# Cheongju eel restaurant with a self-serve side dish bar: Samhwa Susan - By Yerin Pyo (https://superchart.com/en/@jungni-brief-table/) - Written Sep 22, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Cheongju, Chungbuk - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@jungni-brief-table/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@jungni-brief-table/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/index.md) ## In short Samhwa Susan is a self-serve grilled eel restaurant on Daerim-ro in Nami-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk. Visiting with her mother, the writer ordered 1 kg of Grade 1 Gochang wild eel for 50,000 won, paid a 4,000 won table charge per person, and took as much ginger, white kimchi and wrapping vegetables as she wanted from the self-serve bar while staff grilled the eel over charcoal. With a large private parking lot and an easy 1 kg set, Samhwa Susan is a relaxed choice for a gathering or family dinner in Cheongju. ## Good to know - **Hours**: 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:00) - **Closed**: Every Monday - **Address**: 269 Daerim-ro, Nami-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk - **Signature menu**: Gochang Grade 1 wild eel, 1 kg for 50,000 won (about 600 g deboned) - **Table charge**: 4,000 won per person (applies from elementary school age) - **Other menu**: Extra sushi rice, steamed rice, clam soup, self-serve ramyeon - **Seating**: Tables for 4 as standard, combined for 8; baby chairs available; extractor hood at every table - **Parking**: Private lot in front of the restaurant - **Reservations**: Available through Naver Reservation - **Price reference**: ₩50,000 ≈ $36.5 · ₩4,000 ≈ $2.9 (2026-09-22) *as written by the visitor on Sep 22, 2026* ![Exterior of Samhwa Susan self-serve grilled eel restaurant in Nam-i-myeon, Cheongju](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-01-o8gqm-966.webp) > Samhwa Susan > ⏰ Hours 11:00 ~ 21:00 > Last order 20:00 > Closed every Monday > 269 Daerim-ro, Nam-i-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk — self-serve grilled eel > ✔️ Open as usual during Chuseok holiday > ✔️ Naver Reservation available Hi, this is Yeonjukong 😊 Whenever my family wants eel, we come to this Cheongju favorite where you can properly enjoy grilled eel — "Samhwa Susan." I've already visited here before out of my own pocket, and here I am showing you my go-to spot again! How about visiting with family over Chuseok holiday to eat some eel~? ![Screen for Samhwa Susan's Naver notification sign-up drink coupon offer](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-02-9yeyc-966.webp) *Naver notification news for Samhwa Susan* ✔️ Sign up for Samhwa Susan's Naver notifications and get a free drink. Tap "agree to notifications and get coupon" for a free cold drink coupon. Enjoy some great Cheongju eel and get a freebie too~! ## Is parking easy at Samhwa Susan? The self-serve grilled eel restaurant Samhwa Susan has a good-sized parking lot right in front of the store. ![Private parking lot in front of Samhwa Susan](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-03-vm6wc-966.webp) There's a dedicated parking lot for the restaurant, so this is a place where you can eat without any parking stress. (These days a lot of places are a parking war zone, so a spot with private parking is precious.) ![Spacious parking area at Samhwa Susan](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-04-1upi9-966.webp) With plenty of parking space, driving here is totally fine~! ## Inside Samhwa Susan: interior and seating Samhwa Susan, a self-serve grilled eel spot great for a Cheongju work dinner, gathering or date, has a spacious interior too, which I liked. It's set up with 4-top tables as standard, and a ventilation hood is installed at every table, so you can grill eel over charcoal comfortably without worrying about smoke! ![Interior hall at Samhwa Susan with a hood installed at every table](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-05-1cmjw-966.webp) Push two 4-top tables together and you get an 8-seat setup, so it seems great for gatherings or group dinners too. Baby chairs are available, so treat the family to some nourishing eel. Inside, the space is split into two areas — a hall with a view of the kitchen, and a hall near the entrance. ![4-top table in the Samhwa Susan hall facing the kitchen](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-06-1bpmb-966.webp) This is the hall with a view of the kitchen. It's also set up with 