Seonleung eel rice bowl restaurant, 10-piece 2pm lunch: Manmok

A late lunch at Manmok in Seonleung before a wedding

I went to Manmok, an eel rice bowl restaurant near Seonleung Station, after 2pm. It was a relative's wedding day, and since the ceremony was in the afternoon on a Saturday, the timing was awkward — so we decided to close the shop for the day, haha.

My cutie and I had an important job at the wedding (collecting cash gifts), so we figured we wouldn't get to eat properly there. We decided to have a late lunch before heading out. I was wondering how to get all the way to Namyangju, but it turned out there was a red shuttle bus going straight from Seonleung to the venue — so we decided to head to Seonleung, eat lunch quickly, then hop on the bus! Wanting a solid meal, I looked up options and landed on Manmok, an eel rice bowl specialist near Seonleung Station. Let's go.

Where is Manmok? 4 minutes from Seonleung Station Exit 2

Manmok, a well-known Seonleung Station restaurant, sits about a 4-minute walk from Exit 2.

It's tucked inside an alley, but wasn't hard to find.

Manmok's menu, lunch wait times and solo seats

The main dish is the eel rice bowl! (Eel grilled once, then steamed, then brushed with the house sauce and grilled twice more over charcoal.) For dinner, they also offer special eel nabe, hanwoo nabe, and special grilled eel.

Since we came after 2pm, we got seated right away with no wait. Naver Reservation is available, so if you hate waiting, I'd recommend booking ahead!

They also have solo seats, so I'd recommend it as a solo-dining spot near Seonleung Station too! There was someone eating alone when we visited. The quiet atmosphere makes it a great place to eat by yourself~

Gochang freshwater eel, grilled Kanto style

Manmok uses only freshwater eel from Gochang, considered one of Korea's best eel-producing regions. Eel preparation broadly splits into Kanto-style, Kansai-style, and Nagoya-style, and Manmok sticks to the Kanto method, which preserves the eel's natural texture and clean flavor. The eel is grilled once, steamed, then brushed with the secret sauce and grilled twice more over charcoal. Through this process, any heaviness disappears, leaving only softness and a clean, light taste.

Full-size eel rice bowl at 39,000 won, ordered by both of us

Full eel rice bowl, ₩39,000. The bowl comes in three sizes — half, full, and one-and-a-half — and we both ordered full. Why? Because if I don't finish mine, my cutie polishes it off anyway, haha.

Draft beer and highballs come at a discounted price during lunch hours.

The eel rice bowl arrived fast.

A salad topped with black sesame sauce.

Pickled radish, pickled ginger, fresh wasabi, and licorice(?).

Radish salad and white kimchi also came out — the radish salad was genuinely delicious.

The chawanmushi (savory egg custard) looked soft and jiggly.

Let's dig in!

Isn't the eel's color amazing?

Started with the chawanmushi, which had a plump shrimp inside.

A clean-tasting clear soup with mushrooms. My cutie gulping down the soup happily.

Ten pieces of eel: how is the grilling and seasoning at Manmok?

Ten plump, generously sized pieces of eel were laid on top.

With a bit of fresh wasabi on top, yum. There was a faint earthy note but nothing overwhelming, and the grilling was just right. The rice was well seasoned too, so no extra sauce was needed.

Cleaned the kimchi off too~~

Manmok for a Seonleung team dinner: group table and restrooms

Napkins, wet wipes, and cups were all set up beside the table. There's also a group table in the back, so I'd recommend it as a Seonleung team-dinner spot too~

A classy photo zone on the way to the restroom. Good to see separate restrooms for men and women.

There was a huge variety of hand wash and hand cream at the sink — all pricey, nice brands, so it was actually hard to pick one, haha.

Wrapped things up with green tea and black tea ice cream :) If you're looking for an upscale restaurant in Seonleung, I recommend Manmok for its eel rice bowl!