Gangnam eel rice bowl with ochazuke: Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch
In short
Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch is a Japanese eel rice bowl restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, about a three-minute walk from GS Arts Center. I enjoyed premium hitsumabushi plain, with seaweed, scallions, and wasabi, then as ochazuke; the ochazuke was my favorite. Verdict: the neat set meal and crisp draft beer made for a very satisfying lunch.
Good to know
- Address
- 59 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, 1F Unit 102, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Distance from Yeoksam Station
- 361 m from Exit 7
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30
- Break time
- 15:00–17:00
- Last order
- 14:30, 21:00
- Closed
- Every Sunday
- Ordered
- Premium hitsumabushi eel rice bowl, draft beer
- Event
- Receive 2 pieces of marinated salmon for writing a 30-second review
as written by the visitor on Sep 12, 2026
Premium hitsumabushi near GS Arts Center
I was looking for somewhere to have lunch near GS Arts Center when Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch (치솟 역삼본점) came to mind. I’d heard so many great things about its premium hitsumabushi (Japanese-style eel rice bowl).
I don’t eat Japanese eel rice bowls all that often, so I was even more excited.
Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch location and hours
This time, I visited Chisot near Yeoksam Station. It is about a three-minute walk from GS Arts Center, so it is easy to get to.
With a 5.0 written-review score and a 4.93 Naver rating, I honestly felt I could walk in with confidence. More than 5,000 reviews really seemed to prove its reputation as a Japanese-food spot near GS Arts Center.
It is especially worth noting if you are looking for eel as a nourishing meal. I came to try the eel rice bowl made with tare sauce aged for 72 hours and the refined, neatly presented hitsumabushi set. Chisot was a great place to visit when I wanted a clean atmosphere and a proper eel meal.
From solo bar seats to spacious tables
The interior had Japanese-inspired decor, with bar seats that were great for dining alone as well as plenty of tables for groups.
Even after lunchtime, customers kept coming in.
Various Japanese alcoholic drinks were beautifully displayed in front of the bar, and it was fun to browse them. The colorful drinking glasses were so cute too, haha.
Ordering premium hitsumabushi and draft beer
I ordered the premium hitsumabushi eel rice bowl and a draft beer.
At last, my premium hitsumabushi arrived in a generous spread! Isn’t the neatly arranged set meal a work of art?
The eel rice bowl came in a red lacquered box, and its glossy sheen was enough to make my mouth water just looking at it.
How to enjoy hitsumabushi all the way to ochazuke
The eel and rice were delicious on their own, but another appealing thing about hitsumabushi was being able to enjoy it in several different ways.
There was a detailed guide on how to enjoy the eel rice bowl, so I followed it exactly. First, eat it plain; then mix in seaweed, scallions, and wasabi; and finally, have it as ochazuke (rice in warm broth). Personally, the third way, ochazuke, was the most delicious.
The sweet-and-salty sauce from the special tare had gently soaked into the eel, and it was wonderfully savory with the rice.
The nutty richness of the eel, sweet sauce, and moist rice worked so well together that I enjoyed the whole bowl without getting tired of it.
The steamed egg with shrimp was like a soft pudding, and I loved that it had one whole shrimp in it, haha.
Thick pieces of eel were piled generously over the rice with fragrant shredded scallions. Once I poured in the warm broth, it felt as though the eel’s flavor came through even more.
The draft beer was cold and clean too, and it paired so well with the eel rice bowl. It cut through the richness perfectly.
30-second review event
Write a review and receive 2 pieces of savory marinated salmon, the perfect rice-stealer~
Where it is
59 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, 1F Unit 102, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 강남구 봉은사로30길 59 지상1층 102호
