Charcoal eel buffet in Gojan-dong, Ansan with baby chairs: Songnim Bok

Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel is a place in Ansan serving all-you-can-eat eel plus pork belly and chicken neck.

Eel all-you-can-eat spots seem to be having a moment lately. The prices are reasonable and the quality of the eel and meat seemed pretty solid, so I'd been curious about this place for a while and finally visited!

Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Ansan City Hall Direct Store

• Parking: basement of same building or public parking lot
• Hours: daily 11:00–22:00

Eel, pork belly and chicken neck are all unlimited, at 29,900 won per person. Being able to eat eel this cheap, and all-you-can-eat on top of that, made me really curious about the quality.

A roomy hall big enough for a Gojan-dong work dinner, with baby chairs too

The inside of this Ansan eel buffet is spacious enough for a Gojan-dong work dinner. The gaps between seats were wide too, so I could eat a meal without feeling cramped. They also have baby chairs on hand, so I'd recommend it as a family dining spot!

Menu and pricing — 29,900 won for adults, 2 hours

The eel buffet time limit is 2 hours, 29,900 won for adults and 14,000 won for elementary school kids. There's a separate 4,000 won table setting fee, but that only applies to adults. Takeout is also available at 35,000 won per kg. Pretty cheap for takeout too, right?

As soon as we sat down and the table was set, they brought out bokbunja wine — it's free at every table! We had to drive so we handed it right back, but that's great news for drinkers. Such a shame we couldn't have any, ugh.

What about the side dishes and self-serve bar?

The side dishes that go with the eel are ginger strips and green onion kimchi — and that green onion kimchi is genuinely delicious. I think I refilled it once or twice on its own. The eel was rich and fatty, so good, and it paired perfectly with the tangy green onion kimchi.

At the self-serve bar you can grab unlimited eel, pork belly, chicken neck, plus the side dishes. Since it's not just eel that's all-you-can-eat but the pork belly and chicken neck too, this seems like a great dining spot to bring kids to.

Also, at Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel, fried eggs are all-you-can-eat too. You can cook up as many fried eggs as you want at the self-serve bar. Great for keeping bored mouths busy before the meat finishes cooking, haha.

The first round of this Ansan eel buffet comes included in the basic setup. After that, just grab whatever you want yourself!

How to charcoal-grill the eel — eel in the center, meat on the edges

And on top of everything, it's charcoal! Freshwater eel cooked over charcoal really lets the fat soak in and it's so delicious... ★

The way to eat at this Ansan eel buffet is to cook the eel in the center and the other meats around the edges. Eel cooks fast, so once it's done you enjoy the eel while moving the meat to the center — the timing works out just right.

Freshwater eel dripping with fat — it had been a while since I'd had it and it was so good...

It's tastiest cooked almost to the crispy edge. Eel priced by the kilogram can get expensive, but here you can eat as much as you want, so it was economically great too.

I also ate it dipped in eel sauce (though I wonder, if you brush this sauce on while grilling, does it become sauce-glazed eel???)

Personally, at this Ansan eel buffet, eating it together with the green onion kimchi was the best combination. That kimchi seems like it'd go with any kind of meat. I bet it would even be good on plain white rice.

I figured the pork belly and chicken neck were just side items, but the meat quality was really good and there wasn't a hint of any off smell.

I'd recommend this as a great-value, high-quality restaurant where you can eat all the good freshwater eel you want at a low price.