Daechi-dong eel bowl for office lunch, back with a coworker: Manmok

Going back to Manmok, the eel bowl restaurant, for lunch with a coworker

A while ago I was searching for a place for a solo eel bowl in Gangnam and quietly slipped in by myself. The neat one-person set and the soft eel kept coming back to me, so this time I talked a coworker into going with me and used our lunch break to return.

Manmok has a great reputation as a spot for Seolleung Station team dinners and Daechi-dong lunches, and seats fill up fast on weekdays. So this time I booked ahead on Naver and showed up on time.

Where is Manmok, what are the hours, and what about parking?

From Seolleung Station Exit 2, walk straight for about 5 minutes and turn into the side street, and you'll find Manmok easily. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a break from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Last order is 2:20 p.m. for lunch and 9:20 p.m. for dinner, so keep that in mind.

There is space for about 2 cars right in front of the restaurant, but it's rather tight. If you're driving, call the restaurant before you set out to check whether you can park.

What is Manmok's atmosphere like, and is it good for chatting with a coworker?

The moment you step into Manmok, the toned-down wood interior and soft, dim lighting give a neat, calm impression. The tables are spaced widely and well separated from their neighbors, so it was lovely for a tidy meal and a private chat with a coworker.

By the window there is a 4-seat bar counter just for solo diners, where you can eat comfortably without feeling self-conscious. I ate alone here last time.

How much is the lunch eel bowl at Manmok?

At lunch, Manmok runs efficiently around the eel bowl (unagi donburi). Options are split by portion: half an eel is ₩26,000, a whole eel is ₩38,000, and one and a half eels is ₩50,000, which makes it easy to match your appetite.

For reference, the dinner menu adds dishes like grilled eel and eel hot pot that work as both drinking food and mains, so it looked well suited to team dinners and gatherings.

We wanted to properly recharge today, so we both ordered the whole-eel bowl.

What side dishes come on the one-person eel bowl tray?

About 10 minutes after ordering, a neatly arranged one-person eel bowl tray arrived. The sides were chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) that was wobbly and soft like pudding, a refreshing clear soup, salad, pickled radish, pickled ginger, wasabi, and pickled sansho (Korean pepper berries), all lined up nicely.

At the bottom of the chawanmushi was one plump shrimp, a perfect way to get the appetite going before the main.

How does Manmok's whole-eel bowl taste, and what's the texture?

When I lifted the lid of the eel bowl box, a sweet, savory aroma with a faint charcoal scent hit my nose, with no off smell at all. Manmok uses Gochang freshwater eel, the most famous in Korea, and reportedly sticks to the Kanto style of steaming the eel before grilling it. Maybe that's why the flesh didn't fall apart when I pressed it with chopsticks: glossy outside, mild and tender inside. The special soy-based sauce wasn't salty or overly sweet and balanced well with the eel's natural richness.

What really surprised me was the texture in the mouth: golden and lightly crisp outside, while the flesh melted away without any resistance. The fluffy rice also had a little tare (sauce) soaked in, so even a spoonful of plain rice was full of savory depth.

Fresh wasabi, pickled ginger and whole pickled sansho

I topped the eel bowl with a bit of sharp fresh wasabi or refreshing pickled ginger, or added a single pickled sansho berry with its tingly kick. The typical greasiness of freshwater eel vanished and only the savory flavor filled my mouth.

Finishing with the shredded radish salad and the mild soup with a matsutake aroma, the whole bowl was gone in no time. It completely won me over.

As we finished, they thoughtfully handed us green tea ice cream bars, a clean way to end the meal.

Why I recommend Manmok for a Seolleung Station and Daechi-dong office lunch, plus tips

I fell for the neatness of Manmok on my solo visit and came back with a coworker, and I was happy with everything: food quality, the clean space, and the attentive service. I strongly recommend it if you're looking for a Daechi-dong lunch spot, want to eat alone without pressure, or want to host a client or team dinner in a tidy setting.

By 11:30 on weekdays it's often full of office workers from nearby, so if you plan to visit, I recommend booking in advance through Naver.