Sunday eel buffet in Cheongna with a preschooler at ₩7,000: Songrimbok

Cheongna Lake Park playtime, then dinner at Songrimbok Cheongna

Songrimbok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Unlimited Refill Cheongna Direct Branch (송림복장어 민물장어 무한리필 청라직영점) is right next to Cheongna Lake Park, so it's a great all-you-can-eat eel place to hit for dinner after playing in the park with your kid. I wanted eel so badly that I came all the way to Cheongna. It's only 30 minutes from our home, so not a burden at all, and I went in the evening with my husband and our little one.

With the lake park next door there's plenty to see and do, so it's a nice spot to bring kids. Our child played in the park first, then we came here for dinner. This is a real "Cheongna all-you-can-eat eel favorite."

Songrimbok Cheongna opening hours and parking

Hours are 11:50–23:00, and parking is 2 hours free in the underground lot. Just tell them when you leave and they'll register the 2 hours. The address is 152-14 Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon.

The restaurant is big, so I think it would work well for a group too. A nice place to stop by for a gathering.

Search for Cheongna all-you-can-eat eel and posts about this branch pop up everywhere. After going, I get why the reviews are so many and so good. First, the price is really decent. The adult price is good, and the kids' price is even better.

Is Songrimbok Cheongna busy on a Sunday evening?

Even on a Sunday evening there were hardly any empty seats. Since the next day was Monday, I figured Sunday dinnertime would be quiet, but there were far more people than in the photos I took.

Funnily enough, lots of people came with kids like us, and a huge number of them were preschoolers like ours.

How much is the eel buffet at Songrimbok Cheongna?

Prices are ₩29,900 for adults, ₩14,000 for elementary school kids and ₩7,000 for toddlers, and 27 months and under is free. The table setting fee isn't charged for toddlers.

• Adult ₩29,900
• Child (elementary school) ₩14,000
• Toddler (48 months to age 7) ₩7,000
• 27 months and under: free

There are also side dishes you can order: eel soup, yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), buckwheat makguksu (cold noodles), ramen, steamed egg, nurungji (scorched rice) and more. Order whatever you fancy.

What can you refill at the Songrimbok self-bar?

The self-bar has eel, pork belly, pork neck and chicken neck, so if you run short you just go get more yourself. We ordered unlimited for 2 adults and 1 toddler, and the basic side dishes came out first. Once you finish them, you can scoop more from the self-bar.

I kept wanting eel and my husband wanted pork belly, so we refilled those two three times each.

These are the basic side dishes, and beyond them the self-bar also has vegetables, eel sauce, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) and so on, so grab them there. If you need a fork for your child, none are set out, so ask the staff and they'll give you one. We asked and gave our kid a fork.

At first they bring everything out for you, and after that you just pick and bring only what you want. You're not asking the staff, so you can help yourself without worrying. Each table has one pair of tongs and scissors, but if you need more, get them from the self-bar. My husband and I grill together, so we needed a second pair of each and fetched them.

The kettle on the table isn't drinking water

The kettle at Songrimbok Cheongna isn't drinking water. It's for sprinkling now and then when the fire is too strong. It comes out with the basic side dishes, and they explain how to use it.

The self-bar had lots of things, and even if you go knowing nothing, they explain how everything works, so you can eat without worry.

No separate small plates for kids—ask for one

The self-bar has no small plates, and the plates they bring at the start match the number of people but don't include one for the child. So we didn't ask for more and instead took a bowl labeled "sauce medium" for our kid.

We had to serve eel and pork belly together, so that size worked well.

Is the all-you-can-eat eel fresh?

The freshwater eel was really fresh even though it's unlimited. I knew this was a famous Cheongna eel spot, but at first I wondered if unlimited eel could be fresh. It looked in good shape and tasted high quality.

The first batch they gave us was already on the grill, and I brought more and laid it on top. Food is best eaten without breaking the flow, right? When we walked in there was a sign saying "prepared at dawn today," and that seems accurate. The first bite of eel just melted in my mouth.

How we grilled the eel and pork belly

On the grill we didn't mix the eel and pork belly but split it half and half, and later we moved cooked pieces to the edge and grilled only the uncooked ones in the middle. If the fire seems too strong, sprinkle water from the kettle like I did.

You sprinkle where it shows in the photo, and staff explain this in detail when the side dishes come out, so don't worry.

Here's the grilled pork belly and eel at this Cheongna eel favorite. This is only about medium done and needs more grilling. I took the photo and then cooked it longer. You should cook it through to avoid an upset stomach later, so grill it well done from the start.

Grill heat dropping? Tell the staff

While eating at Songrimbok Cheongna, the fire sometimes weakened. You can turn it to level 3, the strongest, but even that didn't work sometimes.

I asked a staff member, and they spotted the problem right away and fixed it. The gas had run out, so they swapped in a new canister. After that, even the lowest setting grilled really well.

Verdict: two adults, one preschooler, three refills

At Songrimbok Cheongna, 2 adults and 1 preschooler were so happy with the food that we refilled three times. After the gas swap everything grilled so well that we ate eagerly. It had been a really long time since I'd had eel, so it tasted even better.

Cheongna is surprisingly close, and playing in the park with the kid then having dinner is just right, so we'll probably come back here. I like that there's a park nearby and 2 hours of free building parking, so once Ppogi (our baby's nickname) is a bit older we'll probably come often. If you want eel with great value and quality, give it a try. Personally, I loved this place.

A post-dinner walk at Cheongna Lake Park

After eating we were so full that my husband, our kid and I took a short walk toward the park. As of that day I was 8 days from my due date, so walking is really hard. We strolled lightly and then headed to the parking lot.

If walking isn't hard for you like it was for us, it's a perfect place to walk after eating, or eat after walking. I guess that's why so many people come to Songrimbok Cheongna with kids. I'd probably do the same... haha