Gwangju work dinner eel restaurant with ramyeon: Ppaksen Songjeong

Ppaksen Freshwater Eel Songjeong Station Branch, Jeolla-do, Gwangju

While looking for dinner during a trip to Gwangju, I found an eel restaurant with great value — around ₩10,000 a portion. They also serve Korean beef alongside the eel, and the place can seat a big group, so I'd recommend it for gatherings or work dinners. Today I'm sharing my review of Ppaksen Eel Songjeong Station Branch, a Gwangju Songjeong Station spot worth knowing for group dinners, plus a few discount tips.

Where is Ppaksen Freshwater Eel Songjeong Station Branch, and what does the eel cost?

Ppaksen Eel Songjeong Station Branch sits an 8-minute walk from Songjeong Station. Eel often feels like a pricey menu item, but this place surprised me.

At 150g per portion, salt-grilled eel is ₩9,800 and sauced eel is ₩10,800 — pretty good value. It's affordable enough to eat with a group, which is why I'd recommend it as a Gwangju group dinner spot.

Seating and atmosphere for a group work dinner

Inside, Ppaksen Eel Songjeong Station Branch has a mix of seating: comfy sofa-style seats and round tables with chairs. When I visited around 7pm on a weekday, most tables were groups of office workers or families eating together.

Grilling meat can leave smoke smell all over your clothes, or make a room feel stuffy, but Ppaksen Eel Songjeong Station Branch has good ventilation, so it never felt stuffy.

They don't just sell eel, either — raw beef and chadolbagi (thinly sliced beef brisket) are also on the menu, which makes it an even better spot for a gathering.

Salt-grilled eel, sauced eel and ramyeon: how the meal went

We started with 2 portions of salt-grilled eel, 2 portions of sauced eel, and one ramyeon (instant noodle soup). The eel is grilled right at the table — it comes pre-cooked, so you just finish searing the surface on the grill plate.

The salt-grilled eel we tried first had a springy texture and a clean, mild flavor that pretty much everyone would enjoy, regardless of age or preference.

Next was the sauced eel, which had a hint of sweetness followed by a mild spicy kick at the end. It wasn't overwhelmingly spicy, so even people who can't handle spice well could enjoy it.

We ordered ramyeon to go with the eel, and it came topped with egg and a spicy kick — a familiar flavor, but so good.

Chewy noodles, spicy ramyeon, and nourishing eel together made for a really satisfying meal.

Eating it with ramyeon is delicious, but if you're not ordering extra sides, I personally think it tastes best wrapped in a perilla leaf with ssamjang (dipping sauce), garlic, eel, and ginger. Even after eating your fill, wrapping it up makes you feel like you ate a bit healthier.

They also serve a spicy doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) as a default side, making the meal feel even better value.

Free brisket review event and the weekday reservation perk

Ppaksen Eel, a well-known restaurant near Songjeong Station in Gwangju, is currently running two promotions. First, writing a Naver review gets you a free portion of chadolbagi (beef brisket). Honestly, since it's a review-event freebie, I didn't expect much at first.

But the meat was fresh and tasted great — good enough that I wanted to order more. I only knew this place for its eel, so finding out the chadolbagi was this good made me curious about the raw beef too.

One perk worth noting is the Naver reservation deal: book a weekday slot between 3pm and 5:30pm through Naver Reservation and you get a free portion of eel. The prices are already good value, but if the timing works for you, you can score an extra plate of eel on top of that — so if an early weekday dinner works for your schedule, it's worth checking the reservation benefits before you go.

Ppaksen Eel, a great-value eel restaurant near Songjeong Station in Gwangju. It can seat large groups, so I'd recommend it for gatherings or work dinners, and the chadolbagi is delicious too — I hope you get to try a variety of the menu.