Busan Releases 2025 Edition of “Taste of Busan” Guidebook

Busan, South Korea — The city of Busan has published the 2025 edition of its official culinary guidebook, Taste of Busan, highlighting 150 local restaurants and introducing key elements of the city’s traditional and contemporary food culture. The guide, released in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese, is designed to assist both residents and international visitors in exploring Busan’s culinary offerings and cultural heritage.

The publication includes detailed information on selected restaurants, chef interviews, thematic food alleys, and descriptions of local specialties. It also features a dedicated section on 13 representative traditional dishes, including dishes such as Dongnae pajeon (green onion pancake), milmyeon (wheat noodles), pork soup, grilled eel, and spicy monkfish stew. These items are accompanied by historical context and information on regional ingredients such as Myeongji green onions, Daejeo tomatoes, and Yeongdo sweet potatoes.

Fifty of the featured restaurants include digital QR codes linked to multilingual menus. The menus are available in seven languages — English, simplified and traditional Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Arabic — as part of Busan’s ongoing effort to improve accessibility and convenience for foreign visitors. This initiative builds on the city’s “Foreign Language Menu Support Program,” which began in 2024 to strengthen Busan’s positioning as a “global gastronomic city.”

The guidebook is available online through the city’s tourism portal, www.visitbusan.net, and in print at designated restaurants, tourist information centers, consulates, and relevant municipal offices. In addition, a foldable pocket map listing all selected restaurants will be distributed free of charge starting in mid-April.

Originally launched in 2002 during the Busan Asian Games and FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan, Taste of Busan was developed to introduce local food establishments to domestic and international visitors. Since then, it has evolved into an annual publication and is now regarded as an official city-endorsed tourism asset. Over the past two decades, the guidebook has expanded in scope and quality, reflecting changes in the city’s dining landscape and its growing international visibility.

In recent years, Busan’s culinary policy has gained recognition through global platforms such as the Délice Network — a consortium of gastronomic cities from 20 countries. Busan’s food initiatives, including Taste of Busan, have been presented as model cases at the network’s annual meetings in Malmö (2023), Mérida (2024), and are scheduled for further discussion in Lyon (2025).

City officials view the guidebook as part of a broader strategy to promote the local food industry and enhance the city’s cultural and tourism appeal. “We hope that this year’s guide will increase interest in Busan’s unique food culture,” said Lee So-ra, Director of the Health Bureau at Busan Metropolitan City. “Our goal is to continue supporting local culinary identity while providing convenient and accessible experiences for all visitors.”

According to the city, the publication also serves as a promotional tool at domestic and international events, further establishing Busan’s image as a culinary destination.