Haeundae eel restaurant: Japonica eel lunch for two at Pungcheonman

I was looking for a lunch spot in Haeundae, Busan, and wanted something to boost my stamina too, so I went for grilled eel. Pungcheonman Freshwater Eel Haeundae Jungdong Main Branch (풍천만민물장어 해운대중동본점) sits right at the start of Dalmaji-gil, so it's easy to reach, and it's close to the Haeundae sea, so you can even take a walk after your meal. I went for the lunch special :)

Where is Pungcheonman Freshwater Eel Haeundae Jungdong Main Branch, and how is the parking?

The restaurant is right next to LCT in Haeundae, at the start of the road up Dalmaji-gil, and it has a large outdoor parking lot. When the lot is full, free valet parking is available too.

It's a one-minute walk from Haeundae Beach, so it's a handy stop when you're looking for food on a Busan trip, and the location is really convenient. With that big outdoor lot, company dinners and family gatherings should be no trouble either. No parking stress, which I loved.

Inside the Haeundae eel restaurant

The building looks sizable from the outside, and at the entrance there's a smart farm growing organic wrap vegetables. The big exterior got my hopes up, and as soon as I walked in, the smart farm caught my eye.

The organic wrap vegetables were so fresh and green, giving off a healthy vibe,

and the room was full of lunch guests, just the atmosphere you'd expect from a Haeundae lunch favorite.

The tables are spaced fairly far apart, so the meal felt comfortable, and groups can use a private room, which makes it a nice place for company dinners or family gatherings.

Lunch special menu and prices at Pungcheonman

Pungcheonman serves domestic Japonica freshwater eel (Pungcheon) and Ganghwado mudflat eel, plus set menus like eel with beef bulgogi and eel with yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). Even a bigger group can order to their own taste.

There's a wide range from lunch specials to eel soup, and we went with the 2-person lunch special, which comes with pot rice and eel soup too~~

What we ordered

• Lunch special grilled eel set for 2: ₩59,000
• Nutrition pot rice: +₩3,000
• Kamut pot rice: +₩1,000

What's in the 2-person lunch set

The 2-person lunch special consists of grilled eel + 2 pot rice + eel soup or soybean paste stew. We had the eel salt-grilled, switched the basic pot rice to nutrition pot rice and kamut pot rice, and chose the eel soup~~ (One eel soup is included for 2 people.)

The eel soup was so rich and so stamina-boosting that I'd say book through Naver, visit, and definitely order one more, haha. If you write a review, you can get up to 2 more for free~~ 👍

How was the grilled eel in the lunch special?

They grill the eel over charcoal as soon as you order, and it was so full of care that I loved it 👍

I could eat it warm throughout the meal, and there was no worry about the smell sticking to my clothes, so it was a pleasant meal~~

The charcoal-scented domestic Japonica freshwater eel was much thicker than I expected, which surprised me. The outside was lightly grilled and nutty while the inside stayed moist, and the eel's typical rich flavor was deep without being heavy. If anything, it was on the light side 😋

The meat was plump, so even one piece filled my mouth and felt really satisfying, haha. Dipped in just a little salt, the eel's own flavor came through fully, and with the sauce it had a different charm.

It went well with the white kimchi and chamnamul (pimpinella) salad served alongside, and eating it with fresh wrap vegetables from the self-serve bar felt healthy too, which made me very happy with this Haeundae lunch special spot.

Pot rice and eel soup

The pot rice that came with the lunch special 🤭 Cheorwon Odae rice, I totally get the hype, haha

The eel soup here was better than I expected too. I usually imagine eel soup as a thin style like chueotang (loach soup), but this one was really thick and rich. From the first spoonful I could taste the deep flavor of eel simmered for a long time, and the strong savoriness was very impressive. It wasn't spicy or salty in a harsh way; the rich flavor from the ingredients was the real deal, and it was an eel soup that boosts your stamina all by itself.

Overall review of Pungcheonman Freshwater Eel Haeundae Jungdong Main Branch

Pungcheonman Freshwater Eel Haeundae Jungdong Main Branch, a Busan freshwater eel favorite, was better than I expected and I was very satisfied. The lunch special in particular gives you grilled eel, pot rice and eel soup together, so the value is decent, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Haeundae lunch special.

With its large parking lot and private rooms, it also seems good for a family meal or a dinner with your parents, and it's a nice Haeundae eel place to visit when you crave a stamina-boosting meal on a Busan trip :)

Restaurant information

• Address: 22 Dalmaji-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea (1st floor)
• Opening hours: 11:00 - 22:00
• Break time: 15:00 - 17:00 (no break on Saturday and Sunday)
• Parking available (free valet when full)