Saesol-dong eel restaurant with grilling lessons: Songrim Bok Jangeo

With the weather being what it is lately, I wanted to get some stamina back into my system, and realized it had been way too long since I'd had eel. So I went looking for a place where I could eat as much eel as I wanted without holding back, and I'm here to introduce it. The place was clean and the portions generous, so I came away really satisfied.

Where is Songrim Bok Jangeo in Saesol-dong, and what are the hours and parking?

Songrim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Saesol Direct Branch is located at 12-2 Kkonnaeum 2-gil, Unit 111, Mansae-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, and it's open daily from 11:50 to 23:00. It's on a restaurant street, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

The parking lot in the building was also spacious and roomy, so parking was really convenient. Anyone driving over can eat comfortably without worrying about parking.

Inside Songrim Bok Jangeo: the self-bar and all-you-can-eat prices

The all-you-can-eat price at Songrim Bok Jangeo Saesol Direct Branch is ₩29,900 for adults and ₩14,000 for children (elementary school age), with a separate ₩3,000 table setting fee (excluding children). The restaurant has plenty of tables and lots of room, so it looked fine even for a group dinner.

Once inside, the place was really spacious. With so many tables and such a clean, comfortable atmosphere, it felt like it could easily handle a company dinner without any issues. The place was so well maintained that I felt good the moment I walked in.

I checked the menu board and ordered right away.

• All-you-can-eat (adult) - ₩29,900
• All-you-can-eat (child, elementary school) - ₩14,000
• Table setting fee (excluding children) - ₩3,000

There's also eel soup, galbitang (short rib soup), yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), and even bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) on hand, which made for a great combination.

There's a 2-hour time limit on the all-you-can-eat, so it's best to eat efficiently and make the most of it, right?

By the way, they also do eel takeout. That seemed great for days when you want to enjoy it comfortably at home!

The basic side dishes came out, and the lineup looked like it would cut through the richness of the eel perfectly when eaten together. The perilla leaves especially were seasoned just salty enough for my taste.

When they first set out the basic side dishes, they also brought a bit of eel, pork belly, and pork neck. I was surprised at how much eel they gave us right from the start.

Curious, I checked out the self-bar too, and it was set up so you could grab both meat and eel freely without feeling self-conscious, and everything was kept neatly organized, which I liked.

Also, leaving a Naver receipt review gets you 2 free drinks, so if you visit, I definitely recommend taking part in the event!

How the owner grills eel, and how it tasted

This was my first time grilling eel myself at Songrim Bok Jangeo, so I was a bit lost, but the owner came over and showed me the order — starting from the back — and how to season with pepper. As soon as the table setting was ready, they put the eel, pork neck, and pork belly straight on the grill.

Honestly, grilling eel myself for the first time left me a bit flustered.

Thankfully, the owner came over and kindly shared some grilling tips. Reading reviews before my visit, I'd seen a lot of comments about how friendly the owner is, and I was genuinely touched by how warmly and thoroughly they explained everything.

💡The owner's tips for grilling eel

• Put the back side (the patterned side) on the grill first
• Flip it over and sprinkle the pepper provided on the table — that gets the seasoning just right
• Once it's cooked enough, cut it into bite-sized pieces and stand them up on their side to grill

And since the fire was so strong, the eel cooked really quickly. It can burn easily, so keeping an eye on the heat is a must!

As it grilled to a golden brown, the smell was so good I was practically drooling before it even finished cooking. Once it was fully cooked, the eel was incredibly crispy, savory, and light — genuinely delicious.

Honestly, I was a little worried the quality might fall short since this is an all-you-can-eat eel place in Hwaseong, but I was surprised — the eel was thicker and lighter than I expected, and really tasty. Dipping it into the special sauce was a great match.

Worried the eating flow might break, they kept bringing out more eel meat right away so there was no interruption. Among the side dishes was kimchi, and it turned out to be green onion kimchi.

This green onion kimchi went so surprisingly well with the eel, haha. Piling it onto a perilla leaf to wrap with the eel doubles the flavor.

After enjoying the eel for a while, I moved on to grilling the pork neck and pork belly in turn. The pork neck was seasoned sweet and salty, and it was just as good as what you'd get at a dedicated barbecue restaurant. The pork belly was tender rather than chewy, so it went down easily too.

Songrim Bok Jangeo in Saesol-dong takes care of service while also nailing the taste and value, so it's a place I'd want to visit again the next time I'm craving all the eel I can eat. If you want to eat all-you-can-eat until you're stuffed, definitely pay it a visit!