Drive-out lunch in Songjeong, Busan: jumbo unaju and tori-don at Yuok

Yuok essentials: address, hours and parking

• 🏠 Address 47 Songjeong-gangbyeon-ro, 1st floor, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours Daily 11:00 – 22:00
• 🍵 Break time 15:00 – 17:00
• 🕘 Last order 21:30
• 📅 Closed days No regular closed day is currently listed, so it's shown as open every day.
• 🚗 Parking A dedicated lot is available at the restaurant; if it's full, roadside parking nearby is possible

※ Business hours sometimes show up slightly differently across platforms, so calling ahead before your visit is the surest way to confirm.

Driving out to Songjeong for an eel rice bowl

My husband and I were trying to figure out lunch, and I suddenly had a craving for eel rice bowl. I thought about just going somewhere nearby, but since we were going to eat it anyway, I wanted somewhere with a nice-looking dish and a proper full spread. That's how I found Yuok in Songjeong, Busan.

Even just from photos, the big chunky eel on top caught my eye, and the overall vibe looked clean and upscale, which I liked. The reviews seemed good too, so I asked my husband,

Should we just drive out to Songjeong?

and he happily said yes. 😊 So off we went to Songjeong, turning a single eel rice bowl craving into a whole drive.

How to get to Yuok in Songjeong, Busan

Yuok's address is 47 Songjeong-gangbyeon-ro, 1st floor, Haeundae-gu, Busan. We drove and just typed the address into the navigation. Songjeong is a spot we often drive out to anyway, so even the drive over for lunch already put me in a good mood.

When we arrived, the exterior had a strong Japanese-restaurant feel — it honestly felt like we'd traveled to Japan. 🥹 The atmosphere leaned more Japanese-style dining than your typical rice bowl place, which really set the mood for coming to eat eel rice bowl. 🍚

Where to park at Yuok

The building has its own dedicated lot, and if it's full, parking nearby the restaurant is also allowed. We actually saw cars parked along the roadside nearby too, and we ended up doing the same. Since we just followed the navigation, finding the place wasn't difficult at all.

Inside Yuok: counter seats, tables and a clean room

Inside, there were both counter (dachi) seats and separate table seats. For the two of us, sitting at the counter seemed fine, and if you're coming with kids or as a family, the table seats would probably be more comfortable.

The overall atmosphere was clean, so it didn't feel like too much for a lunch outing. The staff were friendly too, so even as first-time visitors we could eat comfortably. 😊

What we ordered: the jumbo unaju set and the tori-don set

We ordered two things: the jumbo unaju set for 28,500 won and the tori-don set for 18,000 won. My husband wanted eel rice bowl, so he ordered the jumbo unaju, and I picked the tori-don. Tori-don is a rice bowl topped with chicken thigh meat.

We each picked what we wanted, thinking we'd eat happily side by side... but in the end, I kept stealing bites off my husband's plate. 😂

Jumbo unaju set, 28,500 won: eel over rolled egg

When the food arrived, the whole spread was pretty generous. The jumbo unaju in particular jumped out at me. It had a thick Japanese-style rolled egg on top of the rice, and a big chunky piece of eel on top of that — it looked delicious just from the visuals.

I'd expected an eel rice bowl to just be eel on rice, so having the rolled egg on there too made it look even more hearty. 🍱 My husband started eating first, and from beside him I could see the eel was pretty thick. He gave me a bite, and...

Huh? It was really good. 😋 I told myself I'd just take one bite since I had my own tori-don, but that didn't really work out. After one bite I wanted more, so I asked him for just a little more and kept stealing bites. Lol. He was having so much fun eating it too, saying how good it was — it was kind of adorable, honestly. 😂

Tori-don set, 18,000 won: chicken bowl with sides

The tori-don set I ordered is a rice bowl topped with chicken thigh meat. I originally came for eel rice bowl, but since my husband had chosen eel, I figured I'd try something different — so I picked this. The tori-don also came as a clean, well-arranged set, which I liked.

