Meaty eel buffet with a friend in Jijok-dong, Daejeon: Songrimbok

Eel lovers, listen up! I went to Songrimbok, an unlimited freshwater eel restaurant where you can enjoy eel without worrying about the bill!! You get pork belly and duck too, and the big hall and private rooms make it comfortable, so I'd recommend it for company dinners and group gatherings!!

Songrimbok Daejeon Direct Store: hours, parking and reservations

• Hours: daily 11:50 - 23:00
• Address: 60 Jijokbuk-ro 66beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 1F units 106 and 107
• Parking: lot in front of the restaurant / 2 hours free at the mechanical parking lot
• Reservations: phone ahead if you're coming as a group or want a room

Songrimbok Daejeon Direct Store is near the food-supply mart in Jijok-dong. The sign is easy to spot from the road, so it wasn't hard to find even on a first visit. There's lots of parking in front plus a mechanical parking lot, so it's a good option if you want a restaurant with easy parking in Jijok-dong.

Inside Songrimbok: good for company dinners and family meals?

Step inside and the first thing you see is a wide, comfortable hall!!

The tables are spaced generously and there are rooms too, probably because lots of people come in groups. The vibe suits company dinners, family gatherings and group meals alike.

There are baby chairs and disposable aprons, so it's great to visit with kids. I'd recommend it for families too!!

Songrimbok unlimited freshwater eel prices and time limit

Unlimited freshwater eel at Songrimbok is ₩29,900 per adult and ₩14,000 for elementary school children. The table setting fee is ₩3,000 per adult, and children don't pay it. The time limit is two hours, which was plenty to eat at a relaxed pace.

Other meals include eel soup, galbitang (short rib soup), yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), buckwheat makguksu (cold noodles) and spicy ramyeon, and there's a wide range of alcohol too. They also sell eel for takeout!!

I came with a friend, so we ordered two adult unlimited sets and two table settings! They also gave us a bottle of bokbunja wine (Korean black raspberry wine) as a freebie, but we had plans afterward and couldn't drink, which was a shame.. ㅠ

On your first order they bring out eel and pork belly, and they gave a generous amount right from the start, so it was easy to try a bit of everything.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Songrimbok

The basic side dishes at Songrimbok are pickled perilla leaves, green onion kimchi and pickled onions. Ginger and aged kimchi come too, so you can pair the eel with all sorts of things.

If you run out of side dishes, just refill them at the self-serve bar as much as you need!

You can also grab freshwater eel and pork belly yourself at the self-serve bar, as much as you want.

How thick and tasty is the unlimited eel?

When it first arrived, the eel was so thick and firm(?) that it was hard to believe this was unlimited-refill eel!

They cooked it through, cut it into bite-size pieces and grilled it golden on both sides!!!

The outside was crispy and the inside moist and tender!!!!!!! The flesh is thick, so the more you chew, the more you feel that plump, bouncy texture eel is known for.

There was almost no gamey or fishy smell, and if you pile on plenty of ginger, it tastes clean without feeling greasy. It went naturally with the sweet and spicy eel sauce, and it was great with the pickled perilla leaves or aged kimchi too.

Is the pork belly at an eel restaurant worth eating?

Songrimbok is an eel specialist, so I didn't expect much from the pork belly, but it tasted better than I thought.

It had a rich, savory flavor and a chewy texture, good enough that you could come with someone who can't eat eel!!!

Honest verdict on Songrimbok in Jijok-dong, Daejeon

My own personal pick for Daejeon's best eats! Songrimbok Daejeon Direct Store is an unlimited freshwater eel spot that's easy to visit on days when you just want to eat all the eel you can!! The eel, the star of the show, was satisfying in size and thickness, moist and free of any gamey smell. Having pork belly and duck neck too gave a wider choice of menu, which I liked.

With a big hall and rooms plus fairly generous parking, I fully recommend Songrimbok's unlimited freshwater eel if you're looking for a group gathering or family meal spot in Yuseong, Daejeon!!