Seongsu eel BBQ buffet, white kimchi and perilla pickles: Songnim Bok

When you want to eat your fill of freshwater eel in Seongsu! Unlimited eel grilled over charcoal right at your table? I was curious, so I went to Songnim Bok Jangeo Unlimited Freshwater Eel Seongsu Branch (송림복장어), haha.

What is Songnim Bok Jangeo's Seongsu branch?

This is a place where you grill unlimited freshwater eel yourself over charcoal. Besides eel, you also get pork belly and chicken neck, and you can grab side dishes from the self-bar. I found it while looking for somewhere to have dinner in Seongsu, and this time three of us went and ate our fill of eel, haha.

Hours, location and parking

It is open every day from 11:50 to 23:00. Being open from lunch to late evening made it easy to fit into our schedule.

The address is 148 Seongdeokjeong-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, near Seongsu 119 and Seongsu Small Theater. There is no parking, so if you drive, you need to use a nearby public parking lot!

When you arrive, you see a big Songnim Bok Jangeo sign, and even the exterior has that relaxed neighborhood vibe, like a place locals drop in for eel and a drink, haha.

Interior and seating

Inside there are several tables, each with a spot in the middle for the charcoal. Since you grill the eel yourself, every table also had ventilation. It is not a fancy interior, just a comfortable place to grill meat or eel.

There are seats for bigger groups too, so it looked fine for a family meal or a company dinner.

How much is unlimited freshwater eel at Songnim Bok Jangeo?

The unlimited freshwater eel is ₩29,900 for adults, with a separate ₩3,000 table setting fee. Besides eel, you can also have whole pork belly and chicken neck as unlimited refills.

So don't just think of ₩29,900; factor in the setting fee too. Three of us went and ordered the unlimited eel, haha.

Time limit and house rules

The unlimited refills last 2 hours in total. Eel is precious, so take only what you can eat, and leftovers can't be packed to go!

What's at the self-bar?

At the self-bar you can take as many extra side dishes as you like. Not only eel, pork belly and chicken neck but the side dishes too are free to refill, so I could eat without feeling self-conscious.

And the most important part, the eel! The self-bar was generously stocked with prepared freshwater eel. You take as much as you want and put it straight on the charcoal. It was so good that I ate 4 extra plates... haha.

First table setup and basic side dishes

After we ordered, the owner set the table with side dishes plus eel, pork belly and chicken neck! Eating only eel can get a bit heavy partway through, so being able to eat other meat too is a plus!

The side dishes included jangajji (pickled vegetables), kimchi, aged kimchi, perilla leaves and shredded ginger, a good lineup to eat with eel. Eel is fairly oily, so with tangy pickles or ginger your mouth feels much cleaner, you know what I mean? haha.

The eel was prepared in big, already-cleaned pieces. Next to it, pork belly and chicken neck too!

How to grill freshwater eel over charcoal

First put the freshwater eel on the charcoal skin side down. We put the eel, pork belly and chicken neck on all at once, haha. Once it started sizzling over the charcoal, the smell was seriously insane.

After cooking both sides to a degree, I cut it into bite-size pieces and stood them up to cook the cut sides. While the eel grilled, the pork belly and chicken neck cooked beside it. You can alternate between eel and meat on one grill, so even with three of us the menu never felt monotonous.

How do the pork belly and chicken neck taste?

Grilled over charcoal, the pork belly was golden outside with the fat still juicy! If someone who doesn't eat eel comes along, there seemed to be plenty for them to eat.

The chicken neck was so tender it surprised me with the first bite. Thin, yet still pleasantly chewy!

Thick eel: grill slowly, sides included

Then I grilled the rest of the eel! The eel here is thick, so the key is to slowly brown the sides too rather than just cooking the surface!

As it grills, oil sizzles up on the surface. The outside turns golden while the inside stays moist, so charcoal eel is hard to get wrong, haha.

Is the eel quality good at an all-you-can-eat place?

I worried that unlimited eel might mean lower quality, but compared with a famous eel specialist in Namyangju, I couldn't taste any difference! You can eat as much eel as you want for ₩29,900, and the quality is so good it doesn't feel like unlimited eel!

Pairings that keep eel from getting heavy

Shredded ginger + eel

Ginger + eel!! The combo I ate most, and the sweet spot eel lovers look for! Put shredded ginger on the eel, dab a little sauce, and it's clean with no greasiness. Eel is oily by nature, so this pairing really works!

White kimchi + eel

I also recommend putting white kimchi (baek-kimchi) on a piece of eel! The tangy white kimchi cuts the eel's oiliness, so I got less tired of it even as I kept eating.

Pickled perilla leaves + eel

With pickled perilla leaf (kkaennip jangajji), it's salty and the aroma shoots up, so it feels different again. Eating plain eel and then adding the pickle now and then meant I never got sick of it right to the end.

Last, one big lettuce wrap with eel, ginger and pickles all piled on, haha. I fetched 4 extra plates of freshwater eel and finished the meal happily, haha.

Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu: what we liked

• You can eat freshwater eel as unlimited refills
• Pork belly and chicken neck are available too, not just eel
• Grilling over charcoal gives the eel a subtle smoky flavor
• Side dishes are easy to refill at the self-bar
• Table layout works well for groups
• Eel lovers can eat without worrying about quantity

Ordering eel as a single dish usually costs quite a lot, so on a day when you want to eat your fill, the unlimited format was definitely appealing, haha.

Songnim Bok Jangeo unlimited eel FAQ

How much is Songnim Bok Jangeo's unlimited freshwater eel?

₩29,900 per adult, plus a separate ₩3,000 table setting fee.

Is only the eel unlimited?

You can have pork belly and chicken neck along with the freshwater eel.

Can you refill the side dishes?

Yes! At the self-bar you can take side dishes such as lettuce wraps, ginger and garlic yourself.

Do you grill the eel yourself?

Yes. Charcoal comes to the table and you grill the freshwater eel yourself.

Is it good for a family gathering?

There are seats for larger groups and other meats besides eel, so it looked fine for a family meal or group dinner.

Unlimited eel BBQ in Seongsu: final verdict

I went to the Seongsu branch of Songnim Bok Jangeo because I wanted to eat my fill of freshwater eel in Seongsu! Grilled over charcoal, the eel was golden outside and moist inside, and with ginger and sauce I could keep eating without feeling greasy, haha. You can also have pork belly and chicken neck, so it was easy to switch things up as we went. The side dishes were easy to grab from the self-bar, so the whole meal felt comfortable. If you're looking for unlimited eel in Seongsu, check out the Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu branch!