Taste Busan's Soul: Exclusive Chef-Led Food & History Tour

Hee-Jeong is very passionate about food and was enthusiastic to share that with us. This tour was more about food than tasting food. We expected to try more items. The samples were small and it was necessary to have a full dinner afterwards.

This was such a lovely experience!! As non-Koreans who love cooking and eating, it was perfect set up for us to have a Korean chef walk us trough these huge, amazing markets and not just educate us but give us samples of things to try — we wouldn’t have any idea where to start otherwise. Heeyoung was super warm, friendly, and knowledgeable, we had such a great time — I highly recommend! :)

We had a great time on our food tour. Our guide, Heeyoung, was very friendly and knowledgeable and provided a lot of background to Korean food and the wider culture. We tried some great dishes - the hotteok was a particular highlight.

Stroll around markets, learn insights about Korean food from a classically trained chef. Heeyoung was really wonderful and highly informative. Very highly recommend the experience of food insights from a local.

Highly recommend this small group tour. HeeYoung was nice, and punctual. We tried few different foods and walked through few markets. It wasn’t rushed, and she helped us buy things at the markets as well. She gave us other recommendations as well.

The tour was just okay. Be careful of some of the reviews from 2-3 years ago - the tour is not as they described. While it was fine, it is really not a food tour, but more of a walking tour with a couple snacks. I had been hoping to have a tour guide help me navigate ordering the fresh seafood from Jagalchi vendors and having it prepared for us on the tour - this did not happen. If that is what you are looking for, find a different tour. It was fine to walk around and have her point out the different stalls and vendors, but I would’ve preferred to stop and taste some of it, mostly we didn’t. We did three small tastings, and it was good, but you will definitely still be hungry and need dinner after. Not to mention the hotteok and fish cakes are not exactly ‘off the beaten path,’ and while they’re a relevant part of a Busan food tour, it seemed a bit cheeky for those to be the main highlights. This tour is probably best suited for people who are uncomfortable walking around a bustling market on their own. If you’re comfortable walking around the market on your own, I think you could have almost the same experience independently. She did educate about the foods on display and some of Busan’s history, however if you weren’t standing right next to her you simply couldn’t hear, and in a group of eight I rarely was close enough. All in all, if you’re a young and curious person, comfortable roaming on your own, and looking for someone to take you to unlikely places and help you order more challenging foods, look elsewhere.

Fantastic tour which was both informative and fun. Chef Heeyoung is a terrific guide and loves to share her passion for Busan.

Heeyoung was an excellent tour guide! She was knowledgeable, friendly, and just pleasant to spend a few hours with. It was well paced, with a few stops for lite eating and learning opportunities! I highly recommend it if you visit Busan. Our only regret is we didn’t have another day to have a king crab meal freshly prepared for us!

Chef Heeyoung is an excellent tour guide, super friendly and very knowledgable about Korean cuisine and many others. Between interesting segments she chatted with all member of our group, answering any ad hoc questions we had. I would highly recommend taking this tour if you happen to be visiting Busan on a Wednesday!

My family and I took this tour and were so glad we did! The guide is an experienced, knowledgeable chef from Busan, who is an expert in Korean cooking. The seafood area is amazing and the other treats and delicacies were delightful. After the tour be sure you pick out your seafood that they cook for you. This is a wonderful way to experience Busan’s special foods.