Suwon eel buffet with charcoal pork ribs and belly: Songnim Bok Jangeo

All-you-can-eat eel and meat together in Gwonseon-dong

It had been a while since I'd eaten my fill of eel, so I went to Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Suwon Main Branch (송림복장어 민물장어 무한리필 수원본관). From the name you'd think only the freshwater eel is all-you-can-eat, but it turns out you can help yourself to pork ribs, pork belly and chicken neck as well. Best of all, you grill over charcoal rather than on a hot plate, so everything from the eel to the meat took on a proper charcoal aroma, and I came home stuffed.

The Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Suwon Main Branch building from outside

We drove there, and the parking lot is behind the building. I'm the type to check whether parking is available before going out to eat, so being able to park right by the restaurant and walk straight in was convenient.

After parking, we walked around to the front of the building. Since it's a place where freshwater eel is all-you-can-eat, it's the kind of spot that will catch the eye of anyone who loves eel. Eel is anything but cheap, so being able to grab as much as you want and grill it yourself definitely felt appealing.

What are the opening hours?

Songnim Bok Jangeo Suwon Main Branch is open 10:50–22:00. Since you can eat from lunch through dinner, it looked good for visiting with family for eel or for a hearty evening meal of eel and meat.

Charcoal tables and using the self-serve corner

Inside Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Suwon Main Branch

We went in and took a table. Every table grills over real charcoal, so as soon as you sit down it feels like you've come for a proper barbecue haha

Once the charcoal is brought in, you just grab whatever eel or meat you want from the self-serve corner and grill it right away. Rather than constantly asking the staff for more, you can bring as much as you want yourself, which made the all-you-can-eat easy to use. There were high chairs for babies too, and aprons placed here and there, so we helped ourselves and put them on.

What can you eat all-you-can-eat?

What I liked most here was that the all-you-can-eat selection is wider than I expected. They have freshwater eel, pork ribs, pork belly and chicken neck, so in between the eel we could grill other meats too.

Instead of bringing too much at once, we brought small amounts of what we wanted and grilled as we went. Eating only eel the whole time can get a bit much, but with pork ribs, pork belly and chicken neck there too, it was fun switching between them.

Charcoal-grilling everything from freshwater eel to chicken neck

The first spread of side dishes and eel

Only the initial side dishes and the eel are set out for you; extra side dishes you keep bringing yourself from the self-serve bar. The water isn't plain water either, so my mouth felt more refreshed while eating the eel.

Naturally, the first thing on the grill was the freshwater eel. We laid the eel over the charcoal and grilled it slowly until golden brown.

The eel itself is tasty, but since you grill it right over charcoal here, I loved how it picked up a subtle smoky aroma. Cooked golden on the outside and moist on the inside, I just kept reaching for more.

Above all, not having to think about how many more pieces of eel to order and just taking as much as you want — that's the beauty of all-you-can-eat eel in Suwon.

Once we'd had a good amount of eel, we brought over some pork ribs to grill. The pork ribs, in a sweet marinade, taste completely different from eel, so they were nice to have in between.

We put pork belly on the charcoal too. The fat rendered nicely and the charcoal aroma made it delicious — coming for eel and getting pork belly and pork ribs all at once, I felt we'd really chosen the right place haha

Lastly, we brought some chicken neck. It felt a bit different from eel or pork belly, but with its chewy texture, grilled over charcoal, this one was surprisingly moreish too. Since you can pick whatever you want from eel to chicken neck as you go, even a big group could each bring and grill their own favorites.

We polished off one round, had the grill swapped, and went on to the next round.

There's not a hint of fishiness, and grilled freshwater eel with ginger on top is seriously delicious. Brushing on a moderate amount of the eel sauce and grilling it just enough not to burn was the best way to eat it.

For days you want eel and meat together

I came to Songnim Bok Jangeo for eel and left having properly worked through the pork ribs, pork belly and chicken neck as well. Personally, unlimited eel was great, but what I liked most was the variety of meats on offer too.

It was all the tastier because everything is grilled right over charcoal and takes on that subtle smoky aroma. If the price of eel has kept you from eating your fill, or you want eel and meat on the same day, this is a good eel restaurant in Suwon to head to. I'd like to come back next time I want to eat eel until I'm truly full.