Yeoksam eel restaurant: lunch bento, then hitsumabushi for two, Chisot

Why I came back to Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch for dinner

I had already tried a mid-₩10,000 bento here at weekday lunch, so this time I came back with my husband for a proper stamina-boosting dinner. The weather is getting warmer and we were both totally drained, ugh. I went looking for a place that could really recharge us, and that place was Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch (치솟 역삼본점)! I'd eaten the bento here on a weekday lunch before, and for such an affordable, reasonable price it was seriously filling, so I decided to come back at dinner and do it properly. It stands out in quality even among the Japanese restaurants near the much-talked-about GS Arts Center, so we set off with high hopes, haha.

Getting there, parking and atmosphere

From Exit 7 of Yeoksam Station, just trudge up the hillside alley and you'll be there in no time! For parking, you can use the nearby Chunghyeon Church parking lot, so it's easy even if you come by car.

The exterior already looks clean and upscale, and inside, warm wood interiors greeted us as if we'd walked into a fine restaurant in Japan.

It has an open kitchen where you can see the eel being grilled, which felt trustworthy!! haha. I liked the clean wood-tone tables, and the quiet, cozy mood was perfect for a relaxed dinner with my husband. It's good for a date like ours, and I immediately understood why it's popular with Yeoksam office workers and as a spot for business meetings, haha.

Menu, prices and what we ordered

The signature dish at Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch is hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style eel rice), available in mini, sang (medium) and special sizes. We decided to go all out and boldly ordered two sang-size hitsumabushi! The eel is grade-1 Japanese-variety freshwater eel, grilled three times over binchotan charcoal and brushed with a special sauce aged for 72 hours, so my mouth was watering before we even ate, lol. At lunch they also serve the great-value unagi bento (mid-₩10,000 range), so I highly recommend it for office workers nearby who want something lighter!

The lunch unagi bento was great value too

A coworker treated me to this one at lunch, and a bento in the mid-₩10,000 range is such good value!! haha. There are also other hearty Japanese dishes like a salmon rice bowl and a grilled eel set, so the choice was wide💕

How to eat hitsumabushi for the best flavor

Each table has a card explaining the tastiest way to eat hitsumabushi. The illustrations were so cute and charming that I couldn't help taking a photo ><

• First, divide the eel rice into four portions with the cute fish-shaped paddle.
• The first portion: enjoy the natural savory flavor of the eel and rice just as it is!
• The second: add the scallions, nori flakes and wasabi that come with it and mix. The richness vanishes completely.
• The third: pour in the warm green tea broth for ochazuke (rice in tea) and slurp it down.

Eaten as ochazuke, it was so light with a deep flavor that it warmed me all the way through!

As you'd expect from a well-known Japanese specialist, the eating process itself is fun, and my husband found it fascinating and loved it, haha.

Eel flavor, refills and service

From the first bite, the smoky grill aroma filled my mouth, and the eel was chewy outside and incredibly soft inside. My husband and I couldn't stop marveling, lol.

Maybe because of the 72-hour aged tare sauce, it isn't overly sweet and has a deep savory flavor! If you run short of rice or green tea, you can refill as much as you like at the self-serve bar without feeling awkward and make more ochazuke, so even big eaters can eat until they're stuffed.

If you join a simple review event, they even give you delicious marinated salmon (salmon jang) as a service, so definitely grab that perk too!

Things to know before visiting, and final thoughts

Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch is closed on Sundays and has a break time every day from 15:00 to 17:00, so be sure to avoid those hours! My husband kept giving a thumbs-up and said we absolutely have to come back next stamina season, haha.

It felt like we'd been treated to a refined, tidy meal that was worth every won for the first time in a while, and it filled my heart too. If you're looking for proper eel rice and a variety of Japanese dishes in the middle of Gangnam, hurry over to Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch! It'll be a satisfying stamina meal you won't regret🍚✨