Jumbo eel set with fried shrimp near Songjeong Station, Busan: Yuok

If you want to try a truly authentic Japanese eel rice bowl in Songjeong, Busan, there's a place you have to check out. From the outside alone it looks like it was lifted straight out of Japan — let me introduce Yuok, an eel rice bowl restaurant in Songjeong, Busan.

Yuok's opening hours and visitor basics

• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 22:00
• Break time 15:00 - 17:00 / Last order 21:30
• Reservations available
• Group-friendly
• Takeout available
• Baby chairs available
• Parking available
• Pet-friendly

Finding Yuok on Songjeong-gangbyeon-ro, and where to park

Here's the exterior of Yuok, a Songjeong favorite. The building looks so thoroughly Japanese that it catches your eye from a distance. There's a dedicated parking lot right beside the restaurant, so driving there was easy — and if that lot is full, you can find parking nearby too!

Inside Yuok: seating and interior

Stepping inside, the interior carries that same Japanese-style atmosphere, which left a strong impression.

The wood-toned interior felt warm overall, with everything from bar seats to 4-person tables set up. It's a great spot for solo travelers or dates, and since baby chairs are available too, it's also good for family meals :)

Yuok's menu: what to order besides the eel rice bowl

Here's the menu at Yuok, the eel rice bowl restaurant in Songjeong, Busan. The main dish is of course the jumbo unaju set, but beyond eel there's also saba (mackerel) ochazuke, salmon rice bowl, tori-don (chicken bowl), maze udon, a kids' menu, and a whole lineup of neatly prepared Japanese dishes.

What we ordered at Yuok

• Jumbo unaju set (eel rice bowl)
• Fried shrimp

I ordered the jumbo unaju set, the main eel rice bowl that was the whole point of today's visit, and also got fried shrimp as a side to enjoy alongside it!

After you sit down, they bring you water, and it's genuinely good water. Every table also has ginger and rakkyo (pickled shallots) set out, so you can help yourself according to taste.

What comes with the jumbo unaju set

Next came the main dish, the jumbo unaju eel rice bowl set. This is the dish I came back for~~~ It arrives beautifully arranged, and the visuals were extremely satisfying!!

The set is packed with components: a refreshing pre-meal salad with dressing, miso soup, and ochazuke, plus side dishes of wasabi, chopped scallion, seaweed, and fried tofu, all served together on the tray. The staff also mentioned they could bring kimchi if we wanted. I asked for a small portion of kimchi too!!

The glossy, mouthwatering look of the eel rice bowl at its finest.

The moment you bite into the eel, it's incredibly tender with deep flavor. The eel sauce was packed with umami — so good!! Underneath the eel there's also rolled egg, which was soft and delicious too, and the combination with the eel worked really well~

The side dishes served alongside are also great to mix in according to taste!

The sharp kick of wasabi combined with the fragrant scallion made this combination exactly my kind of thing :)

I ate it together with the rolled egg too — the sweet-savory eel sauce had soaked into the egg, making it delicious, and eating ginger from the table in between bites kept things clean and refreshing — so good,,!!

How to finish Yuok's eel rice bowl as ochazuke

Here's another way to enjoy Yuok's eel rice bowl — finishing it off as ochazuke. Pouring the green tea that comes with the set over a portion of the remaining eel rice bowl and eating it together gave a clean, light, yet deeply flavorful finish! It's a different way to enjoy the dish with a refreshing final taste, and personally I think ending with ochazuke is just perfect haha.

Fried shrimp as a side dish

Here's the fried shrimp we ordered as an additional side!! The batter was so crispy it was practically art ✨

They served both tartar sauce and chili sauce, and both were really delicious, so I alternated dipping in each :) The crispy batter paired with the plump shrimp had great texture too, and it was a great side to order alongside the eel rice bowl.

To finish, they prepare plum tea — a refreshing, fresh plum tea to cleanse the palate, making the ending absolutely perfect.

Why we came back to Yuok

From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is full of authentic Japanese vibes, and you can properly enjoy Osaka-style eel rice bowl right here in Songjeong, Busan without needing to fly to Japan. Once you visit Yuok, you can't help but come back — definitely stop by and try the eel rice bowl!!