Ansan eel buffet with kids' chairs for toddlers: Songnim Bok Jangeo

Today's post is about a trip for some good old boshin (body-nourishing) food — an eel restaurant! I went to Songnim Bok Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store, famous as an eel spot near Ansan City Hall.

Where is Songnim Bok Jangeo Ansan City Hall Direct Store, and when is it open?

• ✔️33 Danggok-ro, Units 201, 202, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• ✔️Daily 11:20 ~ 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• ✔️Basement parking available in the building
• ✔️Kids' chairs available

It's known as an eel all-you-can-eat spot in Gojan-dong, so I called ahead before going — luckily the place is spacious and there was plenty of room. I went on a Friday evening for a family dinner, and as we ate, the seats filled up quickly with a company dinner group.

All-you-can-eat prices, and what a 4-year-old pays

The all-you-can-eat price at Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store is ₩29,900 for adults, ₩14,000 for children (elementary school age), plus a ₩3,000 table setting fee (excluded for children). Our little one is 4, so she didn't qualify for the child rate, but as soon as we sat down they gave her a free Bread Barbershop drink and told her to eat well — I nearly teared up haha.

How clean is the self-serve corner at Songnim Bok Jangeo?

While the charcoal and food were being prepared, I checked out the self-serve corner. At all-you-can-eat places, the self-serve zone sometimes runs out of food, but this one was run extremely cleanly. So I was careful not to spill anything when I went back for more side dishes and meat haha. Watching through the meal, staff kept managing the self-serve corner constantly — that was clearly their secret to staying so tidy.

Side dishes that come with the eel

Back at the table, they'd set out side dishes that go especially well with freshwater eel, pork belly, and chicken neck. Ginger — the golden pairing with eel — plus baek-kimchi (white kimchi), green onion kimchi, pickled onions, and some kind of soy-pickled herbs. It was nice that several of them were mild enough for my kid, who can't handle spicy food haha.

Freshwater eel and the complimentary bokbunja wine

We were hungry, so while we were nibbling on the side dishes, the main meats arrived. Plump, well-fed freshwater eel, the meats — and a complimentary bokbunja (black raspberry) wine on top! Is it really okay to give this much on the house? Since I drove, I sadly couldn't drink, but I was so grateful for the gesture anyway.

How to grill the eel: the guide posted in the restaurant

Grill the plump eel skin-side down first over the charcoal! It had been a while since I'd eaten eel outside, so I'd forgotten the details, but the restaurant had instructions posted on how to grill and trim it. Once it's cooked enough, you cut off the fins on both sides and the middle section before eating haha. I was lazy and only cut off the fins, and honestly it was still fine..? haha

The charcoal fire was strong, so the eel and meat cooked quickly. I flipped the eel too late at first and the skin got a little burnt, but after that I got the hang of it and grilled it golden and delicious haha. The plump eel filled my mouth completely. Grilled over charcoal, it had a faint smoky aroma, and the combination with ginger and sauce was so good.

Pickled onion pairing and the chicken neck the 4-year-old loved

I dipped the golden-grilled eel in sauce and ate it with ginger, then took a bite with the white kimchi haha. Not pictured, but I also ate it with the pickled onions that came as a side dish — personally, that pairing was the tastiest. The pickled onions, made with radish and cheongyang chili, cut through the eel's richness, so my chopsticks kept moving nonstop haha.

My 4-year-old ate the eel and chicken neck really well too haha. She usually says most meat is too dry and won't eat it, but the chicken neck was so tender that she kept asking for more.

It's great that Ansan now has a place where you can eat all the eel you want as a boshin (nourishing) meal, and Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store was especially clean and friendly, so it was a genuinely pleasant meal (endless thanks). After we left full and headed home, my daughter, looking a little wistful, told me we should come back here again next time haha.