Seonleung Station eel rice bowl restaurant at 11am open: Manmok
In short
Manmok is a Japanese eel rice bowl restaurant in Daechi-dong, near Exit 2 of Seonleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Arriving right at the 11:00 opening for an early lunch meant a wide, empty dining room and a whole-eel rice bowl served as a single-person set meal, plus free dessert ice cream in both matcha and hojicha. Grilled twice more in the Kanto style, the eel at Manmok fell apart at the touch of chopsticks, making it a good pick for both a lunch meeting and a team dinner.
Good to know
- Location
- 9 Seonleung-ro 82-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor (near Seonleung Station Exit 2)
- Hours
- Daily 11:00–22:00
- Break time
- 15:00–17:00
- Last order
- 14:20 / 21:20
- What we ordered
- Whole-eel rice bowl (single-person set meal)
- Eel rice bowl sizes
- Half eel / whole eel / one and a half eels
- Dinner-only menu
- Special eel nabe hot pot, special grilled eel (sauce or salt), hanwoo beef nabe and more
- Dessert
- Ice cream (choice of matcha or hojicha)
as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026
A recommended spot near Seonleung Station: Manmok
Today I want to introduce Manmok, an eel rice bowl restaurant near Seonleung Station in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, for anyone looking for a proper lunch spot or a work dinner venue. From the neat and tender eel rice bowl to the atmosphere and dessert, everything was satisfying, so here's my honest review haha ✨
Manmok at a glance before you go
- Location: 9 Seonleung-ro 82-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
- Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 14:20, 21:20)
- Atmosphere: Spacious, comfortable interior — strongly recommended for lunch or a work dinner
- Ordered: Whole eel rice bowl (served as a very neat single-portion table setting)
How to find Manmok from Seonleung Station Exit 2
Manmok is very close to Exit 2 of Seonleung Station, making it easy to reach by public transit.
The dark wood-tone interior gave the exterior a clean, upscale feel that stood out even in the middle of busy Gangnam 🤎 The overall neat atmosphere seemed suitable for hosting important guests, lunch appointments, or a work dinner.
Manmok's main menu items are also displayed outside so passersby can see them.
What the dining room is like right after the 11am opening
Stepping inside, the space was much more spacious and comfortable than it looked from outside.
We visited around 11am for an early lunch, so there were barely any other customers and we could eat at a relaxed pace haha
The interior featuring natural materials also stood out.
It felt like every little detail was carefully considered — elegant and neat ٩( *˙0˙*)۶
With a calm, clean overall atmosphere and generously spaced tables, this seems like a great work dinner spot for office workers around Seonleung Station and Daechi-dong after work!! The atmosphere is also great for conversation, so it would suit a date or a gathering with friends too!
Manmok's menu: three eel rice bowl sizes
Looking at the menu board, the main dish, eel rice bowl, comes in three sizes: half, whole, or whole and a half. It was nice that everyone from light eaters to those wanting a hearty meal could choose according to their appetite haha 👍 By the way, in the evening they also sell dinner-only items like special eel nabe, special grilled eel (sauce/salt), and hanwoo nabe. I love nabe too... now I want to come back for dinner and try the evening-only menu haha
By the way, the call bell is hidden behind the menu board lol. They seem to have tucked the less photogenic details away nicely.
The whole-eel rice bowl as a single-person set meal
We both ordered the whole eel rice bowl so we could eat a hearty meal!
The food comes out on a wooden tray as a single-portion table setting. It felt pampering and looked pretty too haha
We started with a refreshing salad to lightly wake up our appetite, then got into the eel rice bowl proper 😋
So glossy ✨ Really beautifully grilled eel!!! 😆
Why Kanto-style grilling makes the eel so soft
Manmok apparently cooks its eel Kanto-style. They grill the eel once first, then steam it, apply a secret sauce, and grill it twice more over charcoal! Through this multi-step grilling process, the fat is reduced while the soft texture and deep flavor are drawn out — that's the characteristic of the method.
Eating it, the eel really was soft — it seemed like this cooking method was exactly why. The flesh was so tender it fell apart with just a light touch of chopsticks, and the sauce wasn't overly sweet or salty, making it perfect with the rice!
Depending on preference, you can add a bit of wasabi or sansho pepper powder for a different flavor, so I tried mixing and matching.
The crunchy white kimchi and shredded radish that came as basic side dishes cut through the richness of the eel nicely, making them great to eat alongside!
The soft chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) and warm soup were also nice to have in between bites 🌟
Free dessert ice cream: matcha or hojicha
After finishing the meal, ice cream comes out for dessert 🍨 ٩(๑′∀ ‵๑)۶•*¨*•.¸¸♪ We could each choose between matcha and hojicha, so we picked one each and tried both flavors! Honestly, since it was a free dessert I didn't expect much, but I was surprised by how good the quality was..!! Both were delicious, but personally the rich, dense matcha ice cream was my top pick! 💚 My husband thought the same lol. Definitely make sure to try the ice cream too~~
Where it is
9 Seonleung-ro 82-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, South Korea서울특별시 강남구 선릉로82길 9 1층
