Cheongna eel and beef buffet for protein before birth: Jangsodam

What is Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch?

Jangsodam Eel and Beef Buffet Cheongna Main Branch (장소담) is an eel and beef buffet in Cheongna, Seo-gu, Incheon, where you can eat both all you want. With the baby due soon... I figured I should get some protein in, and eel and beef? No way I'm passing those up, right?

Jangsodam is both a Japonica freshwater eel specialist and a premium beef specialist; the name comes from "holding eel and beef" (jang + so + dam). Every Monday is Eel Day, with 1kg of domestic Japonica freshwater eel for ₩29,900. If you order the eel or buffet menu, you get rice, drinks, special dishes, Han River ramyeon and ice cream free, as a proper buffet should.

Reservations and seating at Jangsodam Cheongna

You can book on Naver, and since I reserved ahead, I was shown to a window seat. The place is surprisingly big, so it should work fine for gatherings or company dinners!

How to choose a buffet menu at Jangsodam

At Jangsodam you can order eel or beef à la carte, or choose from the eel + beef buffet, eel buffet or beef buffet. We wanted both eel and beef, so we ordered the eel + beef buffet for two. Done~

Self-serve bar with pork, chicken and special dishes

The Jangsodam buffet isn't just eel and beef; pork and chicken are unlimited too. One side is packed with meat, and you can take as much as you like.

There are special dishes too. Besides the basic side dishes, you can enjoy tofu kimchi, pasta, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mapo tofu, sundae (Korean blood sausage), fried snacks, acorn jelly salad and more alongside the eel, beef and pork.

How table-order tablets work at Jangsodam

When you order on the table-order screen, the staff bring the basic side dishes, eel and beef. For extra sides and dishes, use the self-serve corner; for more eel and beef, just add an order on the table-order screen and they bring it unlimited.

How did Jangsodam's 5 beef cuts taste?

Beef before eel~~ Jangsodam's beef comes in 5 cuts: sirloin, flap meat, thin-sliced brisket, rib meat and chuck ribs. The basic serving was quite big, so I got full more than I expected.

The rib meat and brisket tasted nutty, while the flap meat and sirloin were clean and mild.

Wraps are self-serve too, so I made perilla leaf wraps without holding back, haha. The cooking corner has tofu kimchi, and the stir-fried kimchi was so good... I kept putting it in my wraps.

Is Jangsodam's eel worth the buffet price?

After the beef, it's eel time! Jangsodam's eel was really thick and plump, top quality. I came mainly to eat lots of beef, but the eel was so crazy good that even if you just ate eel, the buffet price wouldn't feel like a waste.

Grill it golden on the front and back, and on the sides too! The charcoal is good and lasts long, so there was plenty of fire even after grilling beef and eel. If the charcoal runs low you can ask for more, so you can enjoy charcoal grilling to the very end.

It's a place that also does beef, but? I'd totally believe it was an eel-only specialist, and the quality surprised me. They say 1kg becomes 500g after trimming, and the eel is so good, thick and plump, that even one eel is enough.

How to order marinated crab at Jangsodam

Depending on your menu, you can order crab at Jangsodam Cheongna. It isn't served at the first table setting; if you add a table order midway, they bring soy-marinated and spicy marinated crab. I was too full for the spicy one, so I ordered only the soy-marinated crab!

Finishing with Han River ramyeon and milk ice cream

Han River ramyeon (instant noodles cooked in a pot) is included in the Jangsodam buffet, and I couldn't skip it, right? People say it's so good that I wanted to go to the Han River to try it, but I got to taste Han River ramyeon at Jangsodam in Cheongna, Incheon instead. Haha.

To finish, a cool palate cleanser: ice cream~ It's a milk slush-style ice cream that melts in your mouth, and the rich milk flavor was great!!

Who is Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch best for?

From meal to dessert, Jangsodam has it all: eel, beef, pork, chicken and dishes, with nothing missing. When you want to try a bit of everything, or it's hard to match everyone's taste in a group, you can eat freely with the buffet, so it's great for gatherings and company dinners.