swear by. Here’s what to eat, where, and the story behind it.
- Eomuk (Korean fish cake) is Busan’s signature snack — the city is its home, and ‘Busan eomuk’ is a brand in itself across Korea.
- The classic is kkochi-eomuk — a fish-cake skewer simmered in hot anchovy broth, with the broth free and refillable — the perfect cheap winter street food (around 1,000 won a skewer).
- Two famous makers run shops with experience centres: Samjin Eomuk (Korea’s oldest, since 1953, on Yeongdo) and Goraesa (since 1963, by Haeundae).
- Beyond skewers, try eomuk croquettes and rolls, a bowl of eomuk-tang (fish-cake soup), and pick up a vacuum-packed gift set as an only-in-Busan souvenir.
1. What is Busan eomuk?
2. The street-food skewer (and that free broth)
3. Samjin Eomuk: the original (since 1953)
4. Goraesa and the other big names
5. What to order: the eomuk line-up
6. Where to eat eomuk in Busan
7. Eomuk as a souvenir
8. Tips, prices and a smart plan
Ask anyone from Busan about home, and sooner or later eomuk comes up. Korean fish cake is made all over the country, but Busan is where it grew up — a legacy of the port’s endless fish supply and the hard post-war years, when fried fish cake was cheap, filling food for refugees. Today ‘Busan eomuk’ is a point of pride and a genuine brand: you’ll find it as a steaming skewer at a winter street stall, as crisp croquettes in a glossy bakery-style shop, floating in a comforting soup, and shrink-wrapped into gift boxes that travellers haul home by the armful. The first time I huddled at a Nampo-dong stall on a cold night, the vendor kept topping up my little paper cup of broth without my asking — that, more than anything, is the taste of Busan winter. This guide covers what eomuk is and where it came from, the street-food skewer, the famous makers and their experience centres, what to order, where to eat, and how to take some home. Plan it alongside the rest of your trip with our complete Busan Travel Guide.
1. What is Busan eomuk?
Eomuk is Korean fish cake — ground white fish blended with starch and seasonings, shaped and fried — and Busan is its spiritual home. It arrived via Japanese kamaboko in the early 20th century, but the Korean version is fried in oil, and it took deep root in Busan thanks to the port’s fish and the lean years after the Korean War, when it was affordable, protein-rich food.
- Why Busan: a fishing port with a constant supply of fresh fish, plus a post-war history that turned cheap fried fish cake into everyday sustenance.
- A real brand: ‘Busan eomuk’ carries weight all over Korea, the way a regional specialty does — locals are genuinely proud of it.
- ‘Eomuk’ vs ‘odeng’: eomuk is the proper Korean word for the fish cake; odeng (from Japanese) is often used for the skewered-in-broth street version.
2. The street-food skewer (and that free broth)
The most beloved form is kkochi-eomuk: a folded fish-cake skewer simmered in a vat of hot anchovy-and-kelp broth, eaten standing up — and the broth is free and endlessly refillable. At around 1,000 won a skewer, it’s the cheapest happiness in Busan, and never better than on a cold evening.
- How it works: grab a skewer from the simmering pot, help yourself to a paper cup of broth, eat, and pay for what you took. Many stalls leave a soy-and-chilli dip on the counter.
- When: it’s a year-round snack but a winter institution — the steam and hot broth are half the joy.
- Where: street stalls (pojangmacha), market lanes and bunsik (snack) shops all over the city.
3. Samjin Eomuk: the original (since 1953)
Samjin Eomuk is the oldest fish-cake maker in Korea, founded in 1953 in Bongnae Market on Yeongdo, and now run by the third generation of the same family. Its Yeongdo flagship is a bright, bakery-style shop, and upstairs is the Samjin Eomuk Experience & History Center, where you can learn the story and even make your own fish cake.
- The croquette revolution: in 2013 Samjin launched a ‘fish-cake bakery,’ and its eomuk croquettes — fish cake wrapped around fillings and fried crisp — went viral and carried Busan eomuk nationwide.
