Nagoya eel restaurant in Yeoksam: ₩39,000 hitsumabushi, Yangsando

A rainy-day visit to Yangsando in Yeoksam

Yangsando Yeoksam is a hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style eel rice bowl) restaurant on Nonhyeon-ro 85-gil, within walking distance of Yeoksam Station Exit 3. It's open daily 11:00–21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00. Last order is at 14:30 and 20:30, and there's no parking.

"It's raining… don't just bring an umbrella, bring Yangsando^^ please, not that pun,," — but I just can't feel satisfied until I make that pun, what can I do, ㅠ

Yangsando is probably the most famous of the hitsumabushi chains. I'd wanted to go for ages and finally got the chance, and I'm so glad it was the Yeoksam branch. Let's go!

What are the wait and the atmosphere like at Yangsando Yeoksam?

Outside the entrance there's Catch Table queue registration and a waiting area.

There are even waiting seats inside, so it's clearly popular. Now I see why! The interior is clean, and the quiet, tidy atmosphere calmed me right down. The place isn't big, but it never felt like there were too few seats.

Is it okay for a solo lunch near Yeoksam Station?

There are more 4-person tables further in, plus nicely set up counter seats (dachi) for eating alone. It seems like a good spot for office workers nearby to come for a solo lunch.

They even have power outlets, so thoughtful 🫶🏽

Is eel rice bowl the only thing on the Yangsando menu?

Yangsando Yeoksam is an eel specialist, but it doesn't only serve eel rice bowls. There's pork butadon, sakedon and inari sushi (tofu pouch rice) as a side, so you can have a more casual meal too. They also sell salmon sashimi, which goes well with drinks.

The menu that fans open like a folding fan, ta-da, had great charm too.

What does the ₩2,000 eel extract pouch taste like?

At Yangsando Yeoksam you can order eel extract separately for ₩2,000 a pouch. Suddenly craving a drink: "A bottle of Chamisul, please… and, um, one pouch of eel extract?"

After ordering, I worried it might taste a bit fishy or bitter, so I asked the staff what it tasted like. They said it had only just come in and they weren't sure, then immediately called the person in charge(?) and came back to explain the flavor. I was so touched 🥹 I want to learn from that and handle everything this way.

What are the jangsaego dumplings (6 for ₩7,000) like?

Jangsaego dumplings are filled with eel, shrimp and meat, and cost ₩7,000 for 6. They're really clean-tasting and easy on the stomach, nothing like what you'd imagine when you think of dumplings. Highly recommend!

Dipping them in soy sauce and putting them on pickled ginger, like eating sushi, was the best!!

The special hitsumabushi (₩39,000) set

The special hitsumabushi at Yangsando Yeoksam is ₩39,000, and it comes as a full spread with chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) and mini cold soba 👏🏼

First the chawanmushi arrived, and I slurped it up as a snack for my soju ❤️‍🩹 I love that mini cold soba comes with the set, and the noodles were springy and not salty, so good ㅠ

ㅠㅠㅠ The star arrives

It's a Nagoya-style freshwater eel rice bowl. The eel covers the rice so completely you can't see any of it, and it's grilled over an open flame, crisp outside and tender inside, with an aroma that's out of this world ㅠㅠㅠ

4 ways to enjoy hitsumabushi

The staff at Yangsando Yeoksam explained 4 ways to enjoy hitsumabushi even more.

• Divide the bowl into four parts and eat the first one as it is
• For the second, move it to a bowl, sprinkle on sliced scallions and seaweed flakes, and mix
• For the third, add the hot water (meant for ochazuke, tea over rice?) to it
• For the last, eat it the way you liked best of the first three

What a beginning, development, twist and conclusion of an explanation! The bit of wit in the fourth option is just perfect.

So my pick is this!!❤️‍🩹 Pouring in the hot water! It felt like an upgraded version of barley-tea-soaked gulbi (bori gulbi, dried yellow croaker with rice in water). I don't usually like rice in water, but somehow with Yangsando's hitsumabushi, eating it this way brought out the chewy, crispy eel flavor even more. Customizing it so it slides down easily made the drinks go down even better too.

What kind of day suits Yangsando in Yeoksam?

Atmosphere, flavor, staff — Yangsando Yeoksam doesn't miss a single thing. Hardcore fan says Yangsando does well, huh?

On a day you want to treat yourself properly, a special anniversary with company, or a meal with elders, all of it works, so do visit><