Cheongna eel buffet, skin-first grilling and white kimchi: Jangsodam

I went out to Cheongna not long ago and stumbled on what might be the best-value place ever?! I wanted something restorative and a whole lot of meat, so I searched around and found Jangsodam Eel and Beef Buffet Cheongna Main Branch (장소담 장어 소고기 뷔페 청라본점)! Honestly I left so happy that I'm bringing you a review right away 💖

Jangsodam Cheongna parking and opening hours

Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch is on the 2nd floor (Units 206–208) at 10-17 Jungbong-daero 612beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon, and it's open 11:00–23:00. For parking, use the building's parking tower.

The parking space was so generous it moved me.. There's a parking tower for about 400 cars, so even beginner drivers can visit without any parking worries!

Is it good for company dinners and group gatherings in Cheongna?

Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch is about 90 pyeong with 28 tables and 112 seats, so it's perfect for company dinners and group gatherings. If you book a weekday group of 10 or more, they reportedly give one bottle of bokbunja (black raspberry wine) per table as a freebie!

Inside, the place was seriously huge and clean! 👍 There's also a kids' playroom and high chairs on one side, so families with children should be able to eat comfortably too!

Self-bar origins and the hot food corner

What I liked most at the Jangsodam Cheongna self-bar was the origin of the ingredients! 💡 They use domestic japonica freshwater eel! And the crabs for the marinated crab are domestic Yeonpyeong crabs too.. You all know Yeonpyeong crab is famous and plump, right? My mouth is already watering 🤤

The hot food corner is nicely stocked too! There's tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) and all kinds of fried food ✨ Honestly, the taste wasn't eye-opening or anything, but they refill the dishes super often so everything stays fresh and warm, which made it great for grabbing bites hehe 😋

The side ingredients for the grill are really varied too! Green onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and potatoes are all there, and grilling them in the beef and eel fat is pure heaven.. It's so much fun piling them on!

Unlimited white kimchi and 10+ side dishes

What I found really thoughtful at Jangsodam Cheongna was the side dishes. We normally love white kimchi, and here it's unlimited, so I took as much as I wanted without feeling awkward 🥬 The ssam (wrap) vegetables were super fresh too, not a single wilted leaf!

There's a nice range of sauces and sides to pick from! Starting with the basics like pickled green onion and pickled onion, there were various kimchis, ssam radish, and pickled ginger, which is a must with eel, so more than 10 kinds in total!

Jangsodam A Set: what's included and the price

The Jangsodam Cheongna A Set is a course where eel, beef, yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), marinated crab and pork are all unlimited. And yet the price is in the ₩30,000 range... ㅠㅠㅠ We wanted to taste a bit of everything, so we ordered the A Set! 🥩🐟

Beef: galbi-sal, toshi-sal, buchae-sal and sirloin

After a short wait, the beef came out first, neatly sorted by cut! Galbi-sal (rib meat), toshi-sal (skirt meat), buchae-sal (chuck flap) and sirloin all arrived in a very fresh color 🥩

Yukhoe tastes like buffet yukhoe

The yukhoe was exactly what you'd expect from buffet yukhoe haha. It had a slightly frozen feel, but it was thawed nicely and moist! Still, the seasoning's savory flavor clung to my mouth, so I kept picking at it like a starter while the meat cooked 😋

I put it on the grill, cooked it golden and took a bite: the galbi-sal was chewy with a burst of nuttiness...ㅜㅜ See how good it looks ㅠㅠㅠ🥩 And the toshi-sal and buchae-sal were soaked with juices, just moist.. perfect...

The sirloin wasn't dry either and went down tender, so I had to admit this is a real 'Incheon Seo-gu BBQ spot' 🔥

Yeonpyeong crab marinated crab: order on the tablet

The marinated crab (yangnyeom gejang) at Jangsodam Cheongna isn't set out by default. You order it on the tablet at your table and the staff bring it over quickly! 🦀

Maybe because they're Yeonpyeong crabs, the meat was really plump and full 🤤 The sweet and spicy seasoning soaked right into the flesh, and it instantly made me want rice!

How to grill eel well: skin side first

The eel at Jangsodam Cheongna comes prepared whole, and the grilling tip is to put the skin side on the grill first, sprinkle a little salt, and flip when it turns golden. Today's highlight.. the eel arrives! ✨ It looked thick and fresh at first glance!

Grill it carefully so the skin doesn't stick, and you've got deliciously perfect eel~

Cook both sides golden, snip it with scissors and stand the pieces up, and the look is just crazy..

I picked up a golden piece of eel and dipped it in pickled ginger and the special teriyaki sauce. Crispy outside, fluffy inside, and the nuttiness just exploded 🔥 Totally recommended for anyone searching for a 'Cheongna eel restaurant'!

Palate cleanser: Hangang-style Yeul Ramen and rice balls

Jangsodam Cheongna has a Hangang ramyeon machine (the kind that cooks instant noodles for you), and the ramyeon selection is really varied! We'd greased ourselves up properly with meat and eel, so we needed a palate cleanser, right?! 🍜 We picked the fiery Yeul Ramen and brought back a bubbling pot 🔥

One sip of the spicy broth and it felt like all the meat grease washed right down my throat ㅠㅠ Thoughtfully, the self-bar also has mayonnaise, seaweed flakes and pickled radish, so I made nutty rice balls and inhaled them with the ramyeon broth!🔥

Ice cream for dessert

I felt like I'd burst, but there's no way I'd skip dessert 🍦 The sweets and snacks were a little disappointing, but there was sweet ice cream, so I wrapped things up neatly! The main dishes were so solid and great that ice cream alone was plenty for dessert ✨

Jangsodam Cheongna overall verdict

I was so happy to find a jackpot place that nails both value and taste after so long! The restaurant is roomy and pleasant too, so next time I'll definitely come back with a whole group of friends 🥰 Highly recommended if you want to stuff yourself with meat and eel in Cheongna, Incheon!