I'd eat a bite of my own dish, then steal a bite of his eel bowl, then go back to my tori-don... in the end I ended up alternating between the two dishes. 😆 Still, ordering two different dishes meant we got to try both, which was nice.

Finishing the eel bowl as ochazuke

One thing I really liked about Yuok was that you can finish the meal with ochazuke (rice in savory tea broth). You start off eating the rice bowl as is, and after a while, you can turn it into ochazuke to finish. Rather than eating the same dish the same way from start to finish, being able to switch it up at the end was fun.

We both enjoyed our own dishes and then finished up with ochazuke at the end. Eating it this way made the meal feel really satisfying. 🍵

Asking for kimchi with the meal

You can also get kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage) on request. We asked for some and ate it together, and it went surprisingly well. Having a bite of kimchi in between bites of the rice bowl kind of refreshed my appetite. The kimchi was tasty too, so we happily ate it together.

Plum tea to end lunch at Yuok

After eating our fill, we finished up with plum tea. Personally, I loved this ending touch. After the eel rice bowl, tori-don, and ochazuke, I was pretty full, and a cup of plum tea cleaned up my palate nicely.

From the moment the food arrived to the very last sip of plum tea, I couldn't help but think,

Ah, that was a good lunch today.

That's exactly how I felt. 😊

Is Yuok good with kids?

This time we visited just the two of us, but while eating I thought it'd be great to bring a kid along too. Yuok has a separate children's bento menu. When eating out with a kid, a place with a kids' menu is always a lot more convenient than one with only adult dishes.

It seems especially good if you're out in Songjeong with a preschooler and looking for somewhere to eat. We're thinking of coming back with our kid next time. 🫶

Bringing a dog to Yuok: what to know

Dogs are allowed, but a carrier/cage is required. I heard you can't open the carrier or even let just the dog's face poke out while eating, so if you're planning to visit with your dog, it's good to know this ahead of time. Since it's a shared dining space with other guests, this seems to be the way they keep things considerate for everyone.

Honest review after eating at Yuok

This time I just simply wanted eel rice bowl and searched around until I found this place. But the set came out more generously arranged than I expected, and the food overall felt clean and well made — I left feeling like I'd had a proper lunch.

I enjoyed my tori-don, but honestly, the one that stuck with me most was my husband's jumbo unaju. Why does his dish always taste better than mine? 😂 The look of it especially — thick Japanese-style rolled egg on the rice, topped with a big chunky piece of eel — was great to see. Rather than just eating a plain bowl of eel rice, being able to enjoy it as ochazuke too kept it fun right to the end.

We also asked for kimchi and ate it together, and finishing with plum tea rounded off the meal nicely. More than anything, seeing my husband happily digging in and saying how good it was made me happy too. 😊

This time we ordered different dishes and shared, so next time it might also be fun to each properly order exactly what we want.

Would I go back to Yuok?

I'd definitely go back. It's the kind of place I'd think of again, especially if we're planning a drive out to Songjeong followed by lunch. It's nice for a date-style meal just the two of us, and it also seems like a great spot to bring parents for a proper, well-arranged meal.

With a separate children's bento, it also seems like a solid choice for family outings if you're bringing kids. Above all, since the food comes out as a full set, it felt less like just grabbing a quick meal and more like a relaxed, proper dining experience.

Looking for an eel rice bowl in Songjeong, Busan

Songjeong is a place a lot of people go to see the ocean or go for a drive. It's also worth making a deliberate trip out for a good lunch like we did. I found this place while searching for eel rice bowl, and the overall meal setup ended up sticking with me more than I expected.

My husband especially loved the jumbo unaju, so next time I'm planning to properly order the full set myself too. 😋 I remember planning to have just one bite and ending up with two, three bites instead. On a day when you want a well-put-together meal, Yuok in Songjeong, Busan for jumbo unaju — thoroughly satisfied, the end.