Maga Mandu 마가 만두

Right beside Sinbalwon in the Chinatown alley across from Busan Station, this shop makes three kinds of dumplings by hand: steamed, pan-fried and boiled. The owner appeared on the TV show Saenghwarui Dalin for his pan-fried dumplings, yet plenty of diners rate the steamed ones as the best here. Those steamed dumplings are juicy and carry a faint spice aroma that divides people, which makes the crisp pan-fried ones the safer pick. The boiled dumplings wrap a rich meat filling, like those of northeast China, in a smooth skin. There are no noodle dishes; the rest of the menu is rice plates such as jjamppong-bap and mapo tofu rice, plus kkanpunggi and sweet-and-sour pork.