By the time we reached Busan, we thought Korea had already shown us its best bakeries.
Sungsimdang amazed us with its heritage. Slow Bread impressed us with technical precision. Surely, we had seen the pinnacle of Korean breadmaking.
Then we walked into Busandang.
Within seconds we realised this wasn’t another bakery trying to compete with Korea’s famous pastry shops. Busandang had quietly built an entirely different identity.
If Sungsimdang is Korea’s king of sweet breads, then Busandang is undoubtedly its wonderfully eccentric savoury cousin.
Originally established as Baekjo Confectionery in 1983, Busandang embraces the one thing Busan is famous for—its seafood—and somehow transforms it into bread that feels completely natural.
Not gimmicky. Not bizarre. Just surprisingly brilliant. Walking through the bakery almost feels like going on a treasure hunt. Every shelf makes you stop.
“Wait… squid ink?”
“Pollock roe?”
“Octopus croquette?”
Surely someone was having too much fun creating this menu.
Then you start eating. And suddenly everything makes sense.
The Cephalopod Squid Ink Pie Manju might just win the award for the world’s ugliest beautiful pastry.
Its charcoal-black shell looks dramatic, but breaks apart with a satisfying crispness before giving way to an incredibly soft interior. Inside sits mildly sweet red bean paste with enough whole beans to create texture instead of becoming a smooth paste. Then, almost unexpectedly, comes a gentle smoky savouriness from the squid ink.
Sweet. Smoky. Earthy. Comforting. Who knew squid ink and red bean belonged together?
Apparently Busandang did.
Our other standout was the Busan Nakji (Octopus) Croquette, and this completely challenged our expectations of what a croquette should be.
Instead of mashed potato wrapped in breadcrumbs, Busandang replaces the potato with soft, fluffy bread coated in crisp panko. The filling combines fragrant onions, spring onions and generous pieces of octopus that remain pleasantly firm instead of becoming rubbery. Finished with a lightly spicy mayonnaise, every bite reveals another layer of flavour. Even after cooling, it never became oily or heavy like many savoury breads do. It stayed fresh, balanced and surprisingly light.
It was one of those pastries that made us slow down and analyse every bite, simply because we couldn’t quite believe how well it worked.
For something more traditional, the Gold Red Bean Bun showcases Busan’s own agricultural innovation. Made using Hwanggeum Yechan, a premium rice jointly developed by Busan City and Korea’s Rural Development Administration, the bun has a noticeably chewier texture than conventional wheat breads. The rice also softens the distinct wheat flavour, allowing the mildly sweet red bean filling to shine without becoming overly sugary.
Of course, not every discovery came without a lesson.
Our biggest tourist mistake?
Buying the Pollock Roe Baguette and eating it back in our hotel room. The flavour was fantastic—intensely savoury, wonderfully salty and packed with umami—but so was the aroma. Let’s just say pollock roe has enough personality to perfume an air-conditioned hotel room long after you’ve finished eating. Consider yourself warned.
Across everything we sampled, one thing remained remarkably consistent. Busandang doesn’t skimp. Every bread carried a generous amount of filling without overwhelming the dough. Nothing felt padded out with unnecessary bread or designed simply to look good in photographs. Every pastry felt wholesome, satisfying and genuinely good value.
Many bakeries can make excellent croissants, cream buns or sausage rolls.
Only Busandang could make you crave squid ink, octopus and pollock roe in bread—and somehow convince you that this is exactly what Busan should taste like.
And that’s perhaps the greatest compliment we can give.
Busandang doesn’t merely bake bread.
It bakes Busan.
Read about other great bakes in Korea:
Sungsimdang – How an Unexpected Stop in Daejeon Created Korea’s Greatest Bakery: Sungsimdang at 70
Slow Bread – Crafted by a World Cup Champion Baker
Gyeongju Bread – Gyeongju Chalborippang: The Little Barley Bun You’ll Keep Reaching For
Jayeondo Saltbread – One Bread Worth the Curiosity