Grilled eel and hanwoo nabe Friday team dinner in Seonleung: Manmok

Hi, I'm Peach-co, a bride-to-be who just finished my dress tour. Here's the short version of my conclusion after visiting Manmok Seonleung today:

From the interior to the taste — this is a spot I'd recommend for hosting an important guest, or for a Seonleung work dinner. The Kanto-style grilled eel was so tender, and the hanwoo nabe (Korean beef hot pot) broth was really deep. From the side dishes to the ice cream dessert, this place had no weak points.

Manmok Seonleung: address, hours and parking

Manmok 🐟

• 📍Location: 9 Seolleung-ro 82-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor (within 5 min walk of Seonleung Station Exit 2)
• ⏰Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00, break time 15:00–17:00, last order 14:20 / 21:20
• 📅Naver Reservation: Available
• ☑️Amenities: Group seating, partitioned seats, corkage allowed (ask staff for conditions), infant toilet seat available
• 🅿️Parking: 2 free spots in front of the restaurant (space is tight, so I'd recommend calling ahead)

Proof on the map — right next to the station!

Why we chose Manmok near Seonleung Station

This was right after my dress tour, and I went to dinner with my friend and my fiancé, the three of us together!! I was exhausted from looking at dresses all day and craving something hearty and restorative, and I also wanted to treat my friend to something nice and delicious.

Is Manmok's dining room suitable for hosting guests?

The deep dark wood exterior felt just like a Japanese eel restaurant.

The objects and interior details stand out with a luxe feel even from the outside — it seems great in daylight, but I bet it's even better at night, like this!

The standing sign outside has a simple intro to the lunch and dinner menus, so it's handy to look at photos beforehand. Since it was dinner and I wanted to treat everyone, we went with the grilled eel+nabe set!

Inside, there was a long wooden communal table plus partitioned seats near the room and by the window. With that long table, it seems like a great spot for group dinners of six or more to eat together at one table.

There's a real sense of luxury in the interior — the lighting is used so well and the objects are so tidy. Best of all, even though it's a charcoal-grilled eel restaurant, there was no smoke or oil smell, so I didn't have to worry about my clothes smelling afterward.

We were seated by the window. All the extra dishware, napkins, wet wipes, and a bottle opener were tucked away right beside the table, which kept things simple and the tabletop clean — a nice touch.

What we ordered at Manmok, and what to recommend

I photographed the menu — flip through and take a look!! The menu is clearly focused on eel and does the basics really well.

I wanted both nabe and grilled eel, so I picked the grilled eel (1)+hanwoo nabe set. For an extra ₩6,000, you can swap it for eel nabe instead. :-)

We visited Friday evening at 8:30, three adults, and ordered grilled eel (1, salt)+hanwoo nabe set, three glasses of Ebisu draft beer, plus one extra glazed grilled eel. The total came to ₩168,000.

One whole grilled eel wasn't quite enough, but two felt pretty filling, so one and a half would probably be perfect haha.

Manmok's side dishes and appetizers

Isn't the basic side dish bowl so pretty? I love places that serve mushroom wasabi so much, honestly. We finished it and asked for more, and they brought out a generous plate of it.

There was a good variety of toppings to go with the grilled eel — wild garlic leaf (myeongi namul), ginger, white kimchi, pickled onion — and the side dishes were plated neatly and generously. I really get moved by small details like this.

They also thoughtfully gave us a dipping sauce for the nabe.

I was still smiling over the delicious acorn jelly (dotorimuk) when the chawanmushi appetizer arrived — it had shrimp inside and was as soft as a pudding. I made a video to show you how jiggly it was. Just from the basic side dish spread alone,

here's everything laid out this generously, not even counting the eel in the middle.

What makes Kanto-style grilled eel different?

Manmok uses freshwater eel from Gochang and sticks to the Kanto-style cooking method, apparently: grilled once, then steamed, then brushed with sauce and grilled twice more over charcoal.

So the fat renders out, leaving it light and clean-tasting, and it was so tender it broke apart on the chopsticks.

Try the salt-grilled version with wasabi, and the glazed version with sancho peppercorns. The sancho pops and cuts through any richness. The glazed grilled eel was shining so beautifully I couldn't not film it... haha.

Are the rice and Ebisu draft beer worth ordering separately?

So refreshing... I also caught my adorable friend slurping the foam in the background. The Ebisu draft beer had really creamy foam that went perfectly with the eel.

The rice was Koshihikari, the most famous rice you think of when you think Japanese food, right? We were too full to order it, but I thought, next time I have to get the eel rice bowl — this is clearly a place that knows what it's doing with rice.

Is Manmok's hanwoo nabe portion generous enough for three?

The broth was so deep and rich. Beautiful to look at, delicious to taste, and the meat just kept coming no matter how much we scooped out. It's an eel restaurant, so of course I expected the eel to be great, but the hanwoo nabe ended up being my absolute favorite......... that broth, seriously.............

Does Manmok serve dessert after the meal?

As we were about to leave, they told us there was dessert, so we chose between black tea and matcha. They were handmade bar ice cream, and both had no artificial taste at all — genuinely delicious. Being matcha and black tea instead of strawberry or vanilla, they paired so well with the eel and the Japanese meal overall.

Who Manmok in Seonleung is best for

• Anyone wanting to treat a friend who joined them for a dress tour near Gangnam-gu Office or Cheongdam Station
• Anyone looking for a good Seonleung spot for a work dinner
• Anyone looking for a Japanese restaurant with upscale interior that makes you feel properly hosted
• Anyone wanting a meal with both deep nabe and tender eel
• Anyone weighing options for a group dinner venue with communal table seating