Gangnam Japanese restaurant for charcoal eel hitsumabushi: Chisot

I’ll be 33 next year. As someone waiting to enter my mid-thirties…ㅠ My stamina is so pathetic these days that even a little work tires me out right away. I used to be fine after being out all day, but now I just lie in bed as soon as I get home from work.

What I need at times like this is a proper restorative meal, of course. So today I went for Nagoya-style hitsumabushi—charcoal-grilled eel served generously over rice, with loads of smoky flavor. It was a place where I got to properly enjoy that smoke-kissed eel and thoroughly recharge my drained energy!

Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch hours and location

It’s located between Eonju Station and Yeoksam Station. I come to this area so often for wedding-related things that Gangnam is finally starting to feel a little familiar.

Hours

• Monday–Friday 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• Last order 14:30 / 21:00
• Saturday 11:00–15:00 (last order 14:30)
• Regularly closed Sundays

A calm restaurant atmosphere in wood tones

Even the exterior had the clean feel of a wood-toned Japanese restaurant. It somehow felt like one of those long-established restaurants I saw often in Fukuoka, especially Yufuin.

The interior also stayed consistent in wood tones, creating a warm yet calm atmosphere. Every table had seasonings that go well with eel, such as sansho pepper and shichimi, and one table was stocked with unlimited tare sauce and broth for ochazuke (rice in tea or broth).

You could also watch the eel being grilled on one side. Seeing it turn golden over the charcoal as smoke billowed up made me start drooling the moment I walked in… Since each piece is slowly grilled over charcoal, the food can take a while to arrive, but the taste and quality are guaranteed.

A menu with hitsumabushi through eel soup

Here’s the menu. Hitsumabushi is the main dish, divided into mini, regular, and special sizes according to the size of the eel. I started by ordering one regular hitsumabushi set.

Beyond the individual eel dishes, there were plenty of salmon options too, including salmon sashimi and seared-salmon rice bowls. Eel is the star here, but there seem to be quite a few choices even if you’re visiting with someone who doesn’t like eel!

There were also plenty of dishes that would be great with a drink, not just rice bowls. And at an eel restaurant, I can never resist my absolute favorites: eel soup and the grilled-eel set. I held back because I came for hitsumabushi that day, but once it gets colder, I think I’ll have to come back for a hot bowl of eel soup, pieces of grilled eel, and a somaek—soju mixed with beer—haha.

There’s also a review event for two pieces of marinated salmon, so be sure to do it!

Regular hitsumabushi packed with charcoal flavor

At last, today’s main event: hitsumabushi. The moment I opened the lid, the eel completely covering the rice without a gap was no joke. It had been properly charcoal-grilled, golden on the outside with a few lightly charred marks here and there. The sweet-savory sauce coated the glistening eel beautifully, so I was happy just from the look of it.

Even the steamed egg custard was high quality, with one whole shrimp inside.

Each piece of eel was much thicker and more substantial than at other places. Some eel restaurants can have a burnt taste or a slight fishiness when the heat isn’t controlled well, but every bite here tasted clean, which I loved.

You could enjoy as much ochazuke as you wanted, too. I started with it simply as an eel rice bowl, then tried toppings one by one—seaweed flakes, scallions, and wasabi—and finished with warm ochazuke. Being able to enjoy one bowl in so many ways made it easy to eat without getting tired of it until the end.

Curry croquettes that were also great as a snack

The curry croquette I ordered as a side was a potato croquette infused with curry aroma. I think it would be better as something to snack on with drinks than as part of a meal.

Overall, I was very satisfied with Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch (치솟 역삼본점), from the thick eel thoroughly infused with charcoal flavor to its clean taste. Each piece was substantial, browned nicely outside and tender within, so you could really tell the eel itself was good quality. I ate it first as an eel rice bowl, added scallions, seaweed flakes, and wasabi, then finished with warm ochazuke—and before I knew it, I’d demolished the whole bowl.

I thoroughly replenished my lately depleted energy with eel, and once the weather gets a little colder, I really want to come back for eel soup and somaek…