Yeoksam eel restaurant for a family meal with egg custard: Chisot

We needed a real energy boost, plus my taste buds needed some reviving, so we stopped by Chisot Yeoksam for hitsumabushi. There are over 5,000 Naver reviews. It really is the glowing-reviews-deserving eel rice bowl spot everyone says it is, so here's my own writeup!!! If you love ochazuke, I highly recommend visiting :) And I definitely recommend booking ahead!!! I'll share everything — the events, how to reserve, and the full review.

Where is Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch, and what are its hours?

📍 Location: 59 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ground floor unit 102

✅️ Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30

⭐️ Closed every Sunday

⭐️ Recommend booking ahead on Naver before you go

Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch menu: hitsumabushi, bento, salmon rice bowl

We came for the eel rice bowl, hitsumabushi, but there are also plenty of other menu items — bento, sake-don, odeng nabe, and more. If you visit on a weekday for lunch, the bento (weekday-lunch-only) looks worth trying too.

Coupons worth claiming before you book Chisot

If you go into the coupon tab before making a Naver reservation, there are several event coupons — a mini salmon salad coupon, a 5% off hitsumabushi coupon for pregnant guests, a free croquette coupon for visits after 5pm, and more. Download whichever applies to you and use it :)

How to reserve a table at Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch

✅️ How to book: Search "역삼본점 치솟" (Yeoksam Main Branch Chisot) on Naver or Naver Map, then reserve for your date, time, and party size.

A family dinner at Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch

Our family needed a boost, so today we visited Chisot in Yeoksam, famous for its eel rice bowl and ochazuke.

Chisot (치솟, "soaring") — energy soaring up off the charcoal, one bite at a time. Shall we go in and get some energy!!!

It felt like a warm, wood-based restaurant transplanted straight out of Japan. I'd recommend booking ahead so you don't have to wait!!!

Through the glass window, we could watch the chefs skillfully flipping and grilling the eel. Is that our eel? So exciting!!!

While we waited, our tray came out fully loaded — side dishes, egg custard, the eel rice bowl, ochazuke fixings, and miso soup.

Like unboxing a delivery package, we lifted the lid with excitement!!! Wow, look at all that eel!!!! It was packed in edge to edge :)

Chisot's charcoal-grilled hitsumabushi, Nagoya style

Oh, we're actually planning a trip to Nagoya in November. So Nagoya is the home of eel dishes!!! Chisot's hitsumabushi is apparently made in keeping with Nagoya tradition. They select 1st-grade domestic freshwater eel, brush it with Chisot's own tare sauce aged 72 hours, and grill it three times over rising charcoal flames. No wonder the flavor was so deep and distinctive!!! True to the restaurant's name, eating this energy food really did make our energy "soar."

How to eat hitsumabushi at Chisot, step by step

They kindly gave us instructions on how to eat Chisot's hitsumabushi too. Divide it into quarters: eat one quarter with just rice and eel, another topped with seaweed and wasabi, and pour ochazuke over another to eat it warm and soupy.

We tried following the instructions with the fish-shaped paddle!!!

We tried it with just rice and eel, and also with rice, eel, seaweed, and scallion piled on top.

Look at how thick the eel was. Every bite was packed with flavor, no fishy smell at all, and so much umami — very satisfying. I let my husband have the tail :)

Finishing the eel bowl as ochazuke

For the last portion, we poured on the ochazuke broth and ate it warm. Sprinkling on the ochazuke furikake made it even better :) I ate my remaining quarter as ochazuke too.

Is Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch good with kids?

They sprinkled on some seaweed flakes that our kid loves too, and once mixed in, our little one ate it up so neatly. They also gave us kid-friendly utensils, which we really appreciated. Our kid finished the entire egg custard alone. On top of the moist, silky custard sat a big shrimp, and it all disappeared without a trace.

If you run short on rice, you can scoop more from the rice cooker yourself. If you love warm, moist ochazuke, this is a place you'll truly enjoy!!!

If you're an office worker near Yeoksam Station looking for lunch, or searching for a Japanese restaurant in Yeoksam or an eel rice bowl and ochazuke spot in Gangnam, definitely check this place out :)