Gijang eel rice bowl restaurant near Busan: basic vs special

What kind of restaurant is Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch?

Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch is a Japanese restaurant specializing in hitsumabushi eel rice bowls on Yeonhwa-gil in Gijang-eup, Gijang, Busan. It's open from 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM, with a break time from 3:00 to 4:30 PM and last order at 7:40 PM. It's closed every Monday, but if Monday happens to be a holiday, it stays open Monday and closes Tuesday instead.

Group seating, takeout, reservations and Wi-Fi are all available, plus separate men's/women's restrooms, high chairs, and a waiting area. There's also a private parking lot just for Yangsando.

It's been a while since I had eel rice bowl for a energy boost ~ looked up eel rice bowl spots and Yangsando kept coming up famous, so off I went.

Garden, pond and full-window views at Yangsando

The interior of Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch is gorgeous from the entrance, and there's a kiln(?) thing that was neat to see.

There's a small pond, so pretty ~ do they light a bonfire there on winter evenings? Such a vibe !!!!

The floor-to-ceiling window view

The menu board at the entrance

Booking ahead would probably make things even easier ~!

Private room seating and amenities at Yangsando

The seating at Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch is set up almost like individual rooms, so it's great for a private meal. There's room for group gatherings too, along with separate 4-person and 6-person tables — comfortable and tidy.

The restroom is inside the store and super clean. There's even toothpaste and a toothbrush :-)

Not an ocean view exactly, but you can see the sea in the distance and the garden right in front is pretty, so I'm satisfied. There's also a coat hanger, high chairs, and a review event.

Hitsumabushi prices and how to order in Gijang

You order using the table-order tablet.

Special hitsumabushi + baekseju mini ₩38,500, hitsumabushi ₩27,000.

There's even a guide for how to enjoy hitsumabushi best — you're supposed to try it one way at a time and find what suits your taste haha.

Green tea

Basic vs special hitsumabushi: what's the difference?

Each of us got a neat individual spread. I ordered the basic, and Deun-i went with the special plus a baekseju mini set. Guess who's driving ~ that's right ~

The special only differs from the basic in the size of the eel rice bowl — all the side dishes are the same.

The special hitsumabushi really does have more eel packed in and more rice too, and the bowl is deeper !!!!

Baekseju ~

This is the basic hitsumabushi I ordered

If you run low on salad, seaweed, green onion, or broth, you can request more through the table-order tablet.

Eel soaked in well-seasoned sauce !!!! Definitely smaller in size than the special. Yum. The utensils are clean too.

How to eat hitsumabushi, step by step

First, just plain as it is, yum ~~~!

Added my favorite wasabi on top too, and the eel rice sauce is so good that even plain it's delicious lolololol

Mixed it up with seaweed, green onion, and wasabi and it's chewy-good. Personally this mixed version was the tastiest for me.

Added kimchi on top too and it's delicious,,,!!!!

Also poured in ocha broth — really do it however suits you !!!!

I'm on water,, because I'm today's designated driver !!!!! But still cheers for the mood ~ clink clink lolololol

Scraped the bowl clean,, not a single grain of rice left,, lolololololol

Would I go back to Yangsando? Final verdict

The hitsumabushi at Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch was truly clean-tasting and delicious !!!!! Deun-i approved it too lolol. Generous portion, delicious sauce, and we left full.

It really is a hitsumabushi hotspot — I feel like I'll come again with family next time. Clean, great atmosphere, nice garden view, and being able to eat privately and quietly ~~~ the upscale feel made me like it even more. Definitely coming back to eat here again, so good.