Yangsan-dong eel restaurant, pick on 1F & grill on 2F: Deokeun Jangeo

What is Deokeun Jangeo Main Branch in Gwangju?

Deokeun Jangeo Main Branch (더큰장어 본점) is a grilled eel restaurant on Haseo-ro in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and it's well known as one of Gwangju's best eel spots. I was craving eel to recharge lately, so I headed over to the Main Branch.

It isn't the usual eel place where you sit down and just order from a menu. You pick your eel on the 1st floor, then go up to the 2nd floor to grill it, which felt a bit fresher and more fun. Since you can see the eel with your own eyes before choosing, the anticipation starts before you even eat.

Deokeun Jangeo Main Branch hours and parking

• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:30)
• Parking: Restaurant parking lot available
• Other: Takeout available / waiting area available

How long is the weekend lunch wait at Deokeun Jangeo?

When I arrived around 12:00 on a weekend, there were roughly 10 groups ahead of me, and in the end I waited about 30 minutes to get in. It's clearly a popular place, with quite a few groups waiting.

Weekend lunchtime gets crowded, so I'd recommend allowing plenty of time.

Pick your eel on the 1st floor, grill it on the 2nd

The system at the Main Branch is simple. First choose the eel you want on the 1st floor, then head up to the 2nd-floor dining area. The eel is packaged and on display, so you can choose by size and amount, and picking it yourself made me trust it a little more.

The 2nd floor is the dining space, with a good atmosphere for grilling eel. It has that lively eel-restaurant feel, and since it was a weekend lunch, there seemed to be lots of families. There was a wait, but it just felt like that many people come here.

How to grill eel so it tastes best

Once you sit down at the Main Branch, you're set up to grill. I grilled the eel on the hot plate until golden as I ate.

Start by crisping the skin side, then grill the flesh side just enough, and you get a nutty, crisp outside with a moist inside.

Grilled eel with sauce, ginger strips and lettuce wraps

Eel is tasty on its own, but adding sauce or ginger strips makes it much cleaner to eat.

The eel's nutty flavor is strong, and the more you chew, the richer it gets, so it really felt like a stamina-boosting meal.

It was good in a wrap too. Put a piece of eel on the leaf, add a little ginger or sauce, and the greasiness drops while the nutty flavor comes through more.

Eel is a heavy dish, so eating vegetables in between kept it easy to the very end.

Finishing the eel with clam kalguksu

Eating only eel felt like a shame, so I also ordered clam kalguksu (바지락칼국수, clam knife-cut noodle soup). If eel is rich and nutty, the kalguksu was the dish that reset my palate with a cool, clear broth.

The broth had a refreshing flavor, probably thanks to the clams. One spoonful of the hot soup cleared away the eel's oiliness, and with the noodles it was a filling way to end the meal. Eel followed by clam kalguksu turned out to be a pretty good combination.

Eating only eel can end on a greasy note, but the kalguksu kept it clean to the end. Overall, the Main Branch is a place with the fun of choosing your own eel and the satisfaction of grilling it. There was a wait at weekend lunch, but there is a waiting area. The eel was in good condition and the meal was satisfying, so the wait was worth it.

Verdict: the fun of grilling eel you picked yourself

At Deokeun Jangeo Main Branch you choose eel on the 1st floor and grill it yourself on the 2nd, which made the eel feel fresher. The eel I ate was nutty and moist, and it went well with wraps and sauce.

The clam kalguksu I ordered alongside had a cool broth and was a great closer after the eel. Expect a possible wait around 12:00 on weekends, so I recommend leaving yourself plenty of time. If you want eel and kalguksu together, the Main Branch is worth a visit 😊