Yeongjong eel buffet for weekday groups: perilla pickles, Jangsodam

I had errands on Yeongjong Island, so I stopped at Jangsodam, where everything is all-you-can-eat: eel, beef, pork, yukhoe (beef tartare), gejang (marinated crab), Hangang ramyeon and more. The quality is excellent for the price, and it was honestly the best value ever, so here's my review.

Where is Jangsodam Yeongjong Direct Store, and is there parking?

Jangsodam Yeongjong Direct Store (장소담 장어소고기 뷔페맛집 영종직영점) is at 18 Haneuljungang-ro 195beon-gil, Yeongjong-gu, Incheon, on the 2nd floor (Units 204–206) of Hyojeong Plaza behind Yeongjong District Office. Parking in the same building is free.

Jangsodam only uses Japonica eel, the premium grade of domestic freshwater eel. It opened not long ago, so the place is very clean.

Is Jangsodam good for a group dinner in Yeongjong?

Inside there are 28 tables, so it suits family gatherings, team dinners and other group get-togethers. The ventilation was also very good.

How much is the all-you-can-eat eel set at Jangsodam?

• Monday Eel Day: 1kg for ₩29,900
• Domestic Japonica freshwater eel: 1kg for ₩32,900
• Set A ₩39,000: health-boosting freshwater eel + 6 kinds of beef + yukhoe + gejang
• Set B ₩34,000: health-boosting freshwater eel + sirloin + gejang
• Set C ₩32,000: 6 kinds of beef + yukhoe + gejang
• Set D ₩21,000: 3 kinds of dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)

Sets A to D all include pork, special dishes, Hangang ramyeon, drinks, rice and soft-serve ice cream.

What's on the Jangsodam self-bar and special dishes menu?

The special dishes include pizza, tonkatsu, pasta, pork ribs, jajang sauce, fried rice, cream shrimp, cotton-candy-style tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), gochujapchae (pepper and glass noodle stir-fry), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), assorted fritters, jumeokbap (rice balls), Busan fish cake and chalsundae (glutinous blood sausage), among others.

There are also wrap vegetables, and the pork choices are 2 kinds of pork galbi, pork belly, pork neck, 3 kinds of dakgalbi, pork skin, tteokgalbi (grilled rib patties), cheese rice cakes, homemade sausage and smoked duck. You grab the pork from the self-bar, while eel and beef are ordered and a robot brings them to you.

The sauces and side dishes were kept hygienically, too.

For drinks there's Pepsi, Zero Pepsi, Sprite-style soda (cider), Fanta Orange, Fanta Pineapple, plum drink, green grape drink and brewed coffee.

Even if you order only the domestic Japonica eel on its own, Hangang ramyeon, rice, drinks and soft-serve ice cream are free. Seriously the ultimate value for money..

This is the basic side dish setup, and if you need more, head to the self-bar. Personally I loved that they have snack-bar-style foods.

Charcoal-grilled eel is great as a stamina food, right? Also, I heard that on weekdays, groups of 10 or more get 1 bottle of bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) per table as a freebie.

Do you grill the eel yourself at Jangsodam, and how does it taste?

First they put big pieces of eel on the grill,

and the grill differs depending on the meat. From what I saw, only the marinated meat uses the wire-rack grill.

The eel quality at Jangsodam was so good I could hardly believe it was all-you-can-eat. At most eel restaurants the staff grill for you, but since this is a buffet, you do have to grill it yourself.

Nicely golden eel is best dipped in the eel sauce for that sweet-salty combo,

and eating it with kkaennip jangajji (pickled perilla leaves) and ginger cuts the richness right away.

This time I tried it with the spicy sauce too, and maybe because the eel is so good, there was no fishy smell at all.

How was the beef sirloin at Jangsodam?

The beef that came out was sirloin, which I grilled,

and the sirloin wasn't a 'wow, that's amazing' kind of thing, but it wasn't dry and was decent for an all-you-can-eat.

Grill it quickly rather than for long to get the juiciness.

Hangang ramyeon and dessert at Jangsodam

When I was about 80% full, I tried Hangang ramyeon (instant noodles you cook yourself), and the choice of ramyeon was really wide: Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, Teumsae Ramyun, Buldak, Jjapaghetti, Jin Ramen and more. After some agonizing, I picked the nostalgic Ansungtangmyun!

The eel meat itself is firm, so it's really good. I refilled another 500g and ate until I was truly stuffed, and with soft-serve ice cream and cookies, you can finish with something sweet too.

Is Jangsodam, the Yeongjong eel buffet, worth a visit?

I liked that Jangsodam has Set A, B and C options to fit your budget, so you can enjoy plenty of domestic freshwater eel, prime beef, pork, domestic Yeonpyeongdo blue crab and more.

If you're looking for a good place to eat on Yeongjong Island, give high-quality Jangsodam a visit. It's open daily 11:00–23:00.