Eel bowl lunch with yurinke fried chicken near DMC Station: Ryeok

I was at a studio in Sangam-dong when I heard there was a great eel grill place nearby, so I went for an eel rice bowl lunch. It's well known for using domestic Japonica eel that's prepared fresh the same day. It's a great spot to visit whenever you're craving grilled eel or an eel rice bowl near Digital Media City Station or in Sangam-dong. A must-try near DMC Station and in Sangam-dong! Let's get into my visit to Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom (력 민물장어구이전문점).

Location, parking, and hours

A must-try near DMC Station and in Sangam-dong! Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom is about 100 meters from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station, so it's very convenient by public transit.

If you're driving, I'd recommend using a nearby public parking lot. I used Sangam 1 Public Parking Lot, which is a 2-minute walk away.

• Location: 37 Seongam-ro 15-gil, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–23:00 / Sat 11:00–22:00
• Break time: 14:00–16:00
• Closed on Sundays

What's the interior like?

I arrived at Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom around 1pm. It was nearly full, and I could really feel it's a popular spot.

⬆️⬆️⬆️ I took this photo again around 2pm as customers thinned out. True to a freshwater eel grill specialty restaurant, every table had its own grill plate and ventilation system, and the whole space felt clean.

An antique stained-glass pendant lamp softly lighting up one side of the restaurant, along with cute little vase objects, gave the place a cozier, more sentimental atmosphere than a typical grill house. The walls were filled with framed autographs from celebrities who'd visited, which boosted my confidence in the food.

A hearty, nourishing spread — what's on the menu at Ryeok?

You can order conveniently via the tablet at each table at Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom, which showcases a diverse menu built on fresh domestic Japonica eel prepared that same day! There was salt-grilled eel that fully preserves the eel's own light, savory flavor, soy-sauce-glazed grilled eel (taerae ganjang) brushed with a rich secret sauce, and spicy-sweet seasoned grilled eel too. For lunch, there were rice bowl dishes like egg-and-eel rice bowl and special eel rice bowl — perfect for an easy, filling office lunch special.

Since we came for lunch, we ordered from the lunch special menu: the special eel rice bowl (hitsumabushi), the egg-and-eel rice bowl, and a side dish of yurinke (fried chicken).

Special eel rice bowl (hitsumabushi) — ₩27,000

The special eel rice bowl (hitsumabushi) came out as a neat, generous single-course set meal that drew gasps just from how it looked!

It was a full, visually impressive spread: the rice bowl itself, a deep and refreshing seaweed soup, a Japanese-style steamed egg custard (chawanmushi) as soft as pudding, tidy side dishes (cubed radish kimchi, pickles), and even a sweet mini chocolate cake and yogurt dessert.

The eel packed edge-to-edge on top of the rice had a mouthwatering, golden-brown grilled surface, and the meat inside was thick and tender 👍👍👍

You can enjoy the special eel rice bowl however you like — it was delicious eating it as is, savoring the eel's natural flavor along with the rice soaked in the sweet-savory taerae sauce, and it was also great eaten refreshingly with wasabi or shredded ginger.

I like to pour on ochazuke (green tea rice soup) and eat it soft and moist, so that's how I finished mine. It was delicious ♥️

Egg-and-eel rice bowl — ₩18,000

Next up, the egg-and-eel rice bowl! Eel piled generously on top of a soft rolled egg omelet.

The eel was big and hearty, and the rolled egg omelet was incredibly soft ♥️♥️♥️

Great price, and you get that soft rolled egg omelet too — lucky vicky! A very satisfying dish! 😃 (Note: ochazuke isn't included with this one.)

Yurinke (fried chicken) — ₩10,000

The side dish we ordered — yurinke! Ordered to go alongside the hearty rice bowls, this side dish filled out the table with quality every bit as good as the main dishes!

Crunchy cabbage underneath the crispy fried chicken, topped generously with cheongyang chili and finely chopped scallions — the sharp bite paired amazingly with the sweet-and-tangy special soy sauce.

How is it as a lunch or dinner spot in Sangam-dong?

Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom is a spot where you can enjoy eel without too much of a price burden, since both the taste and the price are good. It seemed like a great fit for a Sangam-dong office lunch, a dinner gathering, or a family meal out.