Chuseok eel and pork belly buffet in Dongnae, Busan: Songnim Bok

I came down to Busan to visit my parents for Chuseok~! I used to live in Anrak-dong until my mid-twenties, but it's been ages since I've been back to the Dongnae area. Today I visited Songnim Bok Jangeo, a well-known spot in Anrak-dong, Dongnae-gu, Busan.

Where is Songnim Bok Jangeo Dongnae branch, and when is it open?

• Songnim Bok Jangeo Unlimited Freshwater Eel, Busan Dongnae Branch
• 📍146 Myeongjang-ro, 1F, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea
• ⏰11:50–23:00 (last order 22:10)
• 🅿️ Nearby paid parking lot

Songnim Bok Jangeo Dongnae branch reportedly brings in live eel fresh every morning, prepped directly from eel farms and wholesale markets.

Even though the price is affordable, unlike some other all-you-can-eat places that use thawed frozen eel, this restaurant is registered as a partner with the Freshwater Eel Farming Cooperative, so you can taste truly fresh eel.

Once inside, the tables were spaced more generously than I expected.

What 29,900 won gets you: unlimited eel, pork belly and chicken neck meat

The price at Songnim Bok Jangeo Dongnae branch is ₩29,900 for adults (plus a ₩3,000 table charge), and ₩14,000 for children (elementary school age). I thought this was just an unlimited eel place, but it turns out that ₩29,900 gets you unlimited freshwater eel plus pork belly and chicken neck meat too.

There are also meal menu items like eel soup, yukgaejang, buckwheat noodles, and spicy ramyeon. Good options to add on if you want to finish off with rice or noodles after the eel.

Basic side dishes along with freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck meat are provided from the start, and you refill using the self-serve bar.

The self-serve bar doesn't just have side dishes — you can freely grab more eel, pork belly and neck meat too, which was great.

Lettuce for wraps, spicy sauce, garlic — got it all set up and ready to eat!

If you just read the guide on how to grill eel deliciously once, you'll be able to grill it perfectly.

A free bottle of bokbunja wine with the meal

And then, jackpot! They just gave us a whole bottle of bokbunja (black raspberry) wine as a free service 👍

Apparently bokbunja and eel pair really well together — great for stamina and energy recovery! I should have brought my husband along~😆

Grilling it up nice and golden brown.

How do the pork belly and chicken neck meat taste?

While the eel was cooking, I tried the pork belly first. So good?? It tastes just like the pork belly you'd get at a regular pork belly restaurant haha. There's eel sauce and spicy sauce available, and dipping it in those was delicious.

And then the chicken neck meat, which I kept going back for. Chicken neck meat is a cut with an appealing chewy texture unique to the lean meat. It's already lightly seasoned, so it's delicious even without dipping it in any sauce.

Grilling green onions on the pan and eating them alongside white kimchi and pickled onion was delicious.

Freshwater eel with shredded ginger and eel sauce

The freshwater eel! Taking a piece of eel, topping it lightly with ginger strips, and dipping it in eel sauce cut through the richness of the fatty eel really nicely — a great combination. There were both a regular sauce and a spicy sauce prepared, so you could choose based on your taste, which I liked.

If you thought the eel would be thin or skimpy because it's all-you-can-eat, you'd be very wrong.

Eating only freshwater eel the whole time can get a bit greasy or repetitive, but grilling up some pork belly or chicken neck meat in between let me switch things up, which I really liked.

I'm glad there are more great restaurants like Songnim Bok Jangeo in Anrak-dong, which I hadn't visited in a long time haha.

If you want to eat your fill of eel, pork belly and chicken neck meat in Dongnae, I recommend Songnim Bok Jangeo Dongnae branch, a great Anrak-dong restaurant for family gatherings, work dinners, or get-togethers with friends!