Dongnae Halmae Pajeon (Korean: 동래할매파전), or Dongrae Halmae Pajun,[1] is a historic Korean restaurant in Busan, South Korea. The restaurant opened in the 1940s, and has remained family owned since then; by 2024 it was on its fourth generation of owners. It specializes and is named for the scallion seafood pancake dish haemulpajeon.[2]
The restaurant has its origins from a stall in Busan's Dongnae Market in the 1920s. The Dongnae area was once reputed for the scallions that it grew; as land became more expensive in the area, it eventually came to no longer grow scallions.[3] The founder of the restaurant sold pajeon, and eventually grew successful enough to establish a store,[3] which she did in either the 1940s[2] or 1950s.[3] The restaurant is reportedly somewhat difficult to find, as it is located in an alleyway. Regardless, the restaurant reportedly has a loyal base of regular customers, and has persisted in that location since.[2] The restaurant was rebuilt in 2006.[4] It also reportedly received an offer to convert it into a chain, but the owners reportedly refused with the concern that the restaurant's original taste may become diluted or lost.[2][3]
The restaurant's pajeon is reportedly of an older style that is uncommon elsewhere. The scallions are served uncut and whole; they are laid in parallel to form a thin sheet. A large portion of seafood is laid on top. Then a small amount of batter is applied; it serves as an adhesive for the scallions and seafood.[3] By contrast, many other restaurants have served crispier pajeon with more batter; the store owner reportedly considered changing their recipe but decided against it, in order to preserve the restaurant's traditional taste.[2] The restaurant sells a meal kit with instructions for how to create its variant of the dish at home.[5]
The restaurant reportedly holds Korean traditional music performances every Friday. It is reportedly popular with tourists on that day.[3]
