Gwangju eel restaurant, eel & cold noodles every month: Deokeun Jangeo

Why a picky seafood eater became a regular at Deokeun Jangeo in Gwangju

Deokeun Jangeo (더큰장어) on Haseo-ro in Buk-gu, Gwangju, is a charcoal-grill eel restaurant the writer pays her own money to visit about once a month. The reason is simple: it feels inexpensive and it tastes good. Guys, I'm such a picky eater when it comes to seafood that I honestly had no idea I was an eel person?!

But when I came to my senses, I was going for eel once a month, lol. The place that did this to me!! It's Deokeun Jangeo in Buk-gu, Gwangju!

This isn't my first time here!! I knew it was a famous place, and ever since my first visit I've kept going on my own dime. Once I found it, I think I went faithfully about once a month, haha. The reason I keep going is really simple. It feels cheap and it's delicious!! With both of those covered, whenever I ask "what should I eat today?", Deokeun Jangeo keeps popping into my head. So this time too, I got an eel craving and headed out with my boyfriend, lol.

How do you use Deokeun Jangeo on your first visit?

Deokeun Jangeo is at 596 Haseo-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, and you wait on the 1st floor. The way it works can feel a little unfamiliar the first time, so let me explain it first!

You pick your eel by the pack

While you wait, when your number is called, you go pick your eel. The eel comes pre-cleaned and packed, and every pack has a price tag stuck right on it.

The number of servings each pack is recommended for is written on it too, so even if you can't judge the amount, you can just go by that and it's super easy!! We chose by looking at what two people could eat. Picking by eye like this is surprisingly fun. I'm already excited from the moment I choose, lol.

Eel and table setting fee are paid separately

At Deokeun Jangeo you pay for the eel first, then pay separately later for the table setting fee and side dishes. The table fee is not included in the eel price, so if you know just that, you won't get confused!

At the charcoal grill, tongs are my boyfriend's job

At Deokeun Jangeo you grill the eel yourself over charcoal. Once we sit down, it's my favorite part!! Sitting across from each other at the charcoal and waiting for the eel to cook is such a great mood. The romance of eating something delicious over charcoal… you know what I mean, right…?

But honestly, I barely grill at all, lol. My boyfriend never lets me touch the tongs!!

He says he'll grill everything, so I'm just the person sitting politely beside him waiting for it to cook… haha. Thank you so much for grilling it all every time, seriously T_T

What goes well with the eel at Deokeun Jangeo?

First piece: dip it in the sauce

Once the eel is cooked, the first piece has to be dipped in the sauce! It's the basics, but the basics really are the best. I didn't know eel could be this good, but after coming to Deokeun Jangeo I realized, "Huh…? I like eel?" lol. After one bite I just keep staring at the grill wondering when the next piece will be done…

A piece of kimchi on top of the eel

And I really, really recommend eating the eel with the kimchi at Deokeun Jangeo!! Put a piece of kimchi on the eel and the combo is so good T_T Going back and forth between dipping in sauce and eating it with kimchi, you never get tired of it.

A pickled side dish I liked even more than lettuce wraps

Of course I made wraps too! They were good in lettuce, but there was something else I was really hooked on. One pickled-type side dish comes out, and eaten with the eel, to my taste it was even better than the lettuce wraps…!!

The problem is I don't know the name of that side dish, lol. The person who ate it so eagerly and never asked its name… that's me… So don't just eat lettuce wraps; do try the eel with the side dishes that come out too!

Should you order the mul naengmyeon at Deokeun Jangeo?

The one side you must not skip at Deokeun Jangeo is the mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth)!!!! I really hope you try the eel and mul naengmyeon combo T_T Eating just eel is delicious already, but when the cold noodles come in the middle, you keep going back in with a whole new taste.

I liked eating them together while there was still eel left, rather than as a finish after the eel was gone. A piece of eel, a bite of noodles, back to eel… this flow must not be broken, lol. Switching between sauce, kimchi, side dishes and mul naengmyeon, the time we spend chatting while eating flies by, haha.

Dessert: ₩1,000 ice cream or coffee

After eating at Deokeun Jangeo you can grab dessert on the way out. When I went, ice cream was ₩1,000. Even when you're full, there's always a separate stomach for ice cream, haha. If you'd rather have coffee than ice cream, you can also get a cup near the exit. Finishing like this, you really feel like "that was a great meal~"!

The Gwangju eel restaurant I crave once a month

For me, Deokeun Jangeo isn't a place you visit once and you're done; it's a place that comes back to mind after a while. I like the price and the taste, and I love the time at the charcoal grill, my boyfriend grilling the eel for me and wrapping ssam for me, so I guess that's why I keep going, haha. If you're looking for a great eel restaurant in Gwangju, definitely try Deokeun Jangeo!!

Eel lovers will like it, of course, and people like me who didn't know they liked eel can fall for it too, lol. I recommend alternating sauce, kimchi and side dishes, and ordering the mul naengmyeon too! Next time I go, I'll make sure to ask the name of that side dish first…!!

My boyfriend's sad story: the vanished non-alcoholic beer

Oh, and one sad story about my boyfriend… lol. The last time we came to Deokeun Jangeo, there were canned non-alcoholic beers, right? He was so excited to drink one, but this time it was gone T_T I still remember his sulky face when he saw they were gone, lol. If it comes back, I think he'll be the first to be happy about it, haha.