Reserving a table at a Songjeong, Busan Japanese restaurant: Yuok

Yuok in Songjeong, Busan: Japanese-style storefront with its own parking

Yuok is a Japanese donburi restaurant at 47 Songjeong-gangbyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan. We'd been out near Haeundae's Mipo area and 〰️ stopped by this Songjeong eel-bowl spot for a bit of body-boosting comfort food after a while.

I'd actually been once before and was so satisfied that time that this ended up being a repeat visit 😚 We drove ourselves, and since Yuok has its own parking lot, parking was easy.

The exterior has a real Japanese vibe 🪴 like stepping into another country.

Yuok 47 Songjeong-gangbyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan Daily 11:00–22:00 Break time 15:00–17:00 Groups, takeout, reservations, pet-friendly

How many table seats does Yuok have, and do you need a reservation?

Inside Yuok there are about 3 table seats, with the rest set up as counter (dachi) seats. We'd made a reservation ahead of time, so maybe that's why we were shown straight to a table seat!

The interior is really clean and the staff are so, so kind 🤍

What we ordered at Yuok and what it cost

Jumbo unaju set: ₩28,500 Saba ochazuke set: ₩17,000

Every table gets a best way to eat it! The staff explain it when the food comes out, but we'd been before so we said we already knew 👏🏻 They also told us to just ask if we needed kimchi.

Ooh, just looking at the jumbo unaju and saba ochazuke sets makes you feel full — plus salad, soup, and sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch) for dessert! We dug into the salad first before the meal 🥗 There's mandarin on top and it's genuinely refreshing and delicious.

Saba ochazuke set, 17,000 won: mackerel with a glutinous rice ball topping

This is the saba ochazuke set I ordered. Saba ochazuke comes with a glutinous rice ball topping on the side, and when you sprinkle it on while eating ochazuke-style, it keeps its texture alive.

Two thick chunks of mackerel sit on top. And wow, since it's boneless it's so, so easy to eat 〰️ and there's zero of that distinctive fishy smell, which was great for us picky eaters, haha.

But I really love ochazuke, so... I scooped up a spoonful of rice, put a chunk of mackerel on top, broke it up a bit, then poured the ochazuke broth over it. Then topped it with chopped green onion and the glutinous rice balls 🤍 Ah, looking at this now, I want to eat it again.

Ha, so good ㅠ The way your insides warm up while it stays light and clean, yum, good 🤍 The glutinous rice balls popping in your mouth were especially charming. Last time I had the eel rice bowl, and the mackerel is amazing too...

Jumbo unaju set, 28,500 won: eel and a thick slab of egg

And here's the jumbo unaju set my boyfriend ordered. Unlike the saba set, unaju comes with seaweed on top instead of glutinous rice balls. And wow, the eel is really, really huge!

Underneath there's a thick slab of egg, and even on its own it was sweet and delicious. I used to think I didn't like sweet rolled egg, but wow, this one's the real deal! Great even just with rice ㅠ

My boyfriend's shot of the ochazuke 🫶🏻 He started eating it more like a rice bowl at first, then turned it into ochazuke by the end, filling the bowl to the brim. The eel's sauce itself is so good 🥹 which gave the ochazuke a different charm from the mackerel version. Ah, even when I want to try something new next time, I think I'll end up ordering ochazuke again ㅠ

Sujeonggwa for dessert: is Yuok worth a return visit?

Yuok's set ends cleanly with sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch) to cleanse the palate 🤤 Having sujeonggwa after a while, it went down so smoothly and deliciously.

On the way out there were candies, toothpicks, and floss ready too. Even on a repeat visit, this Songjeong, Busan eel-bowl favorite Yuok was so good 〰️ Highly, highly recommend.