Charcoal-grilled eel hitsumabushi with sake glass picks: Chisot

I finally had a proper eel rice bowl in Yeoksam.

This time I went to Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch. The photos already made the eel look pretty generous, but what actually stood out once I tasted it was the subtle charcoal aroma that lingered in my mouth.

Eel rice bowls can get tiring fast if all you taste is the sauce, but Chisot's eel has that real charcoal-grilled character alive in it, so I enjoyed it right down to the last bite. That's exactly why I'd recommend it to anyone hunting for Japanese food near Yeoksam Station.

Nagoya-style eel rice bowl, found in Yeoksam

Chisot's exterior uses wood and red accents, giving it a naturally Japanese-restaurant feel. Right out front there are big photos of the eel rice bowl and menu signage, so you know exactly what they serve before stepping in.

Chisot uses the line 'over rising charcoal flames, a bite that raises your spirits,' and after eating there that day, I understood why they emphasize the charcoal so much. The smoky flavor coming through the eel was quite distinct.

What's in the hitsumabushi set?

When the set arrived, the eel was the first thing that caught my eye. It covered the red square bowl edge to edge, glossy with sauce and grilled to a nice golden brown—it looked seriously appetizing.

It wasn't just eel on its own, either—soup, steamed egg, side dishes, seaweed, wasabi, chopped scallion, and broth for ochazuke (rice soaked in tea or broth) all came together, making for a genuinely full spread. So even though I only ordered the eel rice bowl, it felt like I was enjoying the meal in several different ways.

The charcoal-scented eel is still the main event

The best part of the day was, without question, the eel itself. The outside is glazed with a glossy sauce and gives off a subtle charcoal aroma, and that flavor came through even more clearly when eaten with rice.

It's not just a sweet grilled-eel flavor—the smoky, grilled note makes the whole thing taste richer. If you're looking for lunch spots for office workers in Yeoksam and want something a bit more special than an ordinary lunch, this would be a good pick. The portion of eel was generous too, so I didn't have to ration it bite by bite.

Hitsumabushi is fun to eat, too

There was a guide on the table for how to enjoy hitsumabushi properly. First, eat the eel and rice on their own. Next, add toppings like seaweed and wasabi. Then pour on the broth and eat it ochazuke-style.

At the end, finish it off however you liked best out of the three methods. It's the same bowl, but the flavor keeps shifting depending on how you eat it—that's the fun of hitsumabushi.

I personally liked the charcoal aroma best when I ate just the eel and rice plain, and adding a bit of wasabi and scallion gave the rich eel flavor a fresher, cleaner edge—a different kind of appeal.

Ochazuke-style turns it into almost a different dish

After eating a good amount of the eel and rice, you can pour on the broth and enjoy it ochazuke-style. Rather than pouring the broth in right away, it was better to fully enjoy the eel's own flavor first and save this for the end.

As the warm broth soaks into the rice and eel, the whole mood shifts completely from the eel rice bowl you were eating before. After enjoying the charcoal aroma and rich sauce, it finishes things off gently, so it never got boring right to the end.

A well-rounded set with good side dishes

The eel is the main event, but the dishes that came alongside really rounded out the set. As shown, the steamed egg, soup, pickles, scallion and wasabi, and seaweed were all served separately, which was great for adding little touches in between bites of eel.

The wasabi in particular paired well with the rich eel sauce. Rather than eating the same flavor the whole time, switching between scallion, seaweed, and wasabi let me enjoy it in a lot more variety.

The fun of picking your own sake glass

There was also signage explaining that if you order sake, you get to choose your own sake glass. It's a service where you pick whichever glass design you like out of several options—a small touch, but it fit the Japanese-restaurant mood really well.

If you're someone who likes pairing eel with sake, this could be worth keeping in mind when you're looking for a bar in Yeoksam or a spot for a work dinner in Yeoksam. It'd also suit an evening get-together or a casual meal with a drink.

Menu and prices

• Hitsumabushi Mini ₩25,000
• Hitsumabushi Regular ₩37,000
• Hitsumabushi Premium ₩43,000
• Salmon sashimi ₩35,000
• Whole eel tempura ₩17,000
• Assorted oden hot pot ₩24,000
• Spicy salmon head hot pot ₩28,000
• Pollack roe avocado ₩16,000
• Chicken nanban ₩16,000
• Assorted croquettes ₩15,000

※ Menu and prices are as of the menu board at the time of the visit and may change.

Hitsumabushi is Chisot's signature dish, but looking at the menu there were plenty of other Japanese items besides eel. With side dishes like salmon sashimi, raw beef tartare-style items, chicken nanban, and assorted croquettes, it looked like a good place to either center a meal around the eel rice bowl or keep a drinking session going.

It's also nice that hitsumabushi comes in different sizes, so you can pick based on how hungry you are. Menu and prices are current as of the visit and are subject to change.

From weekday lunch to dinner in Yeoksam

Given that eel tends to feel like a special-occasion dish, Chisot might seem like a place you'd save for a big day, but the clean, well-organized set presentation makes it work fine as a solid lunch spot for Yeoksam office workers too. It's good solo with the hitsumabushi set, or good for two people ordering the eel rice bowl plus a few side dishes.

I personally like eel but get tired quickly of styles that are too sweet or too heavily sauced—this time, the charcoal aroma held up and I was genuinely satisfied.

• Name: Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch
• Signature menu: Hitsumabushi, eel rice bowl
• Notes: Comes as a full hitsumabushi set, can be enjoyed ochazuke-style
• Sake: Confirmed service letting you choose your own sake glass when ordering

Final thoughts

What stuck with me most from Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch was, without a doubt, the charcoal-scented eel. The eel itself was piled on generously, and eaten with rice, that real grilled-over-charcoal aroma came through clearly—it was genuinely delicious.

Starting with the plain eel rice bowl, then adding wasabi, seaweed, and scallion, and finishing with broth poured over the top—there was real fun in enjoying one bowl in several different ways.

Price-wise, it leans more toward a special meal than something you'd grab casually every day, but considering the portion of eel and how full the set is, I felt it was worth it. If you're looking for Japanese food near Yeoksam Station, love eel rice bowls, or want hitsumabushi with real charcoal flavor, Chisot is worth a visit.

If I go back, I think I'd order the eel again no matter what. More than anything else, the charcoal aroma soaked into the eel is what stuck with me the longest.