Cheongna eel BBQ family revisit, green onion kimchi wraps: Songrimbok

This weekend we decided the whole family would go all out and stuff ourselves, so I hunted for a great place to eat. We chose Songrimbok in Cheongna, Incheon, where the whole family had eaten so well on a previous visit! From eel to pork belly, you can enjoy it unlimited without worrying about anyone's eyes on you. Now I'll honestly tell you about our return visit to Songrimbok, which nails both value and quality.

Parking and how to get to Songrimbok Cheongna Direct Branch

The Cheongna Direct Branch is on the first floor of Elim Art Center Building, right across from Cheongna Lake Park, so it's very easy to find. For parking, go down the alley behind the building and you'll reach the basement parking ramp. There's another underground car park next door, so I got confused wondering if this was the right one~ It says Elim Tower parking in big letters, so go in there!!

Even on a weekend evening there was plenty of space and we could park right away, and you can park for up to 6 hours.

Right in front is Cheongna Lake Park, and it's close to the Canalway walking path, so I recommend a stroll after filling your belly~~ You really will overeat, so you have to walk it off!! haha

Take the elevator up from the basement car park and come out at the entrance where you can see a pharmacy, and you'll find Songrimbok Cheongna on your right.

Songrimbok opening hours and unlimited refill prices

Opening hours are 11:50 a.m. to 11 p.m. There's no break time in between, so you can drop in whenever.

We arrived a little after 5 p.m. and got in with no wait. After 6:30 the big restaurant filled up with customers in no time, so I could really feel this is a famous Incheon eatery.

Prices

• Adult: ₩29,900 per person
• Child (elementary school): ₩14,000
• Toddler (48 months–age 7): ₩7,000 (free for 47 months and under)
• Table setting fee: ₩3,000 (toddlers excluded)

When our family of four goes all out, we easily clear more than 2 kg. For a fixed price you get plump freshwater eel plus thick pork belly and chicken neck, all unlimited like a buffet, so for big eaters Songrimbok is a total bargain.

New menu items and barley rice

There was also a new menu that wasn't there on our last visit! Unlimited refill can be a bit much for light eaters, and I felt this menu makes up for that. It's a generous spread and the price is pretty good too, right? We ordered rice for the kids and got barley rice instead, and we tried it. The grains pop in your mouth, so good!

Next time I'm planning to come back for the single-item dishes.

What's the atmosphere like at Songrimbok Cheongna?

Step inside and on the left the kitchen, counter and buffet-style self-serve bar are neatly arranged, while on the right tables line up cleanly for dining.

The place is quite big and the tables are well spaced, so it never felt cramped. Along the wall there are long connected group seats, and since it was the weekend there were lots of group gatherings! The staff were also so kind that we ate in a relaxed mood the whole time.

What's at the Songrimbok self-serve bar?

The unlimited eel, pork belly and chicken neck at the self-serve bar were all neatly covered with clear lids, so it passed on hygiene too!

You can take scissors and tongs as freely as you like, so my husband and I grilled eel and pork belly nonstop, haha. There's fresh lettuce and perilla leaves, plus garlic, pickled onion, ginger strips, pickled perilla leaves, spring onion kimchi and more, side dishes that pair well with eel.

The spring onion kimchi and pickled onion were especially amazing, so I recommend eating that combo at Songrimbok! So delicious, I lost count of how many times I went back for more, haha

How do the eel, pork belly and chicken neck taste at Songrimbok?

With the basic setting, the first round comes as a plate of eel, pork belly and duck, prettily arranged together.

After that, you fetch whatever suits you from the self-serve bar and grill it yourself. Our family started going hard on the freshwater eel, which looked just out of the tank, and the pork belly, haha

They told us to pour the water from the kettle onto the charcoal burner now and then while grilling!

Eel grilled golden on the hot grill with a sprinkle of salt has no fishy smell at all and the flesh is firm. Crispy outside, chewy inside~ it's delicious even on its own.

Wrapping golden eel with spring onion kimchi in one bite made me smile on its own, such a moving flavor, haha

The pork belly has a good fat-to-lean ratio, and I think I ate more than a geun (600 g). I was really so full, haha

The kids ate the chicken neck really well. It has that signature chewiness, so people who like it might eat even more of it than the eel?

Is Songrimbok worth a return visit?

Songrimbok, our Cheongna all-you-can-eat favorite, was once again so delicious~ If they sold the spring onion kimchi and pickled onion separately, I'd want to take some home! Writing this now... my mouth is watering again. We came for Jungbok (a midsummer stamina-food day), so maybe I'll come back for Malbok (the last of the three summer days), haha