Gwangyang eel restaurant with a tablet grilling guide: Deokeun Jangeo

A Gwangyang restaurant recommendation: Deokeun Jangeo. High-quality eel and an impressive self-bar, all in one place.

Is parking easy at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch?

The parking lot is big, so I could park right away even on a weekend. I'd been searching for a good eel place in Gwangyang, and the first thing I noticed on arriving at Deokeun Jangeo was that huge lot.

With so much space, I parked stress-free even though it was the weekend.

How do you order at Deokeun Jangeo? Buy on floor 1, eat on floor 2

At Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, you look at the eel in the first-floor showcase, choose the weight you want and pay, then grill and eat it on the second floor. It's a little different from a typical eel restaurant: when you walk into the first floor, freshly prepared eel is lined up in the showcase, so you can check its condition with your own eyes and choose.

Seeing it for yourself gives you confidence in the freshness, and I liked being able to pick exactly the amount I wanted to eat.

They also sell takeout.

You grill the eel on the second floor, and you pay the setup fee and any extra meal items upstairs after eating.

Atmosphere and table setup fee at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch

The port is right in front of the restaurant, so you can eat with a wide-open sea view. I was already in a good mood before going in, and eating while looking out at the Gwangyang sea is definitely what sets this place apart from other eel restaurants.

After paying, I went up to the second-floor dining room, where a staff member showed me to a table right away and the table setting came out quickly.

The setup fee is ₩4,000 per person, but once I saw what was laid out, it didn't feel like a waste at all.

What's on the Deokeun Jangeo self-serve bar?

The self-bar at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch has salad, green onion kimchi, pickled onion, myeongi namul (pickled wild greens), shredded ginger and a variety of eel sauces. The self-bar is the real strength here, and I was surprised at how much more varied it was than most barbecue restaurants' self-bars.

Besides the fresh salad, there's plenty of green onion kimchi, pickled onion, myeongi namul, shredded ginger and all kinds of eel sauces, and you can go back for more whenever you run out. Eel tastes different depending on what you eat it with, so mixing and matching was fun and made the meal even more satisfying.

Grilling eel over charcoal for the first time: does the tablet guide help?

You grill the eel yourself over charcoal, and the tablet on the table explains how in detail, so anyone can do it just by following along. I worried at first that it would be hard, but that was needless worry.

• Sprinkle salt evenly over the eel.
• Flip it once and cook until golden, then cut it into bite-size pieces.
• Stand the pieces up and cook until the skin is crispy too.

Do this and you get eel that's savory outside and moist inside. The charcoal aroma soaks in gently, the grease drains away and the juices stay in. It was really delicious.

The best side dish with grilled eel: green onion kimchi

I wrapped the well-grilled eel in myeongi namul, ate it with shredded ginger, and tried it with pickled onion. Each had its own charm, so I kept trying new combinations. Eaten with the green onion kimchi from the self-bar, the savory flavor really came alive, and that was my personal favorite.

How was the mulnaengmyeon to finish the meal?

It felt a shame to eat only eel, so I also ordered mulnaengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) to finish. The noodles themselves were just okay, probably because the eel was so good. Next time I visit, I definitely want to try the eel soup that so many people recommend.

A walk to Dalbit Beach on Haebichi-ro after Deokeun Jangeo, and would I go back?

After eating at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, I headed to Dalbit Beach at Haevichi, very close by. It's a quick drive and a comfortable walking distance, so continuing the outing felt natural. Strolling slowly in the sea breeze helped digest the eel, and enjoying Gwangyang's cool sea views made the meal even more satisfying.

If you want to really enjoy eel in Gwangyang, Deokeun Jangeo was a satisfying choice. It has a big parking lot, an open sea view, fresh eel you pick yourself, a generous self-bar and the fun of grilling over charcoal, so it's good for a family meal or for taking your parents. Adding Dalbit Beach at Haevichi after the meal makes for an even fuller day, so I recommend visiting both if you're planning a Gwangyang trip.