Sea-view eel restaurant in Gwangyang, sunset for two: Deokeun Jangeo

I went to Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, a Gwangyang eel restaurant everyone raves about. I'd heard there was a great-value, delicious eel specialist in Jungma-dong, Gwangyang, so I checked it out — and honestly, it's a must on any Gwangyang trip. We ate SO much good-quality eel and left feeling properly nourished.

Because they sell eel raised directly in Yeongam, the prices are reasonable and you can still taste top-grade eel. This place is already famous as a Gwangyang eel spot, so it was packed. It's a great restaurant for both lunch and dinner — I recommend it with full confidence.

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang hours, break time and parking

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch is open 11:00–21:30, with last order at 20:30. On weekdays there's a break time from 14:00 to 16:00, and at the time of writing, September 28–29 were posted as closed.

It's located at 101 Hangman9-ro, Gwangyang, right in front of Gwangyang Harbor. The restaurant itself is huge and the parking space is really wide, so it's great for groups or gatherings too! There's a dedicated lot as well as parking space out front.

How does Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch work?

At Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, you pick your eel on the first floor, then pay a table setting fee on the second floor and grill it right there. It's run by the producers themselves — they operate a japonica freshwater eel farm directly in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. That's how you get to eat quality eel at a low price!

The fridge was packed with neatly trimmed eel — you just pick by size and weight and pay.

As you'd expect from a popular spot, once you register on the queue list and make your purchase, they quickly seat you upstairs.

They also tell you the day's eel price! Deokeun Jangeo's eel is 100% domestic japonica, so you can eat with confidence.

After much deliberation, we bought a nice heavy trimmed eel! Doesn't it look high quality just from looking at it? Buy the eel on the first floor, then eat it on the second.

On the first floor you could also buy packaged eel to take home, gift sets, eel soup, and eel tteokgalbi (eel patty).

Can you see the sea from the second-floor window seats at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch?

From the second-floor window seats at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, you can see the Gwangyang sea — going at sunset made the atmosphere lovely and clean. Once we got upstairs, sure enough, true to a well-known Gwangyang restaurant, the place was packed with customers.

It's a great eel restaurant both for family meals and for gatherings.

There are also private rooms, so if you're planning a company dinner or a group gathering, those would be perfect too.

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch menu and prices

Eel at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch is sold at market price, and the table setting fee is ₩4,000 for adults and ₩2,000 for children. There was a good variety of side dishes and even an eel soup lunch option, so the menu lineup was solid.

• Eel price: market price
• Table setting fee: Adults ₩4,000, children ₩2,000
• Eel soup: ₩10,000
• Eel tteokgalbi (eel patty): ₩3,500

How was the grilled eel at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch?

Once we got upstairs, they set our table and seats, and the side dish spread was neat and tidy.

Fresh wrapping vegetables, myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves), pickles, and salad were all refillable from the self-bar!

While we snacked on the side dishes, they laid out the charcoal — and seeing it up close, this was genuinely thick, heavy, top-quality eel! It was so fresh it was hard to even pull apart.

They grilled it golden brown, letting it soak up all that charcoal aroma.

The eel was thick and soft, with zero fishy smell and juices packed all through it...!

Just being in Gwangyang together as a couple already made us happy, but the eel was SO delicious we ate it practically moved.

The eel was so thick that the skin was crisp with a slight chewiness on the outside, while the flesh inside was soft and melted in the mouth.

Wrap it in a lettuce leaf with myeongi namul and ginger sauce on top, and your mouth just fills with flavor~

It was also nice being able to refill the side sauces and banchan whenever we wanted.

You can't skip the rice — we ordered a bowl and ate it like this, basically eel sushi, a proper body-boosting meal haha

The whole time we were eating, I felt jealous of the people who actually live in Gwangyang. If you want truly delicious grilled eel, this is my recommendation!!

How much did it cost for two at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch?

At Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, we ate such high-quality eel, meal and all, for around 50,000 won total. Such an incredible value that we left completely satisfied.

I'd 100% go back the next time I travel to Gwangyang. Bring your parents here and you'll get major bonus points — a real Gwangyang eel spot worth the trip.