Ansan eel buffet: eel, pork belly and chicken neck trio, Songnim Bok

If you love eel, you've probably had this thought at least once.

"Is there anywhere I can eat eel until I'm completely stuffed?"

I really love eel too, and I wanted a proper eel feast after a long while. While searching, I ended up at Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store, the Ansan eel buffet everyone's talking about.

Where is Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall, and what are its hours?

Songnim Bok Jangeo (송림복장어) Freshwater Eel in Ansan City Hall is on Danggok-ro near Ansan City Hall, so it's easy to reach, and it's open daily from 11:00 to 22:00 (last order 21:00). The all-you-can-eat lasts 2 hours.

It's close to City Hall so it was easy to find, and right from the entrance a sign catches your eye: "Freshwater eel all-you-can-eat ₩29,900." The entrance also says they're a partner of the freshwater eel farming fisheries cooperative and that takeout is available. After tasting the eel, I understood why so many people order takeout.

• Hours: daily 11:00–22:00
• Last order: 21:00

The all-you-can-eat lasts 2 hours!

Is it a good company dinner spot in Gojan-dong?

Songnim Bok has widely spaced tables, good ventilation and plenty of group seating, so it works fine as a company dinner spot in Gojan-dong. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was how clean it was.

The ventilation was good, so grilling eel didn't feel stuffy, and there was plenty of group seating. The mood felt easy for a work dinner, a family gathering or a meal with friends. I could see right away why it keeps coming up as a Gojan-dong company dinner recommendation.

How much is the Ansan eel buffet?

The eel buffet at Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall costs ₩29,900 for adults and ₩14,000 for elementary school students, with a 2-hour limit. The price of this Ansan eel buffet was seriously generous.

• All-you-can-eat adults ₩29,900
• Elementary school students ₩14,000
• 2-hour limit

Even a single portion of eel is pricey these days, so at this Ansan eel buffet price, I thought this was a really satisfying setup.

And it isn't only eel. Besides Korean freshwater eel you also get pork belly and chicken neck, so you can mix and match in lots of combinations, which is another plus.

How good is the all-you-can-eat eel?

Songnim Bok's Korean freshwater eel was much plumper than I expected for an all-you-can-eat, and once it hit the charcoal, the fat rose and a rich, nutty aroma spread.

Honestly, I didn't expect much from an all-you-can-eat place... but the Korean freshwater eel was really plump.

When I put the eel on the charcoal, the fat slowly rose and that nutty aroma spread, and I was already getting excited.

How to grill the eel

The restaurant also explains in detail how to grill eel well, so even first-timers can do it without trouble.

You cook the skin side first, flip it and brown the other side, then cut it into bite-size pieces and crisp up the cut surfaces too. The texture was really good. Having eaten it, I understood why so many people look for an Ansan eel buffet.

What's the tastiest way to eat the eel?

The writer's best combos are a wrap of lettuce and perilla leaf with shredded ginger, garlic, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) and sauce-dipped eel, plus the eel, pork belly and chicken neck combo.

Eel is best as a wrap, no contest. Put a perilla leaf on lettuce, add shredded ginger, garlic and a little ssamjang, then top with eel dipped generously in sauce and take a bite... this combo never fails. The nutty eel plus the sharp bite of ginger meant I could keep eating without it feeling greasy.

Eel + pork belly + chicken neck combo

And there's one combo I really want to recommend: eel + pork belly + chicken neck! The pork belly had a good fat-to-lean ratio and the chicken neck was chewy, so eating them with the eel gave a great variety of textures.

Rather than eating only eel, grilling pork belly and chicken neck in between keeps you from getting tired of it, so you can enjoy it to the end. I highly recommend this combo.

What's at the self-bar?

The self-bar at Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall has wrap vegetables, side dishes, kimchi, myeongi namul, shredded ginger, garlic, chili peppers and eel sauce, and you can cook your own fried eggs and kimchi jeon. The self-bar setup was really satisfying.

The self-bar was quite well done too.

From wrap vegetables to assorted side dishes, kimchi, myeongi namul, shredded ginger, garlic, chili peppers and eel sauce, nothing was lacking, and you can take as much as you need. What I liked most was that you can make your own fried eggs and kimchi jeon.

There are plenty of eggs, plus frying pans and burners, so you can cook as much as you like.

I made fried eggs and kimchi jeon too, and having them in between eel bites was a different kind of fun. With extras like this included, my satisfaction with this Ansan eel buffet went up even more.

Is there a free bokbunja service?

When the writer visited, Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall gave visiting customers one free bottle of bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine). The free bokbunja was a really thoughtful touch.

Eel and bokbunja are such a famous pairing that I was looking forward to it, and it really was a perfect match. A bite of eel and a sip of bokbunja made the meal a pleasure, and that service alone bumped up my satisfaction a lot.

Where does the food come from?

The origin labels at Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall list freshwater eel, chicken neck and duck neck all as Korean. The origin label was neatly displayed on one side of the restaurant.

That let me eat with peace of mind, and it felt like the place is run cleanly. I think attention to details like this is one reason it's called an eel restaurant to know near Ansan City Hall.

Honest overall review

Songnim Bok Freshwater Eel Ansan City Hall is an Ansan eel buffet with great value for the price, with plump freshwater eel, pork belly, chicken neck and a solid self-bar.

I enjoyed eel really thoroughly for the first time in a while. I'd worried about quality since it's all-you-can-eat, but from the plump eel to the pork belly and chicken neck, the meat was in good shape, and the self-bar was solid. The place is big and clean, so it's satisfying for family meals and as a Gojan-dong company dinner recommendation. Above all, the satisfaction for the price was really high.

If you like eel, I think it's worth visiting at least once. I plan to go again next time with my parents haha. If you're looking for an Ansan eel buffet, Songnim Bok Freshwater Eel Ansan City Hall is a place I can happily recommend! Thanks for the great meal today :)