Oncheon-dong, Asan eel restaurant for quiet gatherings: Jangeo Daega

I visited Jangeo Daega (장어대가), a grilled eel restaurant in Oncheon-dong, Asan. It's all private rooms, so it was lovely for a quiet meal, and once I saw the side dishes and the quality of the eel, I understood right away why it has such a reputation for grilled eel in Asan. Here's my honest story of what I actually ate 😎

📸 Photos were taken with a Sony A7C2 (SEL2070G lens) and an iPhone 17.

Jangeo Daega hours, parking and reservations

Jangeo Daega is open daily from 11:30 to 22:00, all year round, and you can park for free in the lot out front. The restroom is inside the restaurant, separate for men and women.

The restaurant is a standalone building rather than a unit in a shopping complex, and there's parking space right in front 🅿️

Is every seat at Jangeo Daega really a private room?

Yes, every room inside was private, and there are group rooms too, so it would work well for gatherings or company dinners. I booked ahead. You can reserve by phone or Naver Reservation, and we were given the Nancho Room (난초방).

We booked for two, but the room was big enough for six easily. Eating in a space all to ourselves was so nice, honestly! The room also had air conditioning, so it was cool inside.

The basic side dishes were already set out before we ordered, but once you order the eel, a ridiculous amount of side dishes arrives..

What we ordered at Jangeo Daega and the prices

• Grilled eel for 2: ₩69,000
• Eel soup: ₩9,000
• Soft drink: ₩2,000

The side dishes at Jangeo Daega were plentiful and really well done, so let me introduce those first 😎

What side dishes come at Jangeo Daega?

The basic setup was white kimchi, fried eel bones, ginger, garlic and ssamjang (dipping paste). The fried eel bones were crispy and nutty, and I kept reaching for more 🤩

Lettuce, myeongi-namul (pickled wild garlic-like greens) and green onion kimchi also come out for wrapping the eel.

Each person gets their own cabbage salad with a special sauce.

Braised flatfish with really tender flesh.

The tempura was seriously crazy good. They must use clean oil, because it was crispy and delicious.

An eel restaurant that serves smoked duck?! Thanks for the protein, boss.

There was also fish cutlet piled with tartar sauce, plus skewers, and the meat and vegetables were so tender..

Fish roe soup (altang) comes out too, and apparently it's popular enough to be sold as a lunch special. The broth, the roe and the milt were all perfect.

The lettuce salad had fresh vegetables and was easy to eat.

The lettuce geotjeori (fresh-tossed salad) was wow, sweet and tangy and crazy good. I could eat three bowls of rice with it..

How is the grilled eel at Jangeo Daega? Salt vs. gochujang

You can choose salt, soy sauce or gochujang (chili paste) flavor for the grilled eel, and we went with salt and gochujang! And here comes the main event, the grilled eel.

The eel was topped with ginseng. Ginseng on a stamina dish, so I guess I won't be sleeping tonight. Seasoned bellflower root (doraji) came out too, which makes it a top-notch healthy meal.

The salt-grilled eel is cooked in the kitchen and brought out ready to eat, and the flesh was plump and lovely. Grilled eel needs lettuce wraps and ginger, right? I wrapped it up with myeongi-namul and green onion kimchi too.

I popped the ginseng in in one bite as well, and the aroma was great.

The gochujang eel was neither spicy nor salty, just right. Ginger and garlic together is the best combo..

Every dish was delicious, so the eel tasted good with anything I paired it with. So happy..

A combo to try at Jangeo Daega: geotjeori eel "sushi"

I put rice and lettuce geotjeori on top of the eel and made eel "sushi." Please eat it this way, you have to try it..😱

What does the eel soup at Jangeo Daega taste like?

The eel soup (₩9,000) looked similar to chueotang (loach soup), and tasted similar too, only richer. It was my first time trying it, so it was the dish I was most curious about. How does this soup, said to be so good for your health, actually taste?

It had finely ground eel plus healthy things like garlic chives, siraegi (dried radish greens) and ugeoji (dried cabbage leaves). The taste is like chueotang but richer? It felt hearty and refreshing in my stomach.

I cleaned out the grilled eel and every side dish. The eel pieces were big and the side dishes were so many that I ate like crazy. If you need a stamina meal, I highly recommend Jangeo Daega in Asan!

Jangeo Daega after-meal drinks and restroom

At the entrance of Jangeo Daega, coffee and tea are set out for you to enjoy after your meal.

The restroom is at the back of the restaurant, separate for men and women, and it was neat and clean ✨

Jangeo Daega in a nutshell

• ✅ The eel quality was really good
• ✅ Private rooms made the meal comfortable
• ✅ The number of side dishes is incredible
• ✅ The eel soup is the ultimate stamina food
• ✅ The fish roe soup is seriously good
• ✅ 200% I'd go back