Hagye eel restaurant: ginger, perilla, oyster pairings, Cheonsanga

I decided to have dinner with my parents after work on a weekday. I wanted something to boost our stamina, and while thinking about the menu, I remembered that my parents love eel!! This time we went to Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch (천상애장어가 하계점), known as a go-to eel place in Nowon. The atmosphere was relaxed enough for a family meal and the set options were satisfying, so I want to introduce it, haha.

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch: Basic Info

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch is at 67 Hangeulbiseok-ro 1-gil, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Unit 102 on the 1st floor. It's open Monday to Sunday, 11:30–22:00, with last order at 21:10. The weekday break time is 3:00–4:30 pm, and there's no break time on weekends.

• Group reservations (up to 70 people), Naver reservations and takeout available
• Entrance and seating are wheelchair accessible
• Zero Pay and simple payment apps accepted
• Free parking in front of the restaurant
• Corkage ₩5,000 per bottle

Getting to Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch and Parking

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch is located behind Yongdong Elementary School! It's about a 10-minute walk from Hagye Station Exit 1, and there's free parking in front of the restaurant too!

You can also use the Livelihood Recovery consumption coupon here!!

Is It a Good Atmosphere to Bring Your Parents?

The restaurant has wood-tone interiors and soft lighting, so it feels clean and comfortable overall!! It isn't noisy or chaotic, which made it nice for a calm meal! The tables are also spaced out generously, so you can sit comfortably without feeling cramped.

It seems great for a relaxed meal with your parents, and it also looked good as a venue for a group dinner!

Side dishes are served at first, and after that you can help yourself to more! The vegetables and banchan (side dishes) were neatly prepared, which I liked.

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch Menu and Prices

The main offering at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch is the full-spread set: depending on the number of large eels, it comes with stone-bowl sushi, doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), eorigul-jeot (salted oysters) and nurungji (scorched rice). There's also a weekday lunch special.

Main Menu

• Set for 2 (2 large eels) ₩69,000: 2 eels + stone-bowl sushi + doenjang-jjigae + salted oysters + nurungji
• Set for 3 (3 large eels) ₩104,000: 3 eels + stone-bowl sushi + doenjang-jjigae + salted oysters + nurungji
• Set for 4 (4 large eels) ₩138,000: 4 eels + stone-bowl sushi + doenjang-jjigae + salted oysters + nurungji

Lunch Special (Weekdays)

• Lunch special for 2 or more ₩59,000: 2 eels + doenjang-jjigae + nurungji
• Lunch special for 3 ₩89,000
• Eel soup + rice ₩12,000

Meals and Sides

• Korean beef sirloin (180g, must reserve before 11 am the same day) ₩40,000
• Eel soup (rice separate) ₩13,000
• Grilled sausage ₩9,000
• Semi-dried squid ₩16,000
• Bibim-guksu (spicy mixed noodles) / janchi-guksu (banquet noodles in broth) ₩6,000
• Deodeok (bonnet bellflower root) pickle ₩6,000
• Salted oysters (eorigul-jeot) ₩6,000
• Stone-bowl sushi (5 pcs) ₩3,000
• Steamed rice ₩1,000

Drinks

• Soju (Chamisul / Chumchurum / Jinro / Saero) ₩5,000
• Beer (Cass / Terra / Kelly) ₩5,000
• Kloud ₩6,000
• Baekseju ₩9,000
• Wild ginseng liquor ₩15,000
• Bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) ₩15,000
• Hwayo 25 ₩30,000
• Hwayo 40 ₩50,000
• Iltum Jinro ₩30,000
• Soft drinks ₩2,000

What Comes in the Set for 3 (3 Large Eels)?

The set for 3 at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch came with a nice variety of side dishes: white kimchi, pickled onions, green onion kimchi, and the perilla leaf pickle (kkaennip jangajji) famous for pairing well with eel. It was fun tasting them one by one. The perilla leaf pickle in particular wasn't strong in scent or too salty, so it went really well when wrapping eel!!

The doenjang-jjigae was also deliciously savory. I thought only one would come out, but they gave us two!

Stone-bowl sushi and salted oysters, both great with eel! When choosing the set menu, you could pick between the salted oysters and the deodeok pickle, haha.

For 3 people, the amount felt quite generous.

Do They Grill the Eel for You?

At Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch, the staff grill the eel for you, which I loved, haha. Grilling eel well matters, right? Eel takes a while to cook, and I kept watching it and my mouth was literally watering 🤤

What Goes Best with Eel?

Eel sauce + ginger

First I tried eel sauce with ginger, and the eel at Cheonsanga was incredibly tender and delicious..🤤

Perilla leaf pickle + onion + sauce

Next I put a piece of eel on a perilla leaf pickle with onion and a little sauce, and it worked well: it cut the richness and added savory depth. Since the eel itself is tender, it seemed to shine in any combination!!

Stone-bowl sushi + eel + wasabi (my favorite combo)

Personally, my favorite combination was eating it with the stone-bowl sushi. I put a golden-grilled piece of eel on the sushi rice, then added wasabi, the special eel sauce and ginger, and it was like eel sushi, which felt really different!

Salted oysters (eorigul-jeot)

I recommend trying it with the salted oysters too!! The salty, savory flavor seemed to bring out even more of the eel's taste.

And of course, beer is a must with eel 🍻

How Do You Order the Nurungji Dessert?

For the nurungji dessert at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch, once you've finished eating, you request one per person at the kiosk! It comes warm with a nutty aroma, and it's a clean way to finish after eel. The portion was quite big, so I was stuffed..hahaha.

Verdict

With charcoal-scented eel and a generous full set, this is a place that works well for bringing your parents and should satisfy a group dinner too. My parents were happy with the clean atmosphere and said the eel was really good, haha. If you're looking for a Nowon eel restaurant, I recommend Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch!!