Cheongna eel buffet for a bride-to-be's summer boost: Jangsodam

What is Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch, and why did we go?

Jangsodam Eel and Beef Buffet Cheongna Main Branch (장소담 청라본점) is a buffet-style barbecue restaurant in Cheongna, Incheon, where eel and beef are all-you-can-eat. The writer is a bride-to-be with a September wedding, worn out by the heat and wedding prep, and her fiancé, nicknamed Langlang, promised her a proper summer stamina meal. He took her to Jangsodam.

The weather suddenly turned sweltering and I could feel my energy dropping like a stone. I'm a bride-to-be with zero free time T_T, and I'd been saying "I'm tired" so much that my lovely Langlang rolled up his sleeves to give me a proper summer boost! After a storm of searching with very picky standards, he landed on Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch, famous as a Cheongna eel spot. The blog reviews were great, and above all, people who go once apparently come back again and again, so I was sold. We dashed over straight after work.

Is parking easy at Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch?

Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch offers two hours of free parking in the lot of its commercial building. The writer parked on the 4th floor and took the elevator down to the restaurant on the 2nd floor.

Usually, if parking at a buffet or barbecue place is cramped, I'm drained before I even eat. Here the building's lot is huge, so even beginner drivers have zero parking worries, no no! We parked on the 4th floor with no fuss, rode the elevator down to the 2nd floor, and the giant Jangsodam entrance was right there.

Is Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch good for group dinners?

The restaurant is much bigger than it looks from outside, with wide spacing between seats, so it suits company dinners and family gatherings. Even on a weekday evening there were office groups and families with kids.

The moment we walked in, the size surprised me. Wow... the inside is much bigger than it looks from outside, and super clean! None of the slippery floors or acrid smoke you get at some all-you-can-eat barbecue places; it was really well kept and comfortable. Even on a weekday evening it was fairly busy, as a good restaurant should be: office workers enjoying a big group dinner at the roomy tables, and lots of families who'd come out to feed their kids well. With the wide seat spacing, I thought bringing my team here for a company dinner would earn real praise.

What does the Jangsodam B Set include?

The B Set gives you unlimited eel, beef and marinated raw crab (yangnyeom gejang), plus pork, Hangang ramyeon, drinks and desserts from the self-bar. Jangsodam has many set options to suit your taste, and this day we went all in on the B Set for stamina.

We sat down and it was menu-reading time, heart fluttering! Jangsodam's biggest strength is its generous variety of sets to suit your taste. Determined to let loose and recharge today, we went with no questions asked for the B Set pass!!! With the B Set you get plump eel, beautifully colored beef, rice-thief marinated raw crab, plus the huge self-bar's pork, Hangang ramyeon, drinks and desserts, all unlimited with no side-eye from anyone. The value is crazy T_T

What is on the self-bar at Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch?

Drinks and dessert corner

The self-bar's drink corner has soda, coffee, ice cream and cookies. We browsed the self-bar before the main dishes were set up.

With ordering done and the main dishes not yet set up, Langlang and I went hand in hand to explore Jangsodam's famously huge self-bar. First up was the drink corner! Fizzy soda that's a must with meat, after-meal coffee, sweet ice cream and cookies, packed so full it could rival a dessert café.

Pork corner

The pork corner has marinated galbi, pork belly, pork neck, salt-grilled pork, tteok-sari (rice cake sticks) and pork skin. It's a lineup that makes you wonder whether this is an eel place or a pork place.

Next to the drinks sits a massive pork corner, ready to fill the gaps left by beef and eel. Sweet-and-salty marinated galbi, thick pork belly, mild pork neck, chewy salt-grilled pork, tteok-sari that's perfect grilled, and pork skin were lined up so nicely, the perfect fixings for a meat party, and they looked great grilled on the same plate as the eel.

Hot food corner

The hot food corner has warm dishes like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), tofu kimchi and spaghetti. They make a good appetizer before grilling.

Thought we were done? Not yet! The hot food corner is perfect for filling up on appetizers before grilling. Spicy-sweet tteokbokki, the biggest enemy of any diet but impossible to resist, umami-packed tofu kimchi, and warm spaghetti, plus lots more dishes, made it feel like a real buffet.

Fritters and Hangang ramyeon corner

The self-bar also has assorted fritters, rice balls, morning rolls and a Hangang ramyeon machine. This was the corner where the dieting bride-to-be nearly lost her mind.

Wow, I'm on a diet and this corner almost made me lose my mind, haha! Crispy assorted fritters that are heavenly dipped in tteokbokki sauce, nutty rice balls, morning rolls... and then the grand finale, the Hangang ramyeon machine!!!!! I can eat this whole lineup?! I seriously regretted not starving myself since lunch to empty my stomach........ haha

How good are the eel and beef at Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch?

The eel and beef are thick and fresh even though it's all-you-can-eat. Basic side dishes are set on the table, and you can fetch extra lettuce wraps or sides from the self-bar.

After happily touring the self-bar, we came back to a table already set with neat side dishes. (Of course, if you run short of lettuce wraps or sides, you can easily grab more from that self-bar!) And finally the real stars of the day arrived: gleaming eel and beautifully colored beef! Just because it's all-you-can-eat doesn't mean thin, low-quality meat. It was truly thick and fresh, and my mouth was watering before we even grilled it. (The best part is you can order more whenever you finish!)

Grilling eel and beef side by side

We were hungry, so no time to waste: big pieces of beef and eel went side by side onto the grill right away!!! They sizzled, and the savory smell hit my nose so hard I nearly lost it. Looks so good... come on guys, cook faster...

Honestly, I'd eaten thin slices of eel on rice bowls in my diet lunch boxes a few times, but grilling a whole raw eel until golden on a real grill was such a long time coming. So Langlang and I were both hyped the entire time we grilled, haha. Under the careful plan of a total J (planner type), we grilled it perfectly without burning anything.

One bite and we understood why people come back

We ate the eel with the house special sauce and ginger strips, and it had no fishy smell and was even deboned of the tiny bones. The beef was dipped in salt and was juicy.

Finally, the first bite! I dipped the thick eel, crisp outside and moist inside, in the special sauce and ate it with ginger strips... wow... it just melts in my mouth T_T Not a trace of fishiness and the tiny bones were all removed, so it was honey-sweet. I also made wraps with the various side dishes, and dipped the beef in salt as soon as the redness was gone, and the juices burst out! At most all-you-can-eat places you get sick of it after a plate or two, but here the quality of the eel and beef itself is so good that I understood right after one bite why everyone raves and returns!

How do you order more eel at Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch?

You order more eel on the tablet at your table, and a serving robot brings it to you. There's no need to worry about staff and you can add as much as you want.

Inhaling it all, I suddenly cleared the first plate! No need to feel awkward around the staff, so I confidently ordered one more eel on the tablet!!! After I pressed the button, a cute serving robot zoomed over with background music and delivered the eel to our table, haha (love this high-tech system).

The dieter's duty was long since launched into outer space, and I put the fresh new eel on the grill for round two! Golden brown and crispy, cooking up into a gorgeous golden color💖 We filled our bellies with beef and eel, then finished by boiling a spicy Hangang ramyeon, and that was a perfect end to the meal!

Do we recommend Jangsodam for a summer stamina meal in Cheongna?

Jangsodam Cheongna Main Branch is strongly recommended in Cheongna for family gatherings, company group dinners, and anyone wanting good-value eel and beef for stamina. The writer came away recharged 200% after a summer of exhaustion.

I came away with my summer-worn energy recharged a full 200% at Jangsodam. If you're looking for a family gathering or company dinner spot in Cheongna, or want a hearty, great-value stamina meal of beef and eel, I sincerely and strongly recommend the Cheongna Jangsodam eel and beef buffet! Now that we've eaten so well today, tomorrow it's back to a tough wedding diet! 💪