- What to try: the eomuk croquette, the chilli-fried fish cake, and the whole-shrimp roll are signatures.
- Visiting: the Yeongdo flagship (Taejong-ro 99beon-gil 36) is open daily 09:00–19:00; from Nampo Station (Line 1, Exit 9) take Yeongdo bus 5 to Bongnae Market. There are branches around the city too, including by Busan Station.
4. Goraesa and the other big names
Goraesa has been making eomuk since 1963 and is the other name everyone knows, with a flagship by Haeundae and premium, creative fish cakes.
- Goraesa: its Haeundae store (Metro Line 2, Haeundae Station, Exit 5) is hard to miss — giant fish-cake decorations on the wall — and has a second-floor experience hall. Look for premium rolls: vegetable, cheese, octopus and roasted whole-shrimp. It has several locations, including near Jagalchi Market and at Bujeon Market.
- Plenty more: markets and bunsik shops citywide sell excellent everyday eomuk; you don’t have to stick to the big brands to eat well.
5. What to order: the eomuk line-up
Eomuk comes in more shapes than first-timers expect — here’s the range to look for.
- Kkochi-eomuk (skewer): the classic, simmered in broth — start here.
- Eomuk croquette: fish cake around a filling (shrimp, curry, bulgogi…), breaded and fried crisp — Samjin’s famous one.
- Tong-saewu-mari (whole-shrimp roll): a whole shrimp wrapped in fish cake.
- Cheese eomuk: molten cheese inside — a crowd-pleaser.
- Sagak-eomuk: the flat square sheets used in soups and home cooking.
- Eomuk-tang: a warming bowl of fish cake in clear broth — a light meal in itself.
- Eomuk-bokkeum: stir-fried fish cake, slightly sweet-spicy — a classic banchan (side dish).
6. Where to eat eomuk in Busan
From street corners to flagship shops, eomuk is everywhere — here’s where to find it.
| Where | What you’ll get |
|---|---|
| Street stalls & bunsik shops | The classic broth skewer, cheap and everywhere — best in winter |
| Traditional markets | BIFF Square, Gukje, Jagalchi and Bujeon markets — skewers and fresh-fried cakes |
| Samjin Eomuk (Yeongdo) | Bakery-style shop + make-your-own experience center |
| Goraesa (Haeundae) | Flagship with premium rolls + experience hall |
| Busan Station | Branch shops handy for grabbing gift sets before you leave |
Because the markets cluster downtown around Nampo, you can pair eomuk easily with Jagalchi Market and BIFF Square street food in one walk.
7. Eomuk as a souvenir
Vacuum-packed eomuk gift sets are one of Busan’s most popular edible souvenirs, and the brand shops make them easy to grab on your way out.
- Gift sets: Samjin, Goraesa and others sell boxed, sealed assortments designed for travel.
- Handy spots: the brand branches at Busan Station and the airport area are built for last-minute souvenir runs.
- Keep it fresh: buy sealed packs near the end of your trip and check the use-by; they travel well chilled.
8. Tips, prices and a smart plan
Eomuk is cheap, casual and easy — a few pointers to enjoy it like a local.
- Price: a broth skewer is around 1,000 won; croquettes and rolls are a couple of thousand each — snack money.
- Broth refills: at stalls the broth is free — refill your cup as you go.
- Pay-as-you-took: at stalls you usually tell the vendor how many skewers you had and pay at the end.
- Best in winter: the hot-broth skewer is magic on a cold night; in summer, lean into croquettes and soups.
- A simple plan: classic broth skewers at a Nampo or BIFF Square stall, croquettes at a brand shop, and a gift set before you fly home.
Verdict: eomuk is Busan in a single, cheap, comforting bite — born of the port and the post-war years, perfected on winter streets, and reinvented as the croquette that made the whole country pay attention. Eat it on a skewer with free broth, try a croquette from Samjin or Goraesa, and take a gift set home. It’s one of the warmest, most local things you can do here. Plan the rest with our complete Busan Travel Guide.