4-tops that can combine up to 8 seats~ The big advantage here is that the tables aren't packed tightly together, so you can eat comfortably with plenty of space between them. ![Self-serve bar at Samhwa Susan stocked with side dishes and wrapping vegetables](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-07-1qrrf-966.webp) ### What's on the self-serve side dish bar At this Cheongju favorite for grilled eel, extra side dishes come from the self-serve bar. - Self-serve bar items: ginger, ssamjang (dipping sauce), pickled onion and chili, wrapping vegetables, pickled perilla leaves, white kimchi, chili, garlic, vinegared ginger, wasabi, sauces - Small plates, scissors, and tongs are all fully stocked at the self-serve bar - Drinks and alcohol are also self-serve The area around the self-serve bar is kept tidy, and the owner regularly checks on it, so everyone coming in for a meal gets to use a clean, well-stocked self-serve bar. Still, even though it's self-serve, take only what you'll actually eat~! You all know that, right? Haha, we're model customers at this kind of place ㅋㅋㅋ ## Samhwa Susan menu and prices The main menu at Samhwa Susan, this Cheongju favorite for grilled eel, is protein-packed Gochang Grade 1 wild eel, great for boosting energy! At ₩50,000 for 1kg (based on 600g deboned weight), both the eel's quality and the price are reasonable. There's a table charge of ₩4,000 per person, applied starting from elementary school age. Besides eel, you can add sushi rice, steamed rice, clam soup, or self-serve ramyeon. If you're a ramyeon connoisseur, go ahead and cook yourself a delicious pot ㅋㅋ ![Samhwa Susan menu board showing the 1kg grilled eel price](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-08-ba2ga-966.webp) By the way, Samhwa Susan, where you can eat grilled eel at a reasonable price, is hugely popular with older adults, so you can trust it. (A place packed with older folks is usually the real deal.) ![Samhwa Susan menu board and origin-labeling display](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-09-70afc-966.webp) ### The gallbladder wine service, and how to drink it There's an origin-labeling board posted along with the menu, so I checked it~! Oh, and here's a service tip for Samhwa Susan! If you ask the staff, they'll give you gallbladder wine as a complimentary service. ▶ "Soju gallbladder wine," made from a combination of soju and fresh eel gallbladder. They say it's only served with same-day fresh gallbladder, so if you're curious, give it a try~~ㅋㅋ Green soju,,🍸😀 (I didn't get to try it myself, but I saw the table next to us drinking it — the soju turned a green color, so cool and strange.) 📍What we ordered📍 Eel 1kg, table setting for 2, cola. 1kg of eel for two people is plenty to fill you up nicely, so good. Whenever I visit with my mom, we always order 1kg. It always leaves us pleasantly full~! ![Table set with 1kg of eel and side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-10-pmb7v-1200.webp) Charcoal-grilled wild eel is really packed with high-quality protein and nutrients~~ Set out with the side dishes, the whole table was loaded with delicious food. ![Basic side dishes served with the eel, including ginger and white kimchi](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-11-1t0nw-966.webp) These are the basic side dishes that come with the meal. They're all set up as perfect pairings for eel, so try a bit of everything alongside it. My personal ranking of the side dishes: #1 ginger, #2 white kimchi, #3 pickled onion and perilla leaf, #4 wrapping everything up together in a lettuce wrap. Now that I've listed them all out, I guess that just means everything's delicious (whispering: this Cheongju favorite, Samhwa Susan). ![A plate of sushi rice served as a default side dish](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-12-g8q7c-966.webp) Among the basic side dishes, this sushi rice is really the kicker. Fluffy rice seasoned just right with sweet vinegar pairs surprisingly well with the eel. Since eel gives you the protein, you need some carbs alongside it too, so sushi rice is more than welcome. It comes out as one plate by default, and you can order more. ![Refreshing clam soup served by default](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-13-4sjr7-966.webp) The clam soup that comes standard is so refreshing that if I'd had a drink, it would've doubled as the perfect hangover cure. I noticed every table drinking alcohol was ordering extra clam soup. Even the clam soup here is excellent,, amazing. ![Table set up with charcoal grill](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-14-4xnom-966.webp) ## How did the Gochang wild eel taste? Time to start eating~~ Let me show you Samhwa Susan's delicious grilled eel, this Cheongju favorite. ![Plate of prepped Gochang wild eel, 1kg](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-15-pursj-966.webp) The main dish at Samhwa Susan, this Cheongju favorite for grilled eel: Gochang wild eel. Even in its prepped, sliced state there's a sense of vitality — maybe that's just the feeling wild eel gives off (?) ㅋㅋ Samhwa Susan's principle of serving the exact full portion seems to be why it's still such a well-reviewed Cheongju restaurant. ![Wild eel placed on the charcoal grill](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-16-ai36l-966.webp) With a reputation built on cutting out distribution margins and unnecessary labor costs to provide higher-quality eel, plus a full grilling service where staff grill it for you~ They put the eel on the charcoal at just the right timing and grill it, so as a diner you get to focus on just eating comfortably. Note that this might not always be possible if the restaurant is very busy. ![Thick cuts of Gochang eel grilling over charcoal](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-17-16jn3-966.webp) Can you see the plump shape of this Gochang eel ㅋㅋㅋ Grilled over charcoal, the skin gets crispy while the white flesh cooks up soft, melting away in your mouth. While grilling, they also cut the eel into just the right size, so it's easy for anyone, including women, to eat in one bite. ![Glossy, well-grilled wild eel](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-18-12pjl-966.webp) Can you see the glossy shine on this perfectly grilled wild eel!! It had a texture that would make you believe this is where "crispy outside, tender inside" was invented. ![A piece of eel grilled with crispy skin](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-19-1poca-966.webp) As I mentioned above, this level of doneness — crispy skin, soft white flesh — really brings out the flavor of the wild eel. Eating it, my mom and I raved as always about how good it is every time we come here, and how they must have some kind of consistent secret to running this place. ![Grilled eel cut into easy-to-eat pieces](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-20-y57st-966.webp) ![Grilled eel served with ginger and sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-21-1t4m0-966.webp) ### The best ways to eat the grilled eel Basic style: eel with ginger and sauce, or piled onto sushi rice to make grilled eel sushi~ ![Grilled eel wrapped in vegetables](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-22-yzy8i-966.webp) Also wrapped up nicely to taste with the wrapping vegetables~ Ah! Samhwa Susan, this Cheongju favorite for grilled eel, clearly has good turnover, so the wrapping vegetables were nice and fresh too. Fresh wrapping vegetables mean the ingredients are being managed well, right~? ![Grilled eel sushi made by placing eel on sushi rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-23-v3bxc-966.webp) Nothing beats the combination of sushi rice and grilled wild eel. This flavor that you can enjoy endlessly felt like it got healthier with every bite. Great taste and great nutrition — killing two birds with one stone. ![Cola and the remaining table setting at the end of the meal](https://img.superchart.com/images/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa-24-fr50c-966.webp) Every other table dining around us was enjoying grilled eel with a well-deserved drink. So we finished up with a cola toast of our own. By the way, they also sell Chojeong sparkling water, so if you want a healthier drink, go with that ㅋㅋ Samhwa Susan, this Cheongju favorite for grilled eel, is a restaurant where you can enjoy Grade 1 eel at a reasonable price — I highly recommend it for a Cheongju work dinner, gathering, date, or just a great meal in Cheongju~ Everyone, enjoy some delicious eel and get yourselves full of healthy energy. ## Where it is - Samhwa Susan (삼화수산) - 269 Daerim-ro, Nam-i-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea - 충청북도 청주시 서원구 남이면 대림로 269 셀프풍천장어 - 36.5947584, 127.4412826 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%82%BC%ED%99%94%EC%88%98%EC%82%B0/@36.5947584,127.4412826,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@jungni-brief-table/cheongju-namimyeon-eel-selfbar-samhwa/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt