Eel buffet in Gojan-dong, Ansan: trying eel with ginger at Songnim Bok

Why I went to Songnim Bok in Gojan-dong

I'd been feeling run down and thought I needed some stamina food, so I searched and found an all-you-can-eat eel place close to home in Gojan-dong: Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store (송림복장어). Here's my firsthand review! The owner was super kind too ♡

Location, hours and parking

The restaurant is at 33 Danggok-ro, units 201 and 202, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea, and it's open 11:20 to 22:00. You can park in the building's underground lot or in the public lot right in front.

Parking matters most to me when going to a restaurant, so I always check before visiting, and having both options was convenient. The underground lot turned out to be spacious, which was a relief.

How are the taste and freshness of the all-you-can-eat eel?

Isn't it amazing that you can eat good-quality freshwater eel all-you-can-eat here? To tell you up front, the eel was fresh and tasty, and I could see why this place is called an eel favorite near Ansan City Hall. If you love eel, it's worth a visit!

Baby chairs, coffee and the atmosphere inside

There are baby chairs, so it looks good for a family meal in Gojan-dong. Coffee is also available after eating. The walls list the health benefits of freshwater eel and pork, so I took photos for anyone who's curious.

The place is spacious and, since it opened only recently, looks clean overall. The chairs were comfortable too, so I thought it would be nice to bring my parents.

There's plenty of group seating as well, so it looks great for family gatherings and team dinners. Roomy and pleasant, it suits a Gojan-dong group dinner recommendation well.

Menu

Besides the signature all-you-can-eat eel, the restaurant sells eel soup, yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), buckwheat makguksu (cold noodles), spicy ramen, rice and galbitang (short rib soup), so you can pick to your taste. Looking at other diners, some ordered eel soup or galbitang rather than just the all-you-can-eat eel.

What's at the self-serve bar?

If you run out of food, meat or eel, you just grab more from the self-serve bar. I was honestly surprised when I saw it. Nothing was messy, the ingredients were neatly arranged, and it was easy to use. The cleanliness made me trust the place even more!

Let me show you what's on the self-serve bar! There was a good variety of vegetables and side dishes that go well with eel, and you can take as much as you like, which made it even easier.

• Side dishes: ginger, white kimchi, pickled perilla leaves, scallion kimchi, pickled onion and cucumber
• Wraps and vegetables: chili peppers, garlic, ssamjang (wrap sauce), lettuce, perilla leaves
• Sauces and salt
• Meat: freshwater eel, fresh whole pork belly, chicken neck
• Fried eggs and kimchi jeon (savory pancake) that you make yourself

It's not just the eel that's all-you-can-eat: you can have whole pork belly and chicken neck too, so the meal is even more generous!! There were also fried eggs and kimchi jeon set up for you to cook yourself.

Opening promotion: free bokbunja wine

The big surprise: as an opening promotion, ordering eel got us a free bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine)! It was such a welcome treat that it put me in an even better mood.

How to grill eel and trim the fins

The owner kindly taught us everything, from how to cook eel so it tastes great to how to remove the fins. The explanation was easy enough for a first-timer to follow, so I picked it up quickly, and thanks to that the eel tasted even better.

The grilling method is also posted on the wall, so it was easy to cook.

• 1. Place the fresh eel skin-side down first.
• 2. Once cooked through on both sides, remove the fin along the middle of the back, the side fins and the head fin!

Cut it into bite-size pieces, stand them up and grill the cut sides until golden, and you get delicious eel.

Eel with ginger: a first for me

Not just the eel but the other meats too were clean with no odor and a tender texture, and I really enjoyed them! The side dishes were each clean-tasting, so everything was good overall.

I don't usually eat ginger, but this time I tried it with eel for the first time!!! And once I tasted it, I immediately understood why people eat eel and ginger together!

The water served with the meal was a nutty-tasting tea, and drinking it during the meal left my mouth feeling clean. It went well with the food too.

Final verdict on Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall

It was so good that I grabbed more eel from the self-serve bar and grilled another round. My overall impression of this Gojan-dong all-you-can-eat eel spot is that it suits a family meal or a team dinner in Gojan-dong. The food was clean and tasty throughout, and the owner was friendly, so we could eat comfortably.