Eel restaurant by Changwon Station for a pre-KTX lunch: Daedo Jangeo

This is my story about the lunch special at Daedo Jangeo (대도장어), a grilled eel spot in Palyong-dong, Changwon, where I took my parents. In this muggy, hot weather I just can't face grilling eel myself, ㅠㅠ but I still wanted that stamina-boosting eel, so I chose Daedo Jangeo. The table spread was neat and generous, and the grilled sea eel was so good that it's a perfect place to bring your parents ♥

How do you reserve and park at Daedo Jangeo?

I reserved ahead for a weekday lunch. For parking, just use the parking spaces in front of the restaurant.

What kind of place is Daedo Jangeo, a 32-year-old Jinju-style eel restaurant?

Daedo Jangeo is a grilled eel restaurant with 32 years of history, serving neatly grilled, healthy stamina food. They say everything from the eel to the side dishes uses good ingredients. Cooking starts the moment you order, and the eel is smoked over briquette fire, so you get tender, deeply savory Jinju-style grilled eel !!

Because everything is prepared with care and grilled for you, the wait can run long, but one taste and it's magically worth waiting for ♥ For reference, dining time is up to 2 hours.

Daedo Jangeo: a good lunch spot near Changwon Station in Palyong-dong, Changwon.

What are the interior and private rooms like, and can groups come?

The interior is clean, with warm wood decor. There are well-made private rooms and plenty of tables, and the staff said many people come for group occasions like get-togethers, company dinners and wedding afterparties.

Shelves packed with alcohol :P I wanted a drink, but... I held back ㅠㅠ

Nice touch with the disposable aprons ♥ The self-serve bar is also kept clean and tidy. Everything you can see is spotless, so I'd happily come again : )

I had reserved ahead at Daedo Jangeo near Changwon Station, so the table was already set when we arrived.

I was hungry, and seeing those tidy side dishes cheered me up right away !! With so many healthy, tasty basic sides spread out, I thought people of every age would love Daedo Jangeo.

What's on the Daedo Jangeo menu, and when is the lunch special?

The menu at Daedo Jangeo is split into main dishes and meals. The lunch special can only be ordered on weekdays from 11:00 to 14:30, excluding weekends and public holidays.

• Main dishes: half-and-half freshwater eel / seasoned sea eel / salted sea eel / stir-fried octopus
• Meals: eel soup / lunch special / cold buckwheat noodles / rice after eating eel
• Lunch special: weekdays 11:00-14:30 (not on weekends or public holidays)

Is the Daedo Jangeo lunch special enough with one hour before the KTX?

We had about an hour before our KTX, so to keep it simple I ordered three lunch specials. If we'd come in the evening, I'd have had the seasoned sea eel with a glass of soju, but..!!

We drank cool Dungulle tea (Solomon's seal tea) : ) and dug into the side dishes before the special arrived, nom nom~ They weren't salty, just the right seasoning.

After a short wait, the one-person lunch special set came out: seasoned sea eel + eel soup + rice.

How does the lunch special seasoned sea eel taste?

Grilled onions are piled under the seasoned sea eel, and the thick eel is topped with tasty sauce and sprinkled with whole perilla seeds. It was so much better than I expected, I was shocked..!!

Seriously, after one bite I instantly regretted not ordering the large size...? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Is the eel soup good for a hangover?

The eel soup at Daedo Jangeo is at its best with a sprinkle of jepi powder (Korean pepper powder). I'd drunk a lot the night before, and it fixed my hangover properly!!

The broth is clear, super refreshing and cool, so my spoon kept going back : ) Personally I don't really like eel soup, but Daedo Jangeo was different... this isn't the eel soup I knew.... It's so good!!

How do you best enjoy the grilled eel?

Wrap the grilled eel in lettuce and perilla leaf with ginger, garlic and ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste) and it's great again ♥ But the eel itself is so good that it was really delicious just eaten plain : )

Smoky, flame-grilled sea eel, and it's even sweeter because it arrives already grilled so you can just eat ♥

How did my parents react to lunch at Daedo Jangeo?

Dad wrapped his ssam neatly and ate really well. He finished so fast that I gave him a piece of mine, then Mom handed me a piece of hers, hehe ㅎㅎㅎ what goes around comes around.

Next time it's definitely the large size..!! I'm going to have it with bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine).

The eel soup was also full of ugeoji (dried cabbage leaves), so the more you chew the nuttier it gets!! I really enjoyed it : )

At the end I even put my rice in the eel soup and finished it all. Mom was shocked haha

They even gave us icy sikhye (sweet rice drink) for dessert, so the meal ends neatly : ) If you're looking for a good lunch special in Changwon, I recommend Daedo Jangeo near Changwon Station ♥