Ansan eel buffet with ginger and teriyaki: Songnim Bok Jangeo

After a crazy-busy day, my husband and I were completely worn out... so we went for eel, a high-protein, high-fat food, to restore our energy. Here's my honest review of dinner at "Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Unlimited Refill Wongok Branch" (송림복장어), a great eatery in Wongok-dong, Ansan~🤍

Where is Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch, and what are the hours?

Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Unlimited Refill Wongok Branch is at 47 Wonseon-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea (ground floor), and it's open from 11:30 to 22:00. You can also pay with local currency (the Daon Card).

This is the exterior of Songnim Bok Jangeo in Ansan. As of October, they told us it's been open for about 3 months~~ I was so happy that Wongok-dong finally has an all-you-can-eat freshwater eel place too~~

We settled in at our table, and beside it there were neat spoons and chopsticks, tissues and wet wipes.

How much is the unlimited eel at Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch?

We ordered the adult unlimited set (₩29,900 × 2 people), and a table setting fee of ₩3,000 per person (× 2) is added by default. They also had meal menu items like galbitang (short rib soup), eel soup and yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), and quite a few people come in to eat alone~

Baby chairs and aprons were ready, and there was an origin sign posted too. The freshwater eel is domestic!! For domestic freshwater eel at about ₩32,900 per person, can they really make a profit,,?🥺

They also posted 7 health benefits of freshwater eel, and as a high-protein, high-fat food it really does seem to do good things for you haha

What are the basic side dishes and the first meat served?

The basic spread at Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch came with washed aged kimchi, green onion kimchi, shredded ginger, pickled perilla leaves and pickled onion, and they also gave us a bottle of bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) to go with it~~ Apparently eel and bokbunja are a great pairing!

At first they bring eel, pork belly and chicken neck. Look at that color~~ Looks fresh, right?

Are refills done at a self-bar?

Yes, at Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch, after the first setup you get any extra side dishes from the self-bar. The eel and other meats are all there too, so just take as much as you can finish without leaving any:)

My husband loves wraps, so he brought extra perilla leaves, cheongyang chili peppers, raw garlic and ssamjang (dipping sauce). Ready to eat eel!

What's the best way to grill the eel?

Cooking up nicely, right??

Golden brown and so deliciously cooked:) Personally, I liked it with the outside grilled crispy better, to my taste,,? I regret finding out about this tasty eel so late, but I'm glad I get to eat it now,, haha

So delicious~~ Cheers with the bokbunja too,, it's a perfect match with the eel. They say oil often splatters when grilling eel, so be careful it doesn't hit your face or body:-)

Shredded ginger with teriyaki sauce

My partner only eats ginger when having eel,,, and eats an almost excessive amount, but said that with teriyaki sauce it isn't spicy and goes well with the eel~ I liked the teriyaki sauce so much that I just added a little ginger on top~~

Is the quality of the unlimited eel okay?

Golden brown,, keep grilling, keep refilling~~ Enjoy the eel~~🫧😇 Since it's the unlimited eel at Songnim Bok Jangeo Wongok Branch, you might worry the quality drops, but it doesn't~? If anything it tasted even better,,!

If you're looking for a good place in Wongok-dong or near Ansan Station, how about Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Unlimited Refill Wongok Branch for an easy stamina boost~~?