Chose eel over beef at ₩29,900 all-you-can-eat: Songnim Bok Jangeo

Went for beef, ended up with all-you-can-eat eel

My husband and I wanted to go get some good beef and do a bit of body recovery eating haha! But thinking about prices these days, I looked around and realized that for the price of beef, we could go somewhere and eat as much fresh freshwater eel as we wanted!

Wanting both stamina and good value, we headed to a famous Suwon eel spot, Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Suwon Main Branch.

What's the atmosphere like inside?

The moment we walked in, the spacious, comfortable interior caught my eye right away. The tables were spaced generously too, making for a relaxed dining setup.

No smoke or grease residue anywhere — kept impressively clean — so I immediately understood why it's recommended as a group dinner spot for office workers nearby.

All-you-can-eat eel prices and menu

We sat down and looked over the menu. The all-you-can-eat eel price is ₩29,900 for adults, ₩14,000 for children (elementary school), plus a ₩3,000 table setting fee — a very reasonable setup!

Not just freshwater eel — with various meats and side dishes included, the value was excellent.

There were also plenty of additional meal options: eel soup, galbitang, yukgaejang, buckwheat cold noodles, and spicy ramyeon.

Neat, tidy basic side dishes

Once we ordered, clean basic side dishes were set out.

Fragrant perilla leaves to bring out the flavor of the grilled eel, sweet-savory pickled onions, and — of course — the essential spicy-sharp ginger namul (seasoned side dish) were all set out neatly. Each side dish was so tidy that I got excited about how to combine them with the eel.

Pork belly and chicken neck meat at the self-bar too

I went to the self-bar to grab more side dishes, and it turned out this wasn't just an eel all-you-can-eat — surprisingly, you could also help yourself to as much pork belly and chicken neck meat as you wanted!

The self-bar had wrap vegetables, side dishes, meats, and various sauces, all kept clean and easy to serve yourself according to taste. We wanted to try a bit of everything, so we loaded up carefully.

Thick, high-quality grilled freshwater eel

Then the main event — the freshwater eel — went on the grill! I thought since it was all-you-can-eat, the pieces might be small or thin, but I was pleasantly surprised — the flesh was really thick and high quality!!!

I love the thick body part, so I mainly grilled body and tail cuts.

Tasting a nicely browned piece of eel, it was crispy outside, juicy and bursting with flavor inside — genuinely delicious eel.

There's a reason it's called an eel spot near Suwon City Hall.

So plump and springy!!

Savory pork belly & chewy chicken neck meat

After eating our fill of eel, we grilled up the pork belly and chicken neck meat we'd brought over.

The pork belly picked up a nice smoky char and had the fat rendered right out, making it savory, while the chicken neck meat had that distinct chewy texture with a light, clean flavor — a real treat. Starting with eel and moving through various meats made for a satisfying meal.

How to wrap grilled eel for the best bite

Let me share a tip for eating this well!

Place a well-grilled, thick piece of eel on a fragrant perilla leaf, dab on some spicy ginger namul and the special sauce. Add pickled onion on top, then wrap it into one big bite — the richness gets cut right through and savoriness fills your mouth.

Final thoughts

We went planning to eat beef, but ended up with a hearty meal of reasonably priced, thick freshwater eel plus pork belly and chicken neck meat. The space is also large and clean, making it perfect for gatherings or group dinners!!! If you're looking for a great eel restaurant or a group meal spot in Suwon, I recommend Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Suwon Main Branch haha.