Daechi-dong eel rice bowl restaurant with a 2pm window seat: Manmok

What kind of restaurant is Manmok? A Daechi-dong eel rice bowl specialist

Manmok is a Japanese restaurant on Seonneung-ro 82-gil in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, specializing in eel rice bowls (unagi donburi). My husband and I love traveling to Japan, and we'd been missing the particular taste and atmosphere of the eel rice bowls we ate there — but finding a place in Korea that really satisfied us wasn't as easy as we thought.

Every place we tried left us disappointed, until my husband and I came to COEX for some errands and discovered Manmok in Daechi-dong!

Getting to Manmok from Seonleung Station, and where to park

Manmok is easy to get to from Seonleung Station. It's also a convenient spot for a lunchtime visit, so it seems like a good option for office workers in the area to grab lunch. We drove ourselves and were able to park in front of or beside the restaurant. Since we arrived around 2pm, parking was plenty available.

Inside Manmok: the mood and the window seats

Stepping into Manmok, I liked how clean and calm the overall atmosphere was. We came for eel rice bowls, but the vibe felt closer to Japanese-style dining than a simple rice bowl joint.

It seemed like a comfortable place to visit solo without feeling awkward, and just as comfortable for lunch with a partner or family.

We were shown to a window seat. I really liked the cushioned chairs too. The interior is so clean and tidy — I really love this place.

The menu laid out so nicely

Manmok eel rice bowl prices and what the couple ordered

Fitting for an eel rice bowl specialist, the menu was simple.

Half eel rice bowl - ₩26,000 / Whole - ₩39,000 / Whole and a half - ₩50,000

We each ordered a whole eel rice bowl.

And finally, Manmok's eel rice bowl arrived!

We've both been low on energy lately, so I figured we'd better power up with this eel rice bowl! Opening it up with anticipation~

Are we in Japan right now? Even the tableware is identical!

How big is the whole eel rice bowl, and how does the eel taste?

I loved the visual right away — the eel was piled on generously. I wondered if the whole portion would be a bit small, but not at all~ We ate until we were completely full!

The eel was grilled nice and soft, and the seasoning went really well with the rice. Best of all, the taste and feel were quite close to the Japanese-style eel rice bowl I'd been hoping for, which made me really happy.

What comes with the bowl: chawanmushi, side dishes and kimchi

The staff at Manmok explained the menu to us calmly and clearly. There was a salad with sesame dressing and a chawanmushi (savory egg custard) with shrimp inside — it was really smooth.

Sansho pepper, ginger, wasabi, and pickled radish to go with the eel. A hot soup came too. All the side dishes paired well.

As Koreans, we can't do without kimchi~ White kimchi and radish salad (musaengchae) also came out, and both were genuinely delicious and paired well with the eel rice bowl.

The savory flavor of the eel combined with the slightly sweet sauce, and eating it with rice, my chopsticks just kept going back for more.

I also tried just wasabi on top to taste the eel's natural flavor!

The eel went so well with the rice that I kept eating spoonful after spoonful and before I knew it, I'd cleaned my plate completely~

The staff were kind too, so there wasn't a single uncomfortable moment during the meal. Between the food, the atmosphere, and the service, it all felt so comfortable that I thought it'd be a great spot for lunch.

The table setting has such good taste too, doesn't it~

Dessert ice cream and the restrooms at Manmok

After the meal, ice cream came out for dessert. We could choose between matcha and black tea flavors, so we each tried one. A great meal plus dessert — absolutely perfect!

The restroom was clean and nice too, with hand wash and hand cream from actual brands. Such good taste!!! Dental floss, mouthwash, a comb, and more — what would we have done without coming in here~ I left applying Jo Malone hand cream and enjoying the lovely scent.

Who is Manmok best for?

The biggest thing I felt after this visit to Manmok was that we don't need to fly all the way to Japan for an eel rice bowl. We'd even considered going to Nagoya... haha. We came here missing the eel rice bowl we'd had in Japan, and finding the taste we'd been hoping for made it even more satisfying.

For anyone looking for a good lunch near Seonleung Station, searching for a Daechi-dong restaurant, or looking for a proper Japanese rice bowl place in Gangnam, Manmok is a place I'd like to recommend :)