South Korea: The Best Busan Bars

South Korea is a drinking society. So where are the bars? Practically everywhere! But, do you want to know where the best bars are in Busan? Well, it depends on what area of Busan you are in. There are great bars in the Kyungsung University area and Pusan National University area (hey, college kids love to drink). Haeundae also has great bars on the beach to offer people looking for a drink or maybe five. Here are three bars you should visit if you find yourself in the mentioned locations of Busan. It's, like, soju madness here. And if you don't know what soju is, you don't know Korea. More on that in a forthcoming article.

Kyungsung University

The Kyungsung University area, which is located off of subway line 2, has bars on every main street and down plenty of alleys. In fact, you'll find one of the best bars in the Kyungsung University area on one of the main streets - 88 in New York. Don't get it confused with its sister bars: 88 in Miami and 88 in Brooklyn, which are located in other parts of Busan. 88 in New York is located on the main street when you walk up Exit 5 of the Kyungsung University subway station. It's located on the second or third floor of the building, so while you are walking down the street trying to find the bar, look up for the sign.

88 in New York has drinks at a decent price. They play a lot of pop and hip-hop videos that are projected on a huge screen. There is a lit up floor that seems like a good place to dance; yet I've never seen anyone dancing. Besides sitting down and throwing a few back, you can play darts in the back of the bar.

88 in New York also offers food. I have only tried the nachos there. Like a lot of food that isn't spicy in Korea, the nachos were a bit sweet. It's not a taste I was expecting. Huge pieces of beef topped the nachos. Sounds delicious but tasted funky. I wasn't too impressed with the food to say the least. The bartenders and servers, however, are pleasant. The atmosphere is cool. You can find a good mix of foreigners and Koreans at 88 in New York.

Haeundae

The 24/7 Lounge in Haeundae is a pretty cool spot. It's located close to Paradise Hotel. If you find yourself in Haeundae on a Friday or Saturday night, ask one of the young Koreans walking around where it is and, I'm pretty sure, they'll point you in the right direction.

The 24/7 Lounge in Haeundae just opened up in the beginning of April 2010. The venue has a huge bar with televisions advertising drink specials as the bar backdrop.

The bartenders speak good English. There are DJs. The drinks are cheap. There was a special on tequila shots on the opening night. I believe 3 shots were 10,000 won (less than 10USD).

Pusan National University (PNU)

The Pusan National University area, mainly known as PNU, is a fun place to roam around. There are lots of shops and lots of college kids around. And where there are lots of college kids, there are lots of bars. So what bar should you call home for the night? Crossroads!

Ask one of the college kids where Crossroads is located. My friend and I were lucky enough to have some college kids walk us to Crossroads instead of just pointing us in the direction.

You'll find a bunch of foreigners - mostly English teachers (duh!) - any night that you go to Crossroads. Crossroads is a small bar. But don't the let the size turn you off. There are comedy nights that are more crowded than other nights, so if you hear that it's one of those nights, get their early as it is hard to get a seat.

If you find that these bars aren't your style, simply hop over to the closest bar. Walk outside. Look left. Look right. Look up. I'm pretty sure there's another bar just a few steps away that is calling your name.