Ansan eel buffet, 3 charcoal refills for 29,900 won: Songnim Bok

My husband's been low on energy lately, so I figured I'd treat him to some proper nourishing food haha. Freshwater eel all-you-can-eat places seem to be popping up everywhere near Ansan City Hall these days. We went to "Songnim Bok Jangeo Ansan City Hall Direct Store," and honestly there was nothing to complain about, so here's my review :)

Where is Songnim Bok Jangeo Ansan City Hall Direct Store, and is there parking?

Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store is at 33 Danggok-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, 2nd floor, South Korea. Open daily 11:20–22:00, last order 21:00, and there's basement parking in the building.

Songnim Bok Jangeo's Ansan City Hall branch has basement parking, so we could go without worrying about it at all. The lot was spacious too, which was great!

It's close to Ansan City Hall and Jungang Station, so it's not too hard to reach by public transit either!

Inside Songnim Bok Jangeo: a wide hall for team dinners and family meals

The first thing I noticed walking in was how genuinely huge the space is. The tables have plenty of room between them too, so it seemed perfect for a work dinner or family gathering.

Overall it felt spacious and comfortable, so even sitting there a long time eating didn't feel cramped at all! The aisles are wide too, so it'd be fine even with a lot of guests haha. They also have high chairs, so families with kids should be able to visit comfortably.

What the 29,900 won all-you-can-eat menu includes

Songnim Bok Jangeo is an all-you-can-eat restaurant, and we ordered the buffet for two! Freshwater eel, pork belly, grilled chicken neck — all of it unlimited refills, isn't that amazing!? Just ₩29,900, genuinely great value.

The time limit is 2 hours, which was plenty for grilling slowly and chatting. There are also à la carte meal options like eel soup, yukgaejang, and galbitang, so it'd work fine for a lunch visit too.

Why Koreans eat freshwater eel for energy

Freshwater eel apparently reduces fatigue-causing substances and is excellent for restoring energy, plus it's rich in nutrients like calcium and iron for immune support haha. Eat up and get your strength back, husband!!

The table setting and the charcoal grill heat

After ordering, the staff set up the table neatly, and there were quite a lot of side dishes, which was nice! And the charcoal firepower — as soon as they put it in, the heat was blazing right away.

The heat was so strong the eel and meat both cooked to a nice golden brown quickly. No time wasted, which meant we could eat more!

I'd especially recommend it to anyone who loves that charcoal-grilled eel smell!! Isn't charcoal-grilled really the true way to eat eel? Right?

How to grill eel properly in 4 steps

Step one: place the fresh eel skin-side down first.

Step two: cook it through on both sides without burning it.

Step three: cut into bite-size pieces and stand them up to grill the cut edges golden brown.

Step four: eat with whatever side dishes suit your taste! Done!

Eating in earnest: eel freshness and the chicken neck

Songnim Bok Jangeo apparently prepares live eel fresh by hand every morning, so I already trusted the freshness haha. I worried the quality might suffer a bit given it's all-you-can-eat, but for this price the quality was so good it made me wonder if they're even making a profit. The eel's condition and flavor were genuinely great. Some places have that distinct fishy eel smell, but Songnim Bok Jangeo had none of that — it just tasted fresh!!

Oh, and the grilled chicken neck was surprisingly a hidden gem~? Really tender, soft and chewy at the same time..? We kept refilling it haha.

Since Songnim Bok Jangeo's Ansan City Hall location grills everything over charcoal, a subtle smoky flavor soaks in, bringing out the eel's natural taste even more. Especially with a bit of shredded ginger on the side, it cuts the richness and boosts the eel's clean, savory flavor even further!!

Right when you start getting a little tired of eel, you can switch things up with pork belly or chicken neck, so there was never a dull moment.

Bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine)

Bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) apparently goes down even smoother with eel haha. They say it's the perfect pairing!!

What is on the self-serve bar for refills?

While enjoying the meal, if you want more, you just grab it yourself from the self-serve bar, so we could get exactly as much as we wanted.

The self-serve bar had eel, pork belly, chicken neck, lettuce wraps, shredded ginger, pickles, green onion kimchi, chili peppers, garlic, ssamjang (dipping sauce) — all the sides that pair well with eel, neatly laid out. With self-serve refills, always just take a little at a time so nothing's wasted!!

The Ansan City Hall branch's radish kimchi and green onion kimchi — I wonder if they make them in-house, because they're genuinely delicious, definitely try them!!! They vanish off the plate like magic haha. We ended up refilling the eel 3-4 times, and I felt like I was going to burst..haha.

Eel to take home: 1 kg for 35,000 won

Besides eating in, Songnim Bok Jangeo's Ansan City Hall branch also lets you take home fresh eel by the kilogram. If you love eel but find eating out every time a hassle, taking it home to grill yourself sounds like a great option too.

Verdict: is Songnim Bok Jangeo worth it near Ansan City Hall?

Visiting Songnim Bok Jangeo's Ansan City Hall branch, I went in planning to just nourish my husband but ended up feeling like I'd discovered an Ansan City Hall restaurant that exceeded expectations. For ₩29,900 you can eat a filling all-you-can-eat of eel, pork belly and chicken neck, which makes it perfect for anyone hunting for value. The restaurant is also large and comfortable with spacious, convenient parking, so I'd really recommend it for a work dinner or family gathering near Ansan City Hall!

When paying at the Ansan City Hall branch, I noticed they also sell premium eel extract next to the counter. It'd make a great gift for friends and family too. My husband said he finally feels properly nourished after a long while, so we're planning to come back again :)