Seonleung eel restaurant with white kimchi at 2pm lunch: Manmok

On a weekday at 2pm, I went to lunch with my mom at Manmok. We each ordered a whole eel rice bowl and came out really full. After eating there, I understood a little why this place keeps getting recommended as a top eel rice bowl spot near Seonleung Station. Above all, the eel was less greasy than I expected, and the quiet, tidy space made it a great place to talk with Mom over a meal. Today I'll go through the menu and flavors I tried, the atmosphere, and everything down to parking and the review event.

Manmok at a glance: address, hours, parking

• Location: 9 Seolleung-ro 82-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• Parking: 2 spots in front, nearby lots available
• Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation

How long is the walk from Seonleung Station to Manmok?

Manmok is about 273m from Exit 2 of Seonleung Station, an easy walk. It's also close to the Seonleung Station restaurant alley, making it convenient to find for a workday lunch or dinner spot.

If you're driving, there's parking for about 2 cars in front, though the space isn't very generous, so I'd recommend checking with the restaurant beforehand if you're bringing a car. If parking out front isn't available, there are paid lots nearby.

Under the wooden sign reading 'Manmok' was a drawing that looked like an eel.

There was also a vertical nameplate next to the entrance, so it wasn't hard to find even on a first visit. The standing sign out front had photos of the menu too, so you could tell right away this was an eel specialty restaurant just by passing by.

Inside Manmok: a quiet, neat wood-toned room

Walking in, I noticed calm lighting mixed with wood materials. There was even a small bit of landscaping by the window. It felt restrained rather than overly decorated, and honestly gave off a bit of the feeling of walking into a small eel restaurant while traveling in Japan, haha 😁

Since I was there with my mom, it was great that the surroundings weren't noisy — perfect for chatting over the meal. There's also a long wooden table further inside that looked good for a bigger group. So this place seems like it would suit office workers looking for a quiet, upscale spot near Seonleung Station for a work dinner, or anyone bringing their parents out to eat. It also seemed like a good fit for a date or anniversary where you want a calmer setting.

Near the kitchen there's an open bar counter where you can naturally watch the staff preparing food. Ceramic sake bottles and cups were lined up neatly on the shelves, and there was a sake fridge off to one side. I personally liked that the dining space and kitchen were connected so you could watch the food being made.

Manmok's menu and eel rice bowl prices

Manmok's lunch menu is fairly simple, centered around the eel rice bowl. It comes in half (26,000 won), whole (39,000 won), and one-and-a-half (50,000 won) portions, so it works whether you're eating solo or with someone. We were pretty hungry that day, so we ordered two whole eel rice bowls without hesitation.

At 39,000 won for a whole portion, it's not exactly cheap for lunch even by current Gangnam standards, but considering the amount of eel and the full spread of side dishes, it felt like a reasonable price for a lunch that feels a bit special.

Alcohol also comes at a lunch discount. Yebisu draft beer was 9,000 won, Suntory highball 6,900 won, Balvenie highball 10,000 won, and Yamazaki/Hibiki/Hakushu highballs were 15,000 won each. It felt a bit early to be drinking at lunch, but if you visit for dinner, it seems like a nice pairing with the eel 🍻

Even the chopstick rest on the table had a fish drawn on it — a small detail that kept reminding me this is an eel specialty restaurant.

Once you sit down, they bring a menu and water, and instead of a kiosk, you order by pressing a call bell on the table and a staff member comes over.

Gochang freshwater eel grilled Kanto-style

Manmok uses freshwater eel from Gochang. Eel dishes are usually classified by cooking method into Kanto-style, Kansai-style, and Nagoya-style, and Manmok uses the Kanto method. The eel is grilled once, then steamed to remove excess fat, coated in a secret sauce, and grilled twice more over charcoal. Maybe that's why it didn't have that heavy, greasy feel that eel can sometimes have 👍

Picking up a piece with chopsticks, the outside was lightly grilled while the inside melted softly apart. The sauce wasn't overly sweet or heavy either — it was fairly subtle. Sometimes eel rice bowls get too sweet and you start to get sick of it partway through, but Manmok's was relatively light, so it was easy to eat all the way to the end.

Finely shredded seaweed was also scattered over the rice. Eating the eel, rice, and seaweed together added a nice savory aroma, and the combination worked really well.

What comes with the eel rice bowl at Manmok

It wasn't just the eel rice bowl — salad, steamed egg custard, clear broth, pickled ginger, radish pickle, and wasabi all came along with it. Once it was all laid out, the spread was more substantial than I expected.

In particular, the chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) was so smooth it broke apart the moment I put a spoon in, and the clear broth wasn't overpowering, which helped reset the palate between bites of the rich eel. The fragrant scent of the matsutake mushroom in the broth especially lingered in my mouth.

My mom said, "I thought the eel would be greasy, but it's not at all," and seemed really satisfied. I also thought I might get a bit sick of it after about half a portion, but eating it together with the side dishes, I finished a whole portion more easily than I expected.

The real highlight: white kimchi and shredded radish salad

Pairing a piece of eel with white kimchi or radish salad added a light, crunchy texture that really refreshed the palate. I think these sides played a big part in why the eel never felt greasy even after eating a lot of it.

An ice bar for dessert after lunch

After finishing the meal, they brought out ice bars for dessert. There were two flavors, black tea and matcha, so I picked one of each out of curiosity. I didn't expect much and took a bite, but the flavor was surprisingly rich and refined 😲 My mom said at first she wasn't going to have any, then tried a bite and ended up finishing a whole one herself, haha. The rich black tea and matcha flavors felt like they cleanly wrapped up the meal, and it gave the impression that even the final dessert was carefully thought through.

Manmok's review event: free beer or sake

At the time of our visit, Manmok was also running a review event, with different rewards depending on how many reviews you left.

• 1 review → 1 draft beer
• 2 reviews → 2 draft beers
• 3 reviews → 1 bottle of sake

You scan the QR code on the menu, leave a review on the linked page, then show your receipt to a staff member. If you're planning to visit in the evening with friends and pair the eel with a drink, this event could be worth checking out. That said, the details of the review event may change depending on when you visit, so it's worth confirming before you go.

Is Manmok worth it for a weekday lunch with Mom?

Visiting Manmok, a top eel rice bowl spot near Seonleung Station, with my mom, I felt there were three main strengths. First, the eel was lighter than I expected. Maybe because it's grilled Kanto-style, it didn't feel heavily greasy, and the sauce wasn't overly sweet either. Second, the space was quiet and tidy — good for talking with Mom over the meal, and it seemed like a fine choice for bringing parents or having an important meal. Third, the full table spread was substantial. The eel rice bowl came with steamed egg custard, broth, salad, and various sides, making for a genuinely filling meal.

Of course, 39,000 won for a whole eel rice bowl isn't exactly a light lunch price, but I think it's worth a visit for a special meal with parents or on a day you're craving something nourishing. It seems especially well suited for anyone looking for a quiet lunch spot near Seonleung Station, or for a proper meal for a work dinner or family gathering.

A bowl of eel rice that let the ingredients' natural flavor shine, in a tidy space. It was just an ordinary weekday lunch, but being there with my mom made it feel especially relaxed and special. Next time, I'd like to come back with family and try pairing the eel with a highball too.

A top pick near Seonleung Station for eel rice bowl that's light rather than greasy, paired with a tidy full spread — a good place for a quiet meal with parents.