Friday dinner eel BBQ in Sagajeong & ginseng eel soup: Cheonsangae

A few days ago my husband and I wanted both some stamina food and a tasty dinner, so we went back to Cheonsangae Jangeoga Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch (천상애장어가 면목사가정점). I wrote a blog review after my last visit and was really happy with it, so I came back without hesitating, and to cut to the chase: totally satisfied again this time.

This time we had the 2-person set plus eel soup, and the lineup, the taste and the service were all good, which reminded me why I keep coming back. If you're looking for a solid meal near Sagajeong, this is a Sagajeong Station restaurant worth remembering, and with weekday lunch and weekend daytime meals in mind, it's also a really good lunch spot in Myeonmok. If you love eel, this is a place you should visit at least once.

Hours and perks at Cheonsangae Jangeoga Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch

• Address: 370 Myeonmok-ro, 1st floor, Jungnang-gu, Seoul
• Hours: daily 11:30–21:30 / break time 15:00–16:30 / no break time on weekends and public holidays
• Group seating available, takeout, reservations, Wi-Fi, high chairs, waiting area

Pregnant women and guests aged 80 or over get one eel free, and police officers and firefighters get 10% off. With perks like these, it's also good for a family meal or for bringing your parents.

Where is it, and is it easy to find?

The restaurant is on the main street by Sagajeong Station, so it's easy to reach and convenient for people living in Myeonmok, Sagajeong and Jungnang. It sits between Myeonmok Station and Sagajeong Station, so public transport access is good too.

What are the exterior and interior like?

From outside, the soft lighting and tidy facade make it stand out even from far away.

Inside, it's wood-toned, clean and calm, good for family meals and for bringing your parents, and perfectly fine for a date too. (We came on a Friday evening with a reservation and nearly every seat was full, so I couldn't take photos of the tables inside.)

Each table has a proper exhaust duct, so the smell doesn't cling to you too much even after eating eel. That comfort is another reason I'd recommend it as a Sagajeong Station restaurant.

The menu and the 2-person set we ordered

The basic set meals come in sizes for 2, 3, 4 people and so on, made up of eel, stone-bowl sushi, doenjang stew (soybean paste stew), seasoned oyster pickles (eorigul-jeot) and a nurungji (scorched rice) dessert. The weekday lunch specials include eel + doenjang stew + nurungji dessert and a ginseng eel soup set, and you can add more eel. There are also eel soup, janchi guksu (banquet noodles), bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles), grilled sausage, oyster pickles, doenjang stew, stone-bowl sushi and more.

We ordered the 2-person set plus an extra eel soup. The 2-person set comes with 2 eels, stone-bowl sushi, doenjang stew, assorted side dishes and nurungji for dessert, which is quite generous for two and good value for the lineup. There are lunch specials too, so it's a hearty meal, and I especially recommend it to anyone hunting for a lunch spot in Myeonmok.

Basic table setting and the self-serve bar

The table setting arrives very neatly. Lettuce, perilla leaves, chives, onion, garlic, shredded ginger and pickles all come out, a combination that goes well with eel.

You can freely grab more side dishes from the self-serve bar, so you can eat comfortably without feeling awkward about asking.

Do you have to grill the eel yourself?

At Cheonsangae Jangeoga Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch, a staff member grills the domestic Japonica freshwater eel for you from start to finish.

The charcoal comes first, and the heat is really strong. A staff member looks after the grilling carefully from the very beginning to the end, so all we had to do was sit back and eat. Once the eel started cooking, the oil sizzled and dripped, and the charcoal aroma rising up really got our appetites going.

How does the charcoal-grilled eel taste?

From the first bite, the eel was clearly really fresh and thick. The outside is grilled crisp and the inside is moist and tender. As you chew, a nutty richness spreads, but it isn't greasy; it comes across clean and mild.

The charcoal flavor is subtle rather than overpowering, so it brings out the real taste of the eel.

It's delicious dipped in the sauce, delicious with shredded ginger on top, and perfect wrapped in a perilla leaf.

Wood ear mushrooms, grilled only at the Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch

Unlike other branches, the Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch grills wood ear mushrooms alongside the eel, and this is really the secret kick of the flavor. Chewy and nutty, they go so well with the eel. One bite and you immediately understand why people call it a Sagajeong Station favorite.

How to eat the stone-bowl sushi and eel

Put a piece of eel on the stone-bowl sushi, add a little wasabi, and it's a real treat. The warm, chewy rice plus the soft richness of the eel feels like eating high-end sushi. Topping it with the oyster pickles served alongside is really good too.

Is the Seolhwa wild ginseng eel soup worth adding?

The eel soup we added at Cheonsangae Jangeoga Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch was very satisfying too. The broth is rich and deep yet clean, with no fishy taste.

It's topped with plenty of thinly sliced Seolhwa wild ginseng, and it doesn't taste medicinal at all, just truly deep and delicious!! I'd fully recommend it as a stamina dish.

The nuttiness of perilla seeds blends nicely with the spicy kick, so a spoonful in the middle of eating eel wakes your mouth back up. It soothes your stomach, so it's good as a hangover soup and as a lunch too. As a lunch special, this ginseng eel soup is just ₩9,000! So I strongly recommend Cheonsangae Jangeoga as a truly great lunch spot in Myeonmok.

The final nurungji is a must

To finish, we had the complimentary nurungji (scorched rice) served per table, topped with oyster pickles, and it was delicious!

We also happily polished off the charcoal-roasted potatoes.

Verdict: would we return to Cheonsangae Jangeoga Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch?

This revisit to Cheonsangae Jangeoga Myeonmok Sagajeong Branch was perfectly satisfying too.

• Excellent eel quality
• Convenient because staff grill it for you
• Great side dishes
• Even the eel soup is delicious
• Recommended for family meals, dates and stamina food

If you're craving eel in Sagajeong, this is a Sagajeong Station restaurant to save for sure, and if you want a hearty, healthy lunch, it's a definite lunch spot in Myeonmok. If you want to eat eel deliciously and easily, the answer is Cheonsangae Jangeoga. A place I'd 100% return to!!