Eel grill lunch at Gwangyang Port with a Marine Park stroll: Deokeun

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch (더큰장어 광양점)

Hours and location of Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch is open daily 11:00–21:30, with a break from 14:00 to 16:00 and last order at 20:30. The address is 101 Hangman 9-ro, Gwangyang-si, Jeonnam, South Korea.

This eel lunch spot is popular because you can eat comfortably, lunch or dinner, with a lovely view of the wide Gwangyang Port. The Gwangyang Port Marine Park is also nearby, so a walk after a good meal fit the route perfectly.

Is parking easy at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang?

Parking was easy thanks to the ample private lot. Just like the big building outside, the lot is roomy and caused no trouble at all, so the visit was very convenient.

How long is the wait at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang?

There is a wait at peak time, whether lunch or dinner. It's already famous in Gwangyang as a great-value stamina-food place, so I'd recommend going before peak time, especially on weekends. Tables turn over surprisingly fast, though, so I don't think we waited very long.

Pick your eel at the ground-floor shop

The ground-floor shop sells 100% domestic Japonica freshwater eel raised directly in Yeongam-gun, Jeonnam. The producer raises and sells them itself, so it feels trustworthy. They say running the farm themselves lowers production costs and lets them supply fresh, good-quality eel.

Prices can change depending on the source market, but they say the prices are always reasonable, and lunch eel is 10% off. Eel is also sold for takeout (pre-grilling possible), and I liked that it accepts Gwangyang Love gift vouchers.

Since eel is a live product, I could look at its overall condition and choose the freshness and amount I needed right there, which was very reassuring and convenient.

Second-floor seating and extra menu items

You buy at the ground-floor shop, then go up to the second-floor dining hall to grill. There are wide tables and a variety of seating, plus private rooms for group gatherings and high chairs, so it was comfortable for family meals too.

You can also add eel soup and eel patties (tteokgalbi), and they sell spicy cold noodles, cold noodles in broth, scorched rice (nurungji) and flying fish roe rice balls, so a hearty meal was possible.

How much is the table setting fee?

The table setting fee is ₩4,000 for adults and ₩2,000 for elementary students and under, and free under 36 months. There is a fee, but the side dishes, made carefully each day with domestic ingredients, are refillable at the self-serve bar, so it didn't feel like a burden.

How to grill eel well

The restaurant's grilling order is to start with the skin (back) side and flip once it turns golden.

• Grill the skin (back) side first.
• After 30 seconds, loosen it slightly from the grill.
• Flip it once the skin turns golden.
• Cut the golden white meat and grill the pieces standing up.
• Tip: flip lightly now and then, or move pieces to the weaker-heat edge, so it cooks evenly through without burning.

How does charcoal-grilled Japonica pungcheon eel taste?

The 100% domestic Japonica pungcheon eel (wild-style river eel) had no gamey or fishy taste, was fresh, and with a faint charcoal aroma added, the flavor became even richer.

Grilled golden, crispy outside and moist inside, thick and chewy, it was the kind of bite where you think, "yep, that's eel being eel."

Sprinkling pink salt on the white meat

I sprinkled a moderate amount of pink salt on the white meat in particular, and it had a deep savory taste, tender flesh and the eel's own flavor without being overpowering, so I didn't get tired of it until the last piece.

It was nutty with just the right amount of oil, and eaten with the various side dishes it tasted sweet and clean the more I chewed, melting in my mouth.

With the weather suddenly turning muggy and my appetite gone, I heard eel contains arginine, known as an energizing component, and the mineral calcium, so it felt like the perfect stamina food and gave me energy.

Dessert and overall verdict

They give ice cream for a Naver receipt review event, and there are coffee bean and milk vending machines at the entrance, so you can finish with a tasty dessert too.

This Gwangyang eel lunch spot is great value for dinner as well, where a whole family can eat plenty, so I recommend it as a filling meal that isn't a burden.