Charcoal eel grill with sides in Jeongja-dong: Mansuheon Jeongja

Today I went to Jeongja-dong in Bundang with my food-loving friend from Anyang to find a good eel restaurant.

What makes Mansuheon Jeongja different from a typical eel restaurant?

I don't usually say this, but this was the most impressive eel restaurant I've ever been to. Forget the eel restaurants you're picturing in your head — the interior and atmosphere here are seriously upscale. Let me show you a private, varied world of eel~~~

Where is Mansuheon Jeongja, and where do you park?

Mansuheon Jeongja is at 158 Jeongja-il-ro, 2nd floor, Unit 203, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do — just search [Mansuheon Jeongja] on T Map. Hahaha. I came after work by subway, got off at Exit 3 of the Suin-Bundang / Sinbundang Line, and walked about 5 minutes. My friend drove in from Yongin and made it in 30 minutes — haha.

Parking at the building is free for 2 hours — that's Baekgung Plaza II, with a 6pm cutoff at night, worth noting.

If Baekgung Plaza II is full, nearby Emco Heritz usually has space and costs ₩3,000/hour — using this restaurant gets you 1 hour of cash support there.

Opening hours and closing day

• Mon–Fri: 11:30–21:45 / break 14:00–17:00 / last order 21:15
• Sat: 12:00–21:45 / break 14:30–17:00 / last order 21:15
• Closed every Sunday

The entrance and the interior

I went up to the 2nd floor to find the entrance — and the vibe was nothing like a typical eel restaurant, much closer to an upscale Japanese omakase spot.

I didn't expect this kind of atmosphere when searching for an eel restaurant in Bundang — the first impression was already very much to my liking.

Once inside, looking around, I realized for the first time how the combination of gray and dark wood tones can create such an upscale atmosphere.

It almost felt like being at a hotel. This is the kind of place that would suit an important business meal, a family gathering, a date with a partner — any occasion, really.

There's a private room too, so if you're hosting someone important, it's worth booking one in advance. My friend drove, so we skipped alcohol, but a glass of sake would have gone perfectly here.

Signature menu and how we built the dinner order

Mansuheon has a separate lunch special menu — eel stone-pot rice and eel hamburg stone-pot rice! I really wanted to try these since they're so famous.

But we visited in the evening. The dinner signature menu centers on charcoal-grilled eel and Korean beef rib meat, and we went with two servings of salt-grilled eel.

The dinner menu was laid out nicely, which I personally really liked. You choose the grilled dish, and then one side dish and one finishing dish each.

• ✅ Octopus seasonal vegetable side dish
• ✅ Jirisan doenjang (soybean paste) rice roll

In the end, these two choices were spot on. I considered ordering four servings of eel instead, but adding the side dish and finishing dish gave a more balanced meal and filled us up completely — I was very, very satisfied with that dinner.

Ordering by QR code at the table

You order through the QR code placed at one side of the table.

A neat little QR code image on the table looks more upscale and refined than a bulky kiosk sitting there.

If the QR ordering is confusing or doesn't work for you, you can just tell the staff verbally.

Banchan setting and chawanmushi

Given how much thought went into the interior, I couldn't help but wonder — what about the food??? I was secretly excited.

As soon as we ordered, they brought us warm buckwheat tea. I thought to myself that warm buckwheat tea would pair well with eel — even something as small as the water felt carefully considered.

A personal tray came out neatly with various sauces, along with chawanmushi — Japanese-style steamed egg.

It came out warm and jiggly like pudding, which whetted our appetite before the meal.

Pickled perilla leaves, potato salad, fresh kimchi, vegetables — fresh and mouthwatering just to look at.

They suited both my friend's and my taste, so we finished every side dish without leaving anything. Hahaha. The staff kindly asked first about refills and brought more naturally, so we ate without any hesitation.

Salt-grilled eel for two, arriving 90 percent pre-grilled

The two servings of salt-grilled eel come already pre-cooked. The staff told us it was about 90% done.

All that's left is to lightly place it on the grill and cook it until nicely browned.

At most eel restaurants, smoke tends to build up, but the grill here was really impressive. The smoke was drawn straight into the vents built into either side of the grill.

On top of that, the charcoal heat was just right — the eel browned nicely without easily burning. Oh~~~~ that's neat.

These little details are probably exactly why this place is known as a top eel restaurant in Bundang.

Dipping and wrapping the salt-grilled eel in various sauces — so clean and light, I loved it.

The side: octopus with seasonal vegetables

We ordered the octopus seasonal vegetable side dish, and it arrived while we were still eating the eel.

The slightly tangy dish cut through the richness of the eel really well — good call ordering this, I thought to myself proudly. Hahaha.

To finish: Jirisan doenjang rice roll

Koreans really do run on rice, don't they. No matter how full you are, there's still something missing — carbs, rice. As a big eater myself, I felt a bit of that emptiness.

Having the Jirisan doenjang rice roll as a finishing option turned out to be a stroke of genius.

The moment I took a bite of the Jirisan doenjang rice roll~~~ my mind went blank and a message popped up like an alert: fullness achieved!!! Hahaha. And that's how we wrapped up dinner tonight.

If you want to eat eel properly in a stylish setting, this place is worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a great eel restaurant in Bundang.