Eel grill near Family Land, Gwangju, 80-car parking: Deokeun Jangeo

Looking for somewhere in Gwangju to properly treat my parents to a good meal, I ended up at Deokeun Jangeo, a well-known spot in Yangsan-dong, Gwangju.

If you pass by near Family Land, this place catches your eye instantly — it's a huge eel restaurant. This time I went with my parents, three of us total, and to cut to the chase: we ate a truly generous amount of eel.

My parents said this was the best eel restaurant they've tried in Gwangju, which made it even more satisfying.

How many cars can park at Deokeun Jangeo?

Deokeun Jangeo is a pretty large place overall. What I loved most was the parking! Both the 1st and 2nd floors have parking space, with room for about 80 cars at once, so it was easy to come by car.

When you're taking your parents out to eat, inconvenient parking is quietly stressful — but here we didn't have to worry about that at all.

Deokeun Jangeo opening hours and how ordering works

Market: 10:00–21:00 / Restaurant: 11:00–22:00 / Last order: 20:30. Since the market opens earlier than the restaurant, you pick and buy your eel first.

The biggest thing about Deokeun Jangeo is that you pick out your own eel and buy it, then grill it yourself on the 2nd floor. You choose your eel at the 1st-floor market.

Eel prices: how much to buy for three people

Based on cleaned, prepped eel, it's ₩29,000 per kg, which felt like a pretty good price. Since we went with my parents, three of us, we bought ₩60,000 worth to make sure we'd have plenty.

At first I thought it might be a bit too much, but once we started grilling, we really put it away.

In the end, the three of us walked out completely stuffed.

Finding your table upstairs and the charcoal setup

Once you pick and buy your eel, a staff member gives you a table number. You just check that number and head up to the 2nd floor.

The 2nd-floor seats also have numbers marked on each table, so finding my spot wasn't hard at all.

When you carry your packaged eel upstairs, the charcoal and basic side dishes are already set up. So all you have to do at the table is grill.

No need to worry even if it's your first time grilling eel — the tableside ordering screen has detailed instructions on how to grill it.

We followed the guide too, seasoning it lightly with salt and grilling it until golden and crisp.

The 4,000 won table fee and what is on the self-bar

On top of the eel price, there's a separate table setting fee of ₩4,000 per person when you eat at the restaurant.

But since you can go back to the self-bar for vegetables and side dishes as many times as you like, I actually thought it was a good deal. The self-bar had

• Onion
• Cabbage kimchi (baechu kimchi)
• Wild garlic leaves (myeongi namul)
• Pickled radish for wraps (ssam-mu)
• Julienned ginger
• Garlic
• Ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste)
• Cabbage salad
• Assorted wrap vegetables

and more, all prepared and ready.

Eating eel just isn't the same without julienned ginger, wild garlic leaves, or pickled radish for wraps, so it was great being able to grab as much as I wanted. And two bottles of water come included as well.

How the charcoal-grilled eel tasted

The eel was laid on the charcoal and grilled until golden brown.

As it grilled over the charcoal, the surface turned golden and the flesh plumped up plump and juicy — it made my mouth water just looking at it.

Well-grilled eel is delicious eaten plain on its own, delicious with julienned ginger on top, and delicious wrapped in vegetables with garlic too.

My parents love eel, so this time I ordered generously, and I was glad we'd bought ₩60,000 worth.

Is Deokeun Jangeo good for a family dinner with parents?

Since this was a meal with my parents, taste mattered, but so did parking and the size of the place. Deokeun Jangeo is such a large restaurant with plenty of parking that it worked well for a family meal out.

Above all, the format of picking your own eel and grilling it right there on charcoal makes it fun too, especially if you love eel.

After the meal, my parents said this was the best eel restaurant they'd tried in Gwangju.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat eel with your parents in Gwangju, Deokeun Jangeo in Yangsan-dong is worth a visit, just like it was for me.

Paying the bill and free hot chocolate on the way out

Once you're done eating, you finish up on the 2nd floor, pay the table setting fee, and head out. On the way out, there's hot chocolate and milk coffee ready for you.

I couldn't just walk past, so I grabbed a hot chocolate haha. After eating eel until I was full, sipping warm hot chocolate on the way out made the whole meal feel complete.

If you're looking for somewhere in Yangsan-dong, Gwangju to eat eel with your parents, take a look at Deokeun Jangeo, the big eel restaurant near Family Land. From the eel prices to parking, the self-bar, and the charcoal grilling, it was a comfortable place for a family meal out.