Songjeong, Busan eel restaurant: 14,000 won eel add-on, mazeudon, Yuok

Whenever we're craving eel bowl in Busan, my family heads straight for Yuok in Songjeong, no question about it. This isn't a place we tried once and moved on from — it's our go-to whenever an eel bowl craving hits. It's great to bring parents along, and just as easy with kids, so it's always scored high as a family dining spot. This time we were out in Gijang and Songjeong anyway, so we stopped by Yuok again after a while. Even after multiple visits, I still thought "yep, this is why it's Yuok" over this eel bowl meal — here's how the visit went.

Where is Yuok and where do you park?

Yuok sits along the Songjeong riverside, not far from Songjeong Beach. It's a great stop to combine with Gijang Ananti, the Dongbu Busan tourist complex, or Songjeong Beach, making it a solid pick for a Gijang-Songjeong outing. Whenever we go to Ananti, this is the restaurant we always make sure to stop at :)

As for parking, there's space beside the building and around the area, so coming by car wasn't much of a hassle. Easy parking matters especially when moving around with a kid, and that's part of why we keep coming back to Yuok.

Yuok has a lovely atmosphere even before you step inside. Sitting along the river with an exterior that looks like a small restaurant in a Japanese provincial town, it made an impression the first time we visited — and that charm hasn't faded on repeat trips. There can be a wait on weekends or at mealtimes, but there's an outdoor waiting area, and you can also register on the Catch Table waitlist app. It's a spot that suits both a good meal and a stroll around Songjeong, making it a nice fit for a date or a family outing.

Visiting again after a while, I noticed there are now several spots where you can watch goldfish. It was a nice way to keep the kids entertained while waiting :)

Inside Yuok: U-shaped counter seats and the four-person table at the back

Walking inside, the first thing that catches your eye is the large U-shaped counter seating in the center. You can watch the eel being grilled up close, which makes waiting for your meal entertaining in itself. There's also a 4-person table in the back, good for family visits. If you're planning to use table seating, I'd recommend reserving ahead.

Overall the space feels clean and tidy, so it's comfortable to bring parents along or to eat there with a child. Our family has visited multiple times with our kid and always had a relaxed meal. The restroom is located separately outside the building!

Yuok's menu, from the jumbo unaju set to the kids' bento

Here's Yuok's menu board. There are several options, but the signature is still the Osaka-style eel bowl. Alongside the flagship jumbo unaju set, there's saba ochazuke (mackerel over tea-soaked rice) set, tori-don (chicken bowl) set, oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl), salmon bowl, and more. It's an eel bowl specialist, but it's a plus that there's something to order even if someone in your group doesn't like eel.

And if you're visiting with a kid, there's one menu item you'll be glad to see: the kids' bento. It comes with vegetable fried rice, rolled egg, sausage, pork cutlet, and orange juice, making it an easy pick when your child can't handle eel. Whenever we bring our kid, this menu saves us from having to fuss over what to order.

There are notes on how to enjoy each dish, so be sure to check them out :)

What comes with the jumbo unaju set at Yuok?

🍚 Jumbo unaju set. Once again, we ordered Yuok's signature jumbo unaju set. It doesn't just arrive as a lone bowl of eel over rice — it comes as a full, tidy spread with several sides, so it looks quite generous. There's scallion, seaweed, and wasabi as toppings, plus salad, fried tofu, miso soup, ochazuke, and plum tea. It's nice that ordering just one dish gives you so many different ways to enjoy the meal.

Yuok really does grill the eel well. There's barely any of that fishy taste eel can have, and the texture was moist and tender. The flesh was thick too, giving it a satisfying bite, and the nicely grilled eel just seemed to melt softly in your mouth.

Best of all, the eel bowl sauce wasn't overpowering. If a sauce is too sweet or too strong, you can get tired of it after a few bites, but Yuok's sauce is just enough to bring out the eel's flavor, so I could keep enjoying it with the rice all the way to the end. That's probably why we don't just visit once and stop — we keep coming back whenever an eel bowl craving strikes.

And here's the twist hiding under the eel at Yuok — this soft, big rolled egg!! Sweet and tender, it's so good ㅠㅠ

How much eel do you get for the 14,000 won add-on?

Since I'm an eel fanatic, I ordered a separate eel add-on. Adding 14,000 won gets you this much extra eel — if two of you want to try different dishes but still want more eel, I'd definitely recommend adding this on!!

Mazeudon at Yuok, tried for the first time, with free rice

This time, alongside the eel bowl, we also ordered mazeudon for the first time. After eating eel bowl on its own for so long, adding mazeudon made the table feel even more abundant. Mazeudon has chewy udon noodles tossed with meat and various toppings, and the fun part is mixing the noodles well before eating. It had a nutty, deep savory flavor that was completely different from the eel bowl, making it great to alternate between the two.

The udon noodles in particular were springy and chewy, great for the texture, and the seasoning soaked into the noodles well so every bite was full of flavor. If the eel bowl is on the light and tender side, mazeudon is the dish that charms with a rich, nutty savoriness.

There's a good amount of sauce left over, and since they give you a free bowl of rice too, mixing it in was just perfect!! Seriously so filling ㅋㅋㅋ

Eating at Yuok with a child: the kids' bento

And there's the kids' menu I order every time we go to Yuok!! Bringing a kid to an eel bowl restaurant always raises the question of

Is Yuok worth another visit? Final verdict

Yuok is a true regular spot for our family, one we've been to over and over. Hunting down new restaurants is fun, but sometimes there's a place that just naturally comes to mind with a