Gwangsan eel grill, 11 a.m. arrival beats the lunch wait: Yuil Jangeo

Yuil Jangeo in Gwangsan, Gwangju is open daily 11:00-21:00, at 1st floor, 343 Donggok-ro, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju.

Worn out from work, it's Jinjin Imdang here. Today I'm reviewing Yuil Jangeo (유일장어), an eel specialist and a great Gwangsan eatery-!

Where do you park at Yuil Jangeo?

Park in the private lot behind the restaurant. It's huge with loads of spaces, so no need to worry about parking.

Yuil Jangeo location and how to get there

From Songjeong Station, keep going toward Pyeongdong industrial complex, turn left toward Naju, and Yuil Jangeo is on your right. It's about 25 minutes by car from Naju and about 25 minutes from downtown Gwangju, I think.

The self-select eel system

Unlike other eel places, Yuil Jangeo lets you choose your own eel. Pick the eel from the display counter and pay at the register, then the staff pre-sear it and bring it to your table, and you grill it yourself.

Lunch waiting at Yuil Jangeo: what time should you go?

For lunch there's a constant wait after 12:00, so if you hate waiting, I recommend arriving at the 11:00 opening. The inside is quite roomy, but when I came at lunchtime it was packed enough to have a line~

Yuil Jangeo menu and ordering

Besides regular eel, there's a lunch special eel set, so you can eat eel at a reasonable price. They also have eel soup, mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth), bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles), eel patty and nurungji (scorched rice). We ordered one eel soup on its own by tablet.

Grilling the pre-seared eel: the fire is strong, so flip often

They bring the eel pre-seared, so you only need to grill it until golden. The fire is super strong and it cooks fast! You have to flip it many times so it doesn't burn.

How does the eel soup at Yuil Jangeo taste?

The eel soup has a clear broth rather than a thick one, light yet deep and clean, which I loved. It came out midway through the meal, and with a bowl of rice stirred in, it's like eating a health tonic! The broth is seriously good, so I couldn't stop slurping it...

Is the grilled eel at Yuil Jangeo too greasy?

The eel here isn't that greasy at all and is surprisingly mild, which I liked. When eel is greasy I can only manage a few pieces, but this one isn't, so you can eat lots! It's even better with shredded ginger or wrapped in a leaf wrap (ssam).

Review-event eel patty: a good kids' dish

Last was the eel patty (tteok-galbi style) I got through the review event. They say it has eel in it, but I couldn't tell, it's just a ridiculously tasty sweet-and-salty patty and I enjoyed it. If you bring a child who can't eat eel, I bet they'd absolutely love this patty.

Finishing with an Americano from the exit coffee machine

To finish, I pulled an Americano from the coffee machine by the exit. These days a meal doesn't feel complete without a cup of coffee afterward... Am I getting old? haha....

Yuil Jangeo overall review

I ate eel at Yuil Jangeo, an eel specialist in Gwangsan, Gwangju. The eel isn't greasy, it's delicious, and the prices are friendly, so it's one of the Gwangju Pyeongdong spots I was happy with. There's eel soup and eel patty to go with the eel too, so everyone, please do go to Yuil Jangeo in Gwangju.

• Easy parking means an easy mind
• The eel is so affordable that there's a wait
• The eel tastes great too, totally satisfied