Hagye Station eel restaurant with deodeok pickle sushi: Cheonsanga

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch is a Nowon eel restaurant where you can eat plump domestic freshwater eel grilled over charcoal. The eel was delicious, and the owner grilled it for us and looked after us so kindly that I left really satisfied. If you're craving eel, this is a Nowon spot I can recommend with confidence.

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch location, parking and hours

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch is near Exit 2 of Hagye Station, and it's open daily 11:00–22:00. I'd heard it's famous as an eel place around Nowon Station, so I came to try it :) Parking in front of the restaurant is easy too, so it seems convenient if you're driving.

Lunch special: the eel 4+1 deal

I heard Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch runs an eel 4+1 event as a lunch special until 2:30 p.m.! Eel is a bit pricey, so going can feel a little heavy on the wallet, right? 🥹 Next time I'm definitely going at lunchtime!!

Inside Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch and its self-serve bar

The inside of Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch stands out for its clean wood-tone interior, and the soft lighting gave it a relaxed feel.

The place is really spacious and the tables are spaced far apart, so it was comfortable to eat!

There's also a self-serve bar, so you can help yourself to side dishes as much as you like. I loved that 🫶🫶

What's on the menu at Cheonsanga Jangeoga, and how much?

At Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch you can order an eel set meal sized to your party.

• Set for 2: ₩69,000
• Set for 3: ₩104,000
• Set for 4: ₩138,000
• Set for 5: ₩173,000

The set includes eel, stone-pot rice, doenjang (soybean paste) stew, nurungji (scorched rice) and more, and you can choose either eori-gul-jeot (salted oysters) or deodeok (bellflower-root relative) pickles. There were two of us and we wanted plenty to eat, so we ordered the set for 3 :)

Side dishes, doenjang stew and the charcoal grill

The side dishes to go with the eel came out first. Every single one was so good.. I remember them all, Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch..ㅠㅠ The doenjang stew in the set is savory and rich with a homemade feel.

After we ordered, the charcoal came out first. It looked so good that I asked the owner, and he said they use the best charcoal. You know charcoal makes or breaks the food, right? haha

Eels bigger than the grill: does the owner grill them for you?

Yes, at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch they prep and grill every eel for you. And here comes the eel~~!! Wow.. I'd never seen an eel this big, it was really long and huge.. It was even bigger than the grill, so it stuck out over the edges, haha

The biggest strength of this Hagye Station restaurant is that they grill the eel for you. Eel is surprisingly tricky to grill, but he did it with expert skill so I could just eat comfortably 👍👍

The eels cooking up nicely... See how plump the flesh is? I think these are the plumpest, meatiest eels of any eel place in Nowon, haha

The owner kindly grilled for us and checked in every so often to ask if it tasted okay! He even cooked it longer to suit our preference, and I was so grateful for how attentive he was :)

How the grilled eel tastes at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch

Finally the eels were done.. golden brown and perfect to eat :) I tried a piece~~ the outside was golden and nutty, and the inside was soft and springy!! The flesh was plump so it was satisfying to chew, and the nutty flavor spread through my mouth the more I chewed, so touching..ㅠㅠ...

Pickled ginger with a mild flavor

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch also serves eel sauce and ginger. They told me they soak the ginger in water before pickling so the aroma isn't strong. Even I, who normally don't like the smell of ginger, ate it with the eel without it tasting strong, and it totally cut the richness, haha

Stone-pot rice sushi with deodeok pickles

The dolsot sushi (sushi rice served on a hot stone) that came with the set at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch was a real treat, haha. One piece of eel on the rice with a little wasabi, and I thought, the eel sushi I'd eaten until now wasn't really eel..🫢🫢

We could choose between salted oysters and deodeok pickles, and we picked the deodeok pickles!!

Eaten on the dolsot sushi with the deodeok pickles, the nuttiness of the eel and the fragrance of the deodeok blend together, a dreamy combination that just works..

Best pick: perilla leaf pickles, plus unlimited greens for wraps

My best pick is the perilla leaf pickles!!!! The eel at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch went well with any side dish, haha, but the perilla leaf pickle combo was my favorite! Thanks to it I never got tired of eating until the end! The white kimchi that resets your palate in between was great too 👍

Fresh lettuce comes along too, and piling eel and different side dishes into a wrap to your taste was so good! The wraps are unlimited, so you can make as many as you like~~!!

It was a delicious meal of plump domestic freshwater eel at a Nowon eel favorite :)

Final verdict on Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch

I really enjoyed the plump domestic freshwater eel at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagye Branch! The eel was nicely grilled and nutty, with soft flesh inside, haha. I liked that the owner grilled it himself and carefully got the doneness just right, and the variety of side dishes and fresh wrap vegetables made it even better :)

A Hagye restaurant that puts you in a good mood thanks to its kind owner! From the eel's flavor to the portions I was satisfied, so my chance of revisiting is 2000000%. If you're looking for an eel restaurant in Nowon, I recommend it!