Mapo eel restaurant with Nagoya-style hitsumabushi: Ryeok

They say eel is what you eat when you are low on energy to build yourself back up... Since grilled eel was one of the foods my family cooked at home from when I was little, it feels familiar to me. I heard there was a place that does freshwater eel well in the DMC Sangam-dong dining alley, so off I went to Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom~~

Location and lunchtime atmosphere at this Sangam-dong eel restaurant

It is 181 m from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station, served by Line 6, the Airport Railroad, and the Gyeongui–Jungang Line. Parking is difficult, so Sangam 1 Public Parking Lot nearby is affordable and conveniently close to the restaurant.

It is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 to 23:00 and Saturday from 11:00 to 22:00, and it is regularly closed every Sunday. Break time is 14:00–16:00.

A Sangam-dong eel favorite: Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom

Before going inside, the illustrated menu at the entrance caught my eye. It was weekend lunch, yet about half the restaurant was already filled with diners, which made me curious. I came looking for a Sangam-dong eel specialist, but this many people at noon on a Saturday?? Once seated, I spotted autographs from celebrities on the wall, and my expectations kept rising!!

A full hitsumabushi set with special eel rice bowl

Special eel rice bowl (hitsumabushi)

This is the special eel rice bowl from the lunch special menu. The tray was completely full, and the eel over the rice immediately drew my eye. I felt full just looking at it before even taking a bite!

Along with the eel rice bowl came salad, steamed egg, seaweed soup, pickles, pickled mustard greens, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), tomato, green tea broth, and even cake and yogurt for dessert—such a generous, varied spread... 👍

How to enjoy hitsumabushi

Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom explained how to best enjoy its special eel rice bowl. Divide the bowl into four with the wooden rice paddle, then serve out one quarter and fully enjoy it as it is. Mix another quarter with fresh wasabi, pickled mustard greens, and so on; then pour warm green tea broth over the next quarter. Finally, finish your meal in whichever of the three ways suits your taste best.

These are the pickled mustard greens. They had been squeezed completely dry, giving them a great texture, and they were truly a standout among standouts. The special eel rice bowl mixed with them was superb. I already enjoy eel, but this eel had no fishy smell at all; I could taste the eel itself, and the seasoning was done so well too. They say steaming and grilling eel properly is difficult, but it really was delicious. And since the pickled mustard greens paired so well with the eel for my taste, I asked the staff for more. Haha.

Egg-and-eel rice bowl: eel and egg in one bite

Egg-and-eel rice bowl

The egg-and-eel rice bowl had eel laid over it as if it were dancing. A long piece of eel arrived whole, making this a restaurant where your eyes feast first! Now I understand why so many diners come to Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom, a Sangam-dong eel specialist, from noon on Saturdays. A place where you fill up with your eyes first, then eat happily with your mouth and nose! I bet office workers line up here at weekday lunchtime~

Tongs and scissors came with it, so I cut it into easy bites and had rice, egg, ginger, and eel all in one mouthful~~

Ahh~~ this is the taste!

How did they grill the eel this deliciously? It chewed so tenderly in my mouth, with the seasoning and ginger coming together with the eel, then seeming to melt away as it went down! I really found a great place. A Sangam-dong eel gem!

Beyond the pickled mustard greens, every carefully made side dish was delicious and neatly presented: the pleasingly crunchy pickles, the pudding-like softness unique to steamed egg, and the gently tangy salad. It felt like a restaurant Japanese guests would really enjoy if you brought them along.

After a delicious meal, it was time for sweet dessert~ At Ryeok Minmul Jangeogui Jeonmunjeom, you feel happy while eating the eel and even after finishing it.

Final thoughts on Sangam-dong eel rice bowls

A restaurant serving eel rice bowls in the traditional Nagoya style, featured on SBS Live Today on August 14, 2026! It is a place that makes people happy with eel: nearby Sangam-dong office workers, apartment residents, people treating guests, and people who came searching for a good restaurant alike! The staff also had such lovely manners and were kind, which made it even better!

At ₩27,000 for the lunch special eel rice bowl, it would be hard to eat here every day, but it is a place worth that price and a good value too! Absolutely five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Adding it to my list of places to revisit for grilled eel next time!