Gojan-dong, Ansan eel buffet with sauce-basted eel: Songnim Bok

The weather has turned chilly and my energy was dipping a little, so I went for a proper stamina boost! This time I visited Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store (송림복장어) in Gojan-dong, Ansan.

Location, parking and hours of the Ansan City Hall branch

The restaurant is at 33 Danggok-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea, on the 2nd floor, units 201 and 202. It is open daily from 11:20 to 22:00 (last order 21:00). You can park in the building's underground parking lot.

I parked on B1. The garage is clean and roomy, so parking was easy, haha. Parking support is available, so keep that in mind!

Take the elevator to the 2nd floor and turn right, and you'll see Songnim Bok at the end of the hallway.

This is the entrance, with a neat interior visible behind the glass automatic door, haha.

Is the dining room good for group dinners?

The hall is wide with plenty of space between tables, so it looked great for group gatherings, company dinners and family meals. The moment I walked in, I noticed how huge and comfortable it was.

With the tables spaced so widely, it looked good for group get-togethers, company dinners and family outings.

What's at the self-bar?

At the self-bar you can refill eel, pork belly and chicken neck, and also help yourself to side dishes, sauces and vegetables. It's neatly arranged along one side of the restaurant, so you can grab what you want without feeling awkward, haha.

The main items, freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck, are also yours to take as much as you like, which I loved, haha.

• Lettuce and wrap greens
• Garlic
• Chili peppers
• Ssamjang (wrap sauce)
• Eel sauce
• Pickled onions
• Green onion kimchi
• Pickled perilla leaves

The garlic even has the stems trimmed off, so you can pop it in your mouth in one bite. Love that, lol.

If the grill plate burns while you eat, replacement plates are ready for you.

Appetizer before the main: self-serve fried eggs

You can fry your own eggs at the self-bar, and I was so happy about it.. lol I made golden fried eggs as an appetizer before the mains came out. Great stuff!

Menu and table-setting fee

The menu is simple: all-you-can-eat options, meals, and drinks and alcohol, and the buffet has a separate table-setting fee. The menu is posted big on the wall, so it's easy to read.

Note that the buffet comes with a table-setting fee.

There's also a separate takeout menu. If you'd like grilled eel or rich eel soup at home, takeout seems like a good option.

Ordering the buffet for 2 adults and Sejong bokbunja wine

We ordered the all-you-can-eat for 2 adults and one bottle of Sejong bokbunja wine (black raspberry wine).

Open the drawer at the side of the table and you'll find spoons, chopsticks, wet wipes, napkins and even a bottle opener. I liked how carefully even the small details are kept.

After ordering the buffet, we waited a moment and the staff brought freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck. After that, you go to the self-bar for refills.

They also brought side dishes that go well with eel and meat: pickled onions, pickled perilla leaves, green onion kimchi, pickled cabbage, ginger and sauces. The lineup is tidy and pairs nicely with the mains.

Freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck on a charcoal grate

Everything is grilled over charcoal, and grilled eel with that subtle charcoal aroma can't possibly taste bad, right? Haha.

We laid freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck on the hot grate and grilled away~ The savory smell filled the restaurant and my mouth was watering.. lol

Bokbunja wine with eel, and cheers (only) for the driver

You can't have eel without bokbunja wine, right? One bottle of sweet, rich bokbunja wine, all set, lol

I'd brought the car, so I only did the cheers part.. T_T Only my companion sipped the bokbunja wine, saying how good it was... sip... sip... lol

The freshwater eel was golden, moist inside and crisp outside. Maybe because it's eel caught daily rather than frozen and thawed, it tasted clean and mild, haha.

Full and happy, I finished the meal with a cup of instant coffee for dessert!

No marinated eel? Brush on the eel sauce as you grill

This branch has no separate marinated eel, so I brushed the self-bar eel sauce on myself while grilling, and the eel came out a bit sweeter and moister. Loved it, lol

I visited at that in-between time after lunch, and another table was eating eel soup. The smell of the eel soup was rich and lovely, so I'll have to try the eel soup next time.

Songnim Bok near Ansan City Hall: all-you-can-eat freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck, prepared fresh every day

It's near Ansan City Hall so access is easy, and the restaurant is comfortable and spacious, so it looked good for group gatherings too.