Japanese restaurant in Songjeong, Busan for hearty dinner sets: Yuok

A return visit to Yuok, Songjeong's Japanese home-style restaurant

Yuok (유옥)

I came back to Yuok because it was sooo delicious last time. It is honestly even better than eel rice bowls I had in Japan, so it is one of my partner's and my favorite restaurants.

The exterior is so Japanese-looking too, and Yuok in Haeundae's Songjeong is wonderfully grand.

Along with its signature unaju set—grilled eel over rice—Yuok offers various complete set meals, including salmon rice bowls, toridon (chicken rice bowls), and saba ochazuke (mackerel with tea broth over rice).

I love that it feels as if you have stepped into a Japanese home. The atmosphere makes it great for anniversaries and special days, or for bringing your parents. And for an eel rice bowl restaurant, it is good value too, so it is a lovely Songjeong spot for an ordinary day as well.

Counter seats and early-evening table seating

Cute little otter? dolls welcome you at the pond by the entrance. They are floating around in inner tubes and are just too cuteㅠㅠㅠ💕 The moment you enter, it feels like you are on a trip to Japan! There are mostly counter seats, which is nice because you can watch the food being prepared.

Besides the counter, there are about three table seats. It was busy on my last visit, so I sat at the counter, but this time I came early for dinner and got a table. As a Japanese restaurant, it has so many cute little decorative items. The owner has made the interior pretty and keeps the place so well, so it is spotless 👍

Even the restroom feels Japanese at Yuok, a great Songjeong restaurant. A clean restaurant restroom somehow makes me happy, haha. This Japanese restaurant in Songjeong, Haeundae, Busan is perfect for a family meal or a date.

Yuok set meals and prices

Yuok's eel rice bowls are Osaka-style: thick, fluffy egg sits on top of the rice, with a whole large piece of eel on top.

• Jumbo unaju set ₩28,500
• Salmon rice bowl set ₩23,500
• Saba ochazuke set ₩17,000
• Toridon set ₩18,000
• Maze udon ₩12,000
• Tempura udon ₩12,000
• Children's lunchbox ₩11,000
• Yuok signature eel (1 whole eel) ₩45,000
• Yuok eel (1 whole eel) + soup set ₩59,000
• Beef sukiyaki ₩22,900
• Kimchi udon nabe ₩22,900
• Chicken karaage ₩20,000
• Corn cheese takoyaki ₩15,000
• Grilled pollock roe ₩15,000
• Dried pollock snack ₩16,000
• Semi-dried squid & mixed peanuts ₩15,000

There are also dinner dishes to enjoy with drinks. With beer, soju, highballs, distilled spirits, sake, and plenty of drinking snacks, Yuok is a good choice for both dinner and drinks.

Every table has instructions for the best way to eat your meal. If it is your first visit to Yuok, I definitely recommend the jumbo unaju! My partner says it is better than Haeundae Haemok. I have not been to Haemok, but Yuok's unaju was as delicious as famous eel rice bowl places in Japan.

Salmon rice bowl and jumbo unaju sets

Since this was my second visit, I ordered the salmon rice bowl set, while my partner, on their third visit, ordered the jumbo unaju set. It is such a generous Japanese home-style spread that it makes your heart feel full.

The salmon rice bowl set has thick salmon and onion over rice seasoned with soy sauce. It also comes as a very complete meal with fried items, salad, soup, side dishes, and dessert.

The jumbo unaju set comes with eel rice, salad, assorted sides, soup, ochazuke broth, and dessert.

The eel is huge, and the egg is incredibly thick too, so you will be seriously full after finishing that bowl. Yuok's eel rice bowl is delicious, but the fluffy rolled egg alongside it is a really big plus.

The salmon rice bowl comes with karaage and shrimp tempura, plus a tasty cream cheese-and-cracker dessert alongside the plum tea. It was so generous—I was completely satisfied~! The salmon was not fishy at all, and it was thick and large. Add onion, wasabi, and soy sauce, and the salmon dances in your mouth—it is so delicious 🩷

I stole a bite of the eel rice bowl my partner ordered too. Put the eel on rice, dab it with wasabi, and it is so fresh and delicious with no fishiness at all 👍 That special soy sauce is seriously the key.

Rolled egg and an ochazuke finish

And this rolled egg makes me gasp every time I eat it. How do they make egg so soft and fluffy,,,!! I want to know the secret. At the end, pouring in the ochazuke broth gives you a different kind of finish, which I loved. It kind of feels like eating eel gukbap (rice in soup), maybe? I cleansed my palate with the cream cheese and crackers and plum tea from the salmon rice bowl set, and I was totally satisfied. They say they make the cream cheese sauce themselves too—how is everything, from the main dish to dessert, this perfect??

I was so, so satisfied to have a delicious and generous Japanese home-style set meal at Yuok in Songjeong for the first time in a while. The prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere, taste, and variety are all great, making it a lovely place to bring people you care about—friends, family, and especially your parents. There is a children's lunchbox too, so I totally recommend it if you are looking for a good Songjeong restaurant to visit with kids.