Eel BBQ buffet in Seongsu with a wall guide for raw eel: Songnim Bok

I was looking for a place in Seongsu to eat well and get a stamina boost, so I visited the newly opened Songnim Bok Jangeo Unlimited Freshwater Eel Seongsu Branch (송림복장어 민물장어 무한리필 성수직영점). You grill freshwater eel yourself over charcoal, with pork belly and duck neck on the side, so it's great news for eel lovers haha. The price isn't scary either, so it looked good for family meals or get-togethers.

Location and hours of Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu Branch

The restaurant is at 148 Seongdeokjeong-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, and it's open daily from 11:50 to 23:00. Takeout and delivery are available, and it also has group seating, high chairs and Wi-Fi.

What's the atmosphere like at the Seongsu branch?

The branch is near Seongsu 119 and the Seongsu small theater, so it wasn't hard to find.

The big Songnim Bok sign is visible from outside, so I found it quickly, and since it opened recently, it felt clean and fresh.

Inside, every table has a charcoal grill, and the ventilation is good, so the smoke wasn't bad.

There's plenty of seating, enough for groups, so it looked like a good spot for family meals or company dinners.

Self-bar selection

On top of that, the self-bar is really well stocked. There were ssam greens, pickles (jangajji), kimchi, shredded ginger, green onion, lettuce and all kinds of sauces, and you can help yourself whenever you run out.

Best of all, I could grab whatever side dishes I needed without feeling awkward about it.

Songnim Bok Jangeo buffet price and what's included

At the Seongsu branch, I ordered the unlimited buffet for 2 adults (₩29,900 per person).

Raw freshwater eel, whole pork belly and duck neck were all unlimited.

Raw eel: isn't it hard to grill yourself?

The freshwater eel at Songnim Bok comes raw, without pre-grilling, but the wall has detailed instructions for grilling eel, so even a first-timer can manage it. The first eel that came out was thicker than I expected, which surprised me.

Because it's raw rather than pre-grilled, grilling it yourself over the charcoal was part of the fun.

The grilling guide on the wall is so detailed that it wasn't hard at all.

Once it started turning golden, the oil rose up and the nutty aroma was really lovely.

The outside got crispy and the inside stayed moist, so the texture was great.

How does the freshwater eel taste? Any fishy smell?

I could barely smell any fishiness, and the flavor was clean yet rich and nutty, so you really taste the eel itself.

It's tasty with shredded ginger, and a light dip in the sauce works well too.

Wrapping eel in lettuce with garlic and pickles made it much richer in flavor.

Are the whole pork belly and duck neck any good?

The whole pork belly in the buffet was a good thickness and soaked up the charcoal flavor, and the duck neck was chewy but not tough, so I was surprisingly satisfied. I grilled the pork belly too.

It was a good thickness, took on the charcoal aroma well, and was crispy outside and moist inside.

Rather than eating only eel, having pork belly in between had its own charm.

With ssam greens, it kept going down easily without feeling heavy.

The duck neck was surprisingly satisfying too.

It kept its chewy texture without being tough, and the charcoal aroma made it nutty and tasty.

It's a cut you don't come across easily, so it was fun to try something different.

Opening event: a glass of bokbunja wine

As an opening event, a bottle of bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) came out too, so I had a glass.

A faint sweet aroma rose up, and it went nicely with the nutty flavor of the eel.

It even felt like a stamina boost, which I liked.

Overall verdict on Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu Branch

If you want to enjoy eel in Seongsu without breaking the bank, the Seongsu branch of Songnim Bok Jangeo was a very satisfying place. The biggest plus was that for ₩29,900 you get unlimited pork belly and duck neck along with the freshwater eel.

The eel was fresh, grilling it myself over charcoal made it even nuttier, and the well-stocked self-bar made the meal comfortable. It's good for family meals, group dinners or days you need a stamina boost, and if you want to eat as much eel as you like in Seongsu, it's worth a visit.