Cheongju eel restaurant with high chairs for kids: Samhwa Susan

Today I want to share my visit to Samhwa Susan, a grilled eel restaurant in Cheongju where I got to eat a hearty amount of eel at a pretty reasonable price.

I usually love eel, but it can feel a bit pricey to eat often. At Samhwa Susan, they sell 1kg of eel (600g net weight) for 50,000 won, which felt like good value — and on top of that, the eel was thick and genuinely tasty!

They also serve clam soup, sushi, and even self-serve ramyeon (instant noodles) alongside the eel, so I thought it'd be a great spot for a family meal or a gathering.

Parking and the dining room at Samhwa Susan

Samhwa Susan has a wide private parking lot right in front, so parking was easy. Parking is always a bit of a worry when driving to a restaurant.

Walking inside, the interior was quite spacious and clean, which made it seem good for family visits too.

The tables also had plenty of space, so it looked good for gatherings with friends, group meals, or company dinners.

Is Samhwa Susan good with a baby or young kids?

They also had baby chairs ready, so it looked convenient for visiting with young children.

1 kg of eel for 50,000 won: what the set includes

What I paid the most attention to, of course, was the eel price.

1kg of eel for 50,000 won (based on 600g net weight). Given how eel prices are these days, it felt like really good value. Looking at the menu, there were plenty of sides to go with the eel too — sushi, rice, clam soup, self-serve ramyeon, and more.

There were two of us, and we ordered 1kg of eel. Together with the base set that comes included (clam soup, sushi), we ended up surprisingly full.

Rather than eating just eel the whole time, it was nice being able to mix in the clam soup and other sides here and there.

Why pre-grilled eel makes the meal easier

The eel at Samhwa Susan comes out pre-grilled when you order, which made grilling at the table much easier.

When you grill eel entirely from raw, you have to keep checking how done it is and flipping it constantly — but since it comes pre-grilled, it didn't take long at all before it was ready to eat.

And staff came by to grill the eel further for us, which made it really easy to eat. Watching the eel cook nicely while we waited was actually kind of fun.

Freshly tossed geotjeori with grilled eel

While we were eating, a staff member brought us over some geotjeori (freshly seasoned cabbage salad) they'd just made.

It had a crunchy texture and the seasoning worked really well, so eating it together with the eel was quite tasty. It felt like it reset my palate each time, so I kept reaching for more. There was also mukeunji (aged kimchi) and lettuce wraps available, so you could mix things up depending on your taste.

The best way to eat eel at Samhwa Susan

Eel tastes a bit different depending on what you pair it with. I tried a few different combinations at Samhwa Susan.

• Dipped in eel sauce with shredded ginger
• Wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves
• With mukeunji or geotjeori
• As eel sushi — wasabi on sushi rice topped with eel

Personally, the combo of eel on sushi rice was my favorite 🥰 Eating eel alone can get a bit much after a while, but trying it these different ways meant I never got tired of it 💕

Self-serve side dish corner and the ramyeon vending machine

If you run low on sides, there's a self-serve corner on one side of the restaurant where you can help yourself.

Being able to grab as much as you need seemed really convenient for customers.

They also had a self-serve ramyeon vending machine. I regretted not getting to try it this time — I was thinking about ordering one to eat alongside the eel but didn't ㅜㅜ Definitely trying it together next time.

Samhwa Susan as a Hope Windmill sharing partner

Looking around the restaurant, I noticed a sign for the Hope Windmill Sharing Business (희망풍차 나눔사업장) program.

Seeing this while eating made the whole experience feel more meaningful — it's not just about the food, but also about doing something good for the local community 👍

Final verdict on Samhwa Susan in Cheongju

This visit was made at a discount through Super Members.

Even setting the discount aside, what I liked most as someone who actually ate here was how much food you get for the price. And most of all, the eel was thick!!! haha

If you're looking for a family dinner spot in Cheongju, or if the price of eel has kept you from eating it often, I think this place is worth a visit. It's somewhere I'd want to come back to the next time I'm craving eel 😊

If you're looking for a grilled eel restaurant in Cheongju, give Samhwa Susan a try!