Ansan eel grill lunch with free bokbunja wine: Songnim Bok Jangeo

I heard there was a place serving unlimited-refill eel, so I went for lunch. Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Unlimited Refill Wongok Branch, at 47 Wonseon-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, 1st floor.

Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch: refill price and parking

Songnim Bok Jangeo's unlimited eel refill is ₩29,900 per person. It's written that they use 100% domestic eel, prepped fresh each dawn, so even though it's all-you-can-eat, I got the sense they still care about the quality of the eel.

Parking was available behind the building, with space for about 4 cars.

What the interior and menu look like

Walking in, the place had an overall clean, tidy restaurant vibe.

The menu had separate adult and child pricing for the unlimited refill, plus a per-person table setting fee charged separately. Besides eel, there were other meal items available too, but this day I stuck to the plan: unlimited refill eel.

Why eel and bokbunja go together, and the free bottle

On one wall of Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch there was signage about how well eel pairs with bokbunja (black raspberry) wine. There was an explanation saying it goes great together, and I'd been thinking it'd be nice to try eel with bokbunja —

and right then the owner gave us bokbunja wine as a service item. I ordered eel and got complimentary wine on top — great start, put me in a good mood right away. Having wine alongside unlimited eel made the meal feel even more generous.

Thick Korean freshwater eel grilled by the owner

The owner personally brought out the first batch of eel, along with a bit of chicken neck and pork belly too.

Looking at the eel first, the thickness was impressive. The flesh was plump, and it looked like good-quality eel just from the sight of it.

The owner grilled the first batch on the pan himself.

How thick and firm the eel tastes

I dug into the grilled eel with high expectations.

Eating the nicely browned eel, the flesh was thick yet had a satisfyingly firm bite.

Chewing it, the muscle structure was still intact, letting me really taste eel's signature light, savory flavor. The outside was browned with smoky char and nuttiness, while the inside stayed moist.

The tail section in particular had a chewy texture and a strong savory flavor, making it a delicacy worth savoring on its own.

Ginger and eel sauce served generously

The eel sauce was set out in a big communal container, so I could scoop out as much as I wanted — convenient. Dipping the eel in the salty sauce.

Fresh ginger to eat with the eel was also generously provided. Piling ginger on a piece of eel made it taste even better and feel healthier too.

Side dishes from baek-kimchi to pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi)

The side dishes were varied too — baek-kimchi (white kimchi), pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi), pickled vegetables, and more. Eel itself has a rich, savory flavor, so pairing it with these tangy, clean sides worked really well.

Wrapping eel in pickled perilla leaves in particular added a fragrant, salty note I personally really liked.

Garlic was also served generously from the start, so I could wrap it into ssam (lettuce wraps) along with the sides for variety.

Chicken neck and pork belly served alongside the eel

I also grilled up the chicken neck meat that came out at the start. It had a light flavor with a decently chewy texture — a different kind of appeal from the eel.

The pork belly had rosemary aroma added, so grilling it brought out a subtle herb scent that was surprisingly good. After eating eel non-stop, mixing in different meat mid-meal was a nice palate change.

Refilling eel at the self-serve bar

Side dishes and vegetables could be taken as needed from the self-serve bar. If I ran short on any side while eating eel, I could just go grab more — convenient — and I could also load up on whatever ssam vegetables I wanted.

Best of all, eel itself was available at the self-serve bar, so after finishing the first batch I went and grabbed another plate to grill myself.

The second round of eel tasted even better

Grilling the second batch of eel myself, it somehow tasted even better than the first — maybe because I'd gotten the hang of it by then.

Round two of eating time began again. Bite after bite, mixing it up with ginger, eel sauce, pa-kimchi, pickled perilla leaves — eating without pause.

The eel was so thick that just a few pieces were filling, but since it was unlimited, I could fill up entirely on eel — which felt amazing.

Finishing the meal with bokbunja wine

While eating eel to my heart's content, I also sipped the complimentary bokbunja wine. Savory eel and sweet bokbunja wine — a pairing that couldn't help but go well together. It felt like a proper restorative, health-boosting meal.

Eating as much delicious domestic eel as I wanted, I wrapped up the meal completely satisfied and full.

Is Songnim Bok Jangeo worth it? Final verdict

Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch lets you enjoy unlimited domestic eel for ₩29,900 per person, plus complimentary bokbunja wine on top — pretty great value. The eel was thick, firm, and moist, and there was fun in mixing it with the various sides: ginger, eel sauce, baek-kimchi, pa-kimchi, pickled vegetables.

Most of all, being able to easily grab more eel and sides from the self-serve bar meant I could eat until fully satisfied, and the complimentary bokbunja wine on top made it even more satisfying. A great eel spot in Wongok-dong, Ansan, if you want to eat your fill of eel for a hearty